THE DARK KNIGHT | A Complete Retrospective

Why so serious?
Following the success of Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan and company returned to Gotham to tell the next chapter in the Caped Crusader's legend.
This time pitting him against his most fearsome and most famous adversary... none other than the Joker.
This is a complete retrospective on... THE DARK KNIGHT
MAIN SOURCES:
Behind The Scenes of The Dark Knight Trilogy:
• Batman | Behind The Sc...
The Dark Knight ARG wiki "WhySoSeriousRedux":
www.whysoseriousredux.com/hom...
"The INSANE Marketing of 'The Dark Knight'" by Come Watch TV:
• The INSANE Marketing o...
"The Story Before The Dark Knight" by Inside a Mind:
• The Story Before The D...
The Dark Knight Blu-Ray Special Features (Gotham Tonight News Reports)
THE COMPLETE TIMELINE:
00:00 - 2006: Batman is Back
00:01:01 - 2006: Casting The Joker
00:03:03 - 2006: Sequel Announced
00:03:43 - 2006: The Dark Knight title revealed
00:04:14 - 2006: Plot and Casting Rumors
00:05:13 - 2007: Casting for The Dark Knight
00:06:27 - 2007: Production Begins
00:07:04 - 2007: The Viral Marketing Begins/Joker Revealed
00:09:26 - 2007: Promotion Continues/Filming in IMAX
00:10:45 - 2007: Comic-Con 2007 - Viral Marketing
00:12:55 - 2007: The First Teaser
00:14:07 - 2007: Production Continues
00:15:52 - 2007: Halloween Viral Marketing
00:16:50 - 2007: Production Wraps
00:17:18 - 2007: The Viral Marketing Continues
00:19:26 - 2007: The Dark Knight IMAX Prologue
00:21:28 - 2007: The Second Teaser
00:23:32 - 2008: RIP Heath Ledger
00:24:38 - 2008: Marketing Shifts Focus
00:25:04 - 2008: I Believe in Harvey Dent - Viral Marketing
00:26:16 - 2008: Posters Revealed
00:27:16 - 2008: The Theatrical Trailer
00:28:48 - 2008: Gotham Tonight
00:30:51 - 2008: Excitement Builds
00:32:12 - 2008: THE DARK KNIGHT
01:09:32 - 2008: Reception to The Dark Knight
01:11:12 - 2009: The Oscars 2009
01:12:04 - 2009: Impact of The Dark Knight
Twitter: / theprimetheater
Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/prime_of_gamer/
Galvatron: / @galvysphone
Outro Music: Running in the 80s 1.5x speed

[@ThePrimeTheater]

The ads have started to appear. Which means it's my time to say: if you think there are too many ads on this video (which is possible)... copyright claims means I can't control the ad frequency, nor do I get the money... so... Hopefully you can still enjoy the video though 👍😃 Also, yes, this video does start in 2006, but I know Batman Begins came out in 2005 lmfao, I made a whole other video about it.

[@zachbills8112]

You should tell everybody to turn on their ad blocker at the beginning of the video.

[@numicago]

Good thing I pay for KZbin premium then!

[@mijobrnjic89]

regardless, for this quality content it is not hard to endure them 10/10 again

[@TiredSpam]

For those of us who watch youtube more than anything else, paying for no ads is a small price... ;-) So it's been three days, where is Dark Knight Rises??? Chop chop! Lets go!!! HA HA HA HA HA!!! Just kidding but get used to that if you become more popular! Good job on the video and look forward to next week!

[@briandain8432]

I took my at the Time Father in Law to see it at the movie theater and he actually Thanked me (which he didn't do very often or lightly).

[@markcasadevall9509]

Really makes me realize just how bad movie marketing has gotten nowadays

[@Jdicecream]

I know!! I first realized in his lord of the rings video, but it’s so stark the lack of effort that’s put into a ton of content

[@dvdv8197]

Really crazy wow 😳😳😲😲

[@countrye3013]

Considering how much it costs....they don't seem to do much do they?

[@hanh7395]

It's called 'viral marketing'. It is designed to be out there. But it's really tricky to predict if it's going to be effective. Sometimes a trailer, social media stuff, interviews with stars can be enough. But I get what you mean.

[@alfielee2989]

It makes it really clear why Oppenheimer and Barbie blew everything away - they actually had a viral marketing campaign, albeit an accidental one

[@upsetstudios1819]

I had no idea the ad campaign for this movie went that far. Amazing retrospective as always!

