Aaron Eckhart, star of The Dark Knight, shares how the current superhero landscape could learn from the grounded feel of Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Batman trilogy. Since The Dark Knight trilogy hit theaters, the superhero genre has become one of the biggest in the world, not only with truly impressive box office performances but also with extensive cinematic universes. However, recently, superhero movies have begun to see a decline at the box office, and many would argue in quality.
During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant for The Bricklayer, Eckhart touched on the superhero genre. He explained why The Dark Knight worked so well, noting Heath Ledger’s performance and make-up. Eckhart broke down why the superhero movies of today need to be more grounded in reality. Check out Eckhart’s full quote below:
Aaron Eckhart: It’s not what I would tell them. It’s what’s on film. It’s what Chris did. If you take what your question right there and break it up and analyze it, and you say, “The Dark Knight,” which is Chris Nolan, “brought [superheroes] back,” from where? Where did he bring them back from? He brought it and put it right in reality.
He put it in truth, in reality and made it concrete and real and tangible. It was in fantasy land. And I haven’t seen a lot of those movies lately, but I think it’s gone back into fantasy land. Look at Heath’s performance. Look at his makeup. His makeup looked like he did it at home, right? And that’s what we want. We want a superhero that’s grounded in reality, and we want villains that are grounded in reality. And Chris did that perfectly. I think it set a benchmark for that, so I would say just get back to truth. Truth is where it’s at.
Superhero Movies Can Learn A Lot From The Grounded Nature Of The Dark Knight Trilogy
Grounding superhero movies in reality could be exactly what is needed to re-energize the genre. This isn’t to say the fantastical nature of superhero movies needs to be dismissed entirely. However, many of the more grounded movies and series have garnered acclaim from critics and fans. Peacemaker taps into the humanity of a character that was first introduced in The Suicide Squad, one of the bombastic superhero movies of recent years.
10 Reasons The Dark Knight Still Holds Up 15 Years Later
The Dark Knight turned 15 years old in 2023 and the film still holds up as one of the greatest superhero films ever made for varying reasons.
Grounding these movies in reality can be done through genre, themes, setting, or even the emotional arc. As the universes have expanded, with Marvel in the midst of their Multiverse Saga, these movies could benefit from a return to reality. One of the most highly anticipated aspects of the MCU is the X-Men, who were finally teased in The Marvels.
The X-Men are the perfect way to approach very real issues in a way that feels authentic. The new DC Universe has an opportunity to do this with each of its movies as it rebuilds from the ground up. Many of these projects could benefit from looking at The Dark Knight trilogy and why it continues to be one of the most beloved superhero trilogies over a decade after Batman Begins hit theaters.
The Dark Knight
Christian Bale once again embodies the man behind the mask in The Dark Knight, reuniting Bale with Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman has been making headway against local crime—until a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker unleashes a fresh reign of chaos across Gotham City. To stop this devious new menace—Batman’s most personal and vicious enemy yet—he will have to use every high-tech weapon in his arsenal and confront his beliefs if he hopes to stand a chance against the Clown Prince of Crime.
- Release Date
- July 18, 2008
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Cast
- Nestor Carbonell , Morgan Freeman , Ritchie Coster , Cillian Murphy , Chin Han , Gary Oldman , Eric Roberts , William Fichtner , Aaron Eckhart , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Christian Bale , David Dastmalchian , Michael Caine , Anthony Michael Hall , Heath Ledger
- Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 152 Minutes
- Genres
- Action , Thriller , Drama , Crime
- Writers
- Christopher Nolan , Jonathan Nolan , David S. Goyer
- Budget
- 185 Million
- Studio(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Sequel(s)
- The Dark Knight Rises
- prequel(s)
- Batman Begins
- Franchise(s)
- Batman