[@jackmorgan8914]

Glad he went over it because, somehow, it’s quite unknown all things considered

[@thischannelisshutdown2898]

I swear to god with how much effort this dude puts into his videos. It is a crime he doesn’t even have 100k

[@noirspiderman44]

As much effort as TDK marketing

[@jurgenmathiae6682]

250k

[@pratyushsrivastava3644]

I can't agree more. The effort he put in scraping all the marketing articles, the websites, the clips, the detailing like the first review of the movie, these are the people who should create content on youtube.

[@XanderNotZander]

A crazy part of this movie, when Harvey and Rachel are being saved, she is sure she’s getting saved and acts that way the entire time, right up until she dies

[@davidbernardi3410]

"RACHEL, LISTEN TO ME! YOUR PRIVILEGE IS SHOWING!"

[@malcolmhodnett8874]

Literally no doubt in my mind and honestly I was glad to see her go

[@christiangwenner6384]

Not at all

[@michaelfarrer3044]

I was about 20 when the Dark Knight came out. I remember all the hate Heath was getting and I ALSO remember all those people dressing up as the joker and walking around malls and grocery stores acting like they weren’t the ones that were also calling him names 6 months ago 😂 But seriously this guys been making great videos! Good job

[@brainrmiller]

no kidding. I remember specifically being vocal about my support for Adrian Brodie and disappointment in the dude from 10 things I hate about you

[@kh7688]

Let me guess, you were one of the only people on planet Earth who thought the guy from The Order was gonna nail it? Why do people BS so much?

[@Codemittens]

He didn't deserve the hate imo but notice how everyone love him when he dies

[@michaelfarrer3044]

@@Codemittens that’s usually how the world works sadly. I could be wrong but I believe it was Edgar Allen Poe who died broke and drunk and rejected, then after death and became a literary icon 😂

[@brainrmiller]

@@kh7688 What???

[@nicholasmontgomery9626]

Decided to watch the boat scene again because it is absolutely a master class in writing a scene and as I was browsing through the comments I found one that summed up that scene pretty well with the two characters who had the detonator: One man showed his humanity, the other found his.

[@kh7688]

Very well put.

[@Hepheat75]

This film is my personal favorite Batman movie, the acting, the effects, the music, all of it was so damn good. It's truly a once in a lifetime film. I wish I could watch it for the first time again.

[@KaliU-ix2kf]

True masterpiece ❤ DarkKnight ❤❤

[@kazukiifn7417]

It only needed lore accurate batman fights thats it

[@kh7688]

👍🏾

[@CukMcGee]

Average Batman movie at best

[@householdgambler]

​@@CukMcGeeyou are joking

[@Optimus_Prime_2007]

“You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain…”

[@batboy9997]

I believe that is what the MCU said ....

[@KaliU-ix2kf]

Two Face friends 😂

[@arctic1915]

Crazy thing is technically Harvey both died a hero (in the eyes of Gotham city) but still lived long enough to see himself become the villain

[@21Handguns]

​@@batboy9997no way your serious lmfao

[@21Handguns]

This one quote ages better the more and more we keep going

[@PeesInPools]

Not only is The Dark Knight possibly the best comic book movie of all time, it's one of the best crime movies of all time

[@RuminatingWizard]

Hell no. Right off the top of my head The Usual Suspects is better.

[@bibibiok5772]

LMFAOOOO

[@Codemittens]

Remove Batman then say that again

[@PeesInPools]

@@Codemittens If Batman were replaced with Jack Reacher or any other highly intelligent protagonist it would be almost as good, minus the outrageous technology

[@BrandonOfJapan]

Your hyperbole somehow surpasses your remediation.

[@DBMWM3GTR]

Heath Ledgers’ Joker will always remain the best Joker alteration EVER made.

[@mrray477]

Your format for retrospectives are incredible and unique. I love seeing the whole production, marketing, anticipation, movie recap and reception for all these movies and series. Great Job, cannot wait for countless other movies being showcased like this, or even TV shows or video games that had immense hype.

[@Red.Scare01]

"You've got a little fight in you, I like that." "Then your gonna love me" Best scene from any movie of all time. Literally just appears decks his ass then jumps out the window.

[@davidbernardi3410]

I've read that canonically, that's Batman's greatest ability. He can disappear on Superman.

[@alicobos4627]

Thanks for doing a retrospective on Nolan's trilogy! Hope we'll see a supercut with all three retrospectives in one big video! Also maybe one for the MCU retrospectives?

[@thestunner31615]

He already did the mcu ones

[@alicobos4627]

​@@thestunner31615I'm talking about putting every MCU retrospective video into one 9+ hour compilation.

[@HissoriRenda]

Yes it would be really nice to have one video to run through all of his full series. One for Transformers, one for the MCU and so on

[@shannonceleste5557]

Y'all, just watch the videos in order on a playlist Prime's got more original free content to make for us! He can't be bogged down with something you can do yourself lol

[@nebulous6660]

Best marketing campaign EVER That combined with vids of the location shoots where we got to see trucks getting crashed & entire building demolished. I’ve never been more hyped for a movie

[@georgekraft9829]

you're literally the only person to physically glue me to my seat and make me watch a 1h15m documentary lmao, keep up the great work dude

[@shannonceleste5557]

He does make excellent content! But you likely also need to work on your attention span lol

[@austinrrrodrigues]

I literally watched The Dark Knight for the very first time yesterday this is perfectly timed lol

[@RollercoasterWriter]

How’d you find it this far on?

[@kh7688]

Your thoughts???

[@1NightInParisOfficial]

i love how you put so much emphasis on the campaigns. True marketers feel thankful

[@JWickyJr13]

The viral marketing is something I paid very close attention to but still wish I would have participated more in. It was such a blast.

[@stevenwicker7072]

This isn't just one of the greatest batman movies but one of the best movies period. I watch this movie all the time and it never gets old.

[@malachirice3229]

You know it’s a good day when prime uploads

[@shadowanderson2004]

Anyone ready to feel old? Well too bad. I was 4 when this movie came out And I can now VOTE!

[@jenloveshorror]

Thanks lol. Are u sure ur not my kid??? Not only are the facts of ur age the same, but that is exactly what my kid would say!!😂 Trust me, we are reminded on a daily basis how old we all are

[@shadowanderson2004]

@@jenloveshorror hahahah I can promise I am not

[@noahlewis6451]

Viral marketing around 2000-2010 was elite. Cloverfield is a personal favorite

[@JordanJMyers]

Seen this like 6 times at theater's. Man I love this movie. Great job man

[@KaliU-ix2kf]

True legend DarkKnight

[@jarjarlucas3968]

Christopher nolan created a version of batman that we still can't stop taking about even after 10 years.Meanwhile, literally no one cares that the "Ben Affleck" batman got ruined in the flash.

[@The_Infamous_Boogyman]

Batfleck was never good to begin with, but I know what u mean

[@ISwimByHeart]

This was so good. Thank you for the awesome tribute. I missed all the marketing stuff that was done because I don’t live in the US and I was too young. But damn it was a lot of work and well done to their team. Great video as always!

[@Adam-zo3nk]

Loved your last one for Batman Begins, this ought to be great as well!

[@bretthutchison9245]

What an amazing retrospective. I had no idea the marketing campaign was so in depth. Truly incredible. Great job on the video. No doubt it's a fantastic movie worthy of such praise.

[@briancarroll1917]

Always so excited when a new video comes out. Always so depressed when it’s over.

[@ericormathias]

I had no clue about the ARG campaign for the movie! I love it. I wish more movies did that now. Great video as usual! Looking forward to the next one.

[@KaliU-ix2kf]

DarkKnight Batman begins ps2 game Masterpiece

[@Flameku]

FINALLY!!!!!! I love all of your retrospetive and once I saw the Batman Begins Video I couldn't wait for the dark knight thank you! I love your videos, have a great day!!

[@zinj2618]

Nolan needs to see this, what a masterpeice of a retrospective.

[@JaiProdz]

This made me cry, the ending of TDK always gets me...and you narrating over it was even more emotional, due to the inclusion of the reviews, ad campaigns, casting etc. Brilliant work!

[@YoelProductions]

What a time to be alive. I remember being in high school getting ready for this release! Wish this kind of anticipation for films happened today!

[@slim..reaper]

Dude… how does this channel not have more subscribers? This is the first video I’ve come across of yours and I now have over 5 videos saved to my watch later. The depth you go into is crazy! Such great work. Keep it up, seriously! 💪🏼

[@jenloveshorror]

And to think he only had like 10,000 just a year ago. This guy does such in depth vids you will no doubt be impressed with I promise. I just found him a few months ago but watched all his retrospectives even if I wasn't totally interested in material I still enjoyed his enthusiasm and found them entertaining.

[@-Anonymous-.]

His channel was probably stunted with his Star Wars retrospective. Outside the sequel trilogy: he tried way to hard to be controversial. Saying stuff like Qui-Gon sucks, & disregarding the lore.. all that stuff. Plus shaming KZbinrs 😬 I mean the comments are turned off on that video. These Batman videos are nice though, but… hopefully he stays away from being controversial. Not a good look, his content is BETTER than that.

[@cynicalthoughts4695]

Yesss second part ❤. Another amazing video from you mate! I can't wait for the last part.

[@i3uster7]

Gosh I love that Truck Flip so much.

[@chaseroution]

I love this re living of the feeling I had watching this. Goosebumps throughout this video. Keep doing these

[@AndyDandyMandy]

So much nostalgia watching this video.

[@kaiwancallender2761]

The dark Knight is the best in rolling, canned down. Basically everything is good with the lid, and Nolan films is basically the best one.

[@staticbeatz]

this just made me realise how much this movie just does not let up 😂

[@briancarroll1917]

Been waiting a long time for this Prime. It’s finally here!

[@dvdv8197]

Just watched your whole Star Wars movies complete retrospective and that was AMAZING!! 👍👏🔥🔥 Couldn't post it there because comments were disabled. 😊 Looking forward to this series, as I'm sure it'll be the same high quality!! 🎉❤ Thank you for you work, subscribed! 😊

[@shannonceleste5557]

This is the second mention I've seen of Prime's Star Wars retrospective- I'll have to watch that one next! The other person said it's controversial lol

[@dvdv8197]

@@shannonceleste5557 you definitely should! I'm not sure what exactly would be controversial about it tho. 😅

[@peterly185]

Ahhhhhh snap! There goes my Saturday morning hahahah thanks man! Love your content!

[@t-jacked8166]

I love how in depth they went with how there’s no music during the chase scene. I actually never noticed it here but when Batman fights Bane in TDKR Nolan does that same thing and it certainly adds an eerie, uneasy feeling to the scene

[@juansolis4796]

OMG!!!! it´s happening!!!!. I´ve waited fior this.. thanks for bringing it a week later.. Greetings from Argentina. I love your work.

[@thedudeabides3138]

Great essay, well done, huge amount of work from script to editing and all really well considered and keenly observed. You can be very proud of this.

[@kforkrish]

Was waiting for this desperately😊

[@frankieadriang]

This is great content! Ran into this channel by happenstance and cannot be happier!

[@tremendobeats73]

This was outstanding. The effort that you placed with this project, simply well done

[@petegorman9547]

I have been wanting a retrospective for The Dark Knight just like this for forever There are a bunch of reviews and retrospectives of this film but none go into how casting and production went they are all just retrospectives about the film This retrospective is perfect, thank you so much for all the hard work you put into this All it took for me to subscribe was this one retrospective, now I’m going to check out your Batman Begins retrospective Thank you !😊

[@koncomartalegawa]

Great GREAT video. Stumble you channel with the Transformers, then Marvel, then LOTR, now this.. Got Goosebumps in multiple times in every videos. Cheers from Indonesia

[@monkeylachflash5296]

Holy moly. What a video, eventhough I'm seeing this a bit late.. this made my day. Fantastic structuring and generally: GOOD JOB!!!!!

[@raindropsonthewindowsill5170]

Hi, found this channel through this vid and so far I’m loving it! Didn’t know the marketing was cooking this hard ng

[@sylvainnavarro5570]

I love your retrospectives on Nolan's Batman! Amazing work! It complements the movies and official behind the scenes/making of footage very nicely. Thank you and keep it up!

[@harrybottero6756]

Man I love ur videos plz keep making them 😊

[@ltrain7715]

I just gotta say your vids are so good man

[@kennykallday]

I didn’t click the thumbnail to watch this video it just started auto playing and man I’m glad it did. What a great video. I wasn’t expecting to watch an hour long retrospective of the dark knight an hour and a half ago.

[@noahthe0tter]

I think the Batman Part 2 needs to do a similar marketing campaign to the Dark Knight tbh. Loads of cues to take from how they did that. Great video on my favorite comic book movie of all time!

[@96grunge]

this video was amazing and i appreciate you for making it 🔥🦇

[@TheEverSoTalented]

Does anyone know how this channel doesn't have more subscribers-its so professional!?

[@shannonceleste5557]

The algorithm gods haven't blessed yet

[@FrankFreezy_]

Been waiting for this one boss man🙌🏾❤️

[@drillbit182]

If you ever show your face & you’re not Owen Wilson, I’m going to be shocked 😂 Great channel dude. Loving every video and immense detail. Thank you

[@LupitaLaChona]

Thank you, one of the best movies ever.

[@martinimpossible]

your channel deserves a few mil subs, and probably will happen soon, with this high quality content

[@justadiv5024]

loved the marvel retrospective and the batman begins one keep it up man

[@dariorivera1539]

This is an excellent video and this movie is honeslty in my top 3 favorite movies of All time. This movie also has many great quotes but the ones that stick with me the most are - "Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight." - Jim Gordon “Sometimes the truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded…” - Batman (Obviously the line by Harvey Dent) And "Does it depress you, commissioner? To know just how alone you really are?" - The joker during the interrogation scene.

[@ebg3624]

I’ve seen it so many times and it is so good each watch. Miss you Heath ❤

[@jaycolins2430]

Great retrospective sir 👏🏿 👏🏿👏🏿

[@jasonlloyd3335]

Fantastic retrospective. Top work.

[@tomatosage5038]

so excited for this

[@edibleapeman]

I really dig the lens through which you're providing these retrospectives. Your voice is crisp as fuck, too. Keep going!!

[@lukelaws3545]

What a great video man. I was thrilled from beginning to end and I didn’t realize how hype this movie was at the time. I wasn’t a Batman fan until I watched it in like 2016 where I loved it and watched it all the time

[@AurabotASMR]

This video is a class example of how to do a film review. A loving and intricate deep dive into the background and analysis of the movie. Great job lad! 💙

[@Hexrampant]

I loved this movie growing up and me and my dad watched the trilogy more than i can count. But still i learned so much from your videos like always and we are gonna watch them again. Thank you for the amazing work and keep it up! 🎉👏

[@Left-handed-liberal]

Awesome as always! Im confident i will enjoy the conclusion to this series more than i did the conclusion to the actual trilogy. Looking forward to next weekend.

[@CO2Giger]

This is an amazing video!

[@ORLOSTguy]

Prime Theater, great job on this retrospective. A lot of huge behind the scenes moments and you captured just how big of an event this film was and how it still holds up today as one of the best "Comic Book" movies ever made.

[@mrpresidentofkenya3517]

You have way to few subs. Love your stuff man !!!❤

[@mhoppy6639]

Just found this channel. Started with the epic LoTR trilogy retrospective and now following these. Really deeply researched excellent stuff. Thank you from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@sayanroy1641]

Amazing video!

[@DarthTamarus]

This will go down in history as one of the best films of all time. Period.

[@chriscanul4075]

I was 5 when this movie came out. I wish I could have been the age I am now for all this hype!!

[@jordandixon6255]

Keep up the good work

[@manuelsilva9100]

Awsome video man thanks! What a great movie.

[@wheatbecomesvodka]

Great Video!

[@jonlivingstone]

Such a great in-depth review. I was in my early thirties when Dark Knight came out and don’t remember the campaign on the internet.

[@TheJereld]

Do you think The Joker was quoting Jerry Maguire when he said, "You complete me."?

[@KaliU-ix2kf]

😂yea A man got chance become Batman or IRONMAN Before 😅

[@cancanjaker1620]

Definitely. That line comes from Jerry Maguire

[@TheJereld]

Chris Nolan would never quote another movie, especially a Tom Cruise movie, right in the middle of his own. Joker meant that as an original statement. Not a quote to make the audience laugh.

[@thedarkknight9153]

@@TheJereld Yeah but "You complete me" is what everyone relates to Jerry McGuire.

[@TheJereld]

@@thedarkknight9153 Not a wise decision on Chris Nolan's part.

[@DanyCesc83]

Bravo 👏 this video was exquisite

[@markwalks4205]

Master class in building Hype for a movie, marketing perfection!

[@diwataluna]

What an awesome retrospective! I really appreciate the scope of these. Not having Internet access early 2000s, I didn't know the marketing they did involved an ARG.

[@jacksoncoder1725]

Here we go

[@CaptainArthanos]

Yes! I love your videos

[@The_Infamous_Boogyman]

Yes, heath was a "wtf!?" Announcement. But gdmnd if he didn't own that shit

[@astrofive620]

Going to watch video later, but im seeing your optimist prime logo in 3D.very cool.

[@joseCalderon1976]

Good stuff. Subscribed

[@MMAallday-]

Great retro! I wasn't aware of that it had such a pervasive marketing campaign! Thia is one of my favorite movies of all time.

[@Yodakaycool]

That's awesome history! Ty

[@krankinthehog4984]

Its a masterpiece and I got chills listening to this video more than once.we are so blessed to be alive to see this movie

[@Bit2brain]

This film and lead up to its release was epic in every way. This film is lightning is lighting in a bottle.