Eric Prime

#20 Pan's Labyrinth 1216 points, 18 lists "I am the mountain, the forest and the earth. I am...a faun. Your most humble servant, Your Highness." Box Office: 83.9M Rotten Tomatoes: 95% Metacritic: 98 Awards: 3 Academy Awards and 3 nominations, 3 BAFTA Awards and 5 nominations, 1 Golden Globe Award nomination, 7 Goya Awards and 6 nominations, 7 Ariel Awards and 4 nominations Its Legacy: Guillermo del Toro's magnum opus. The highest-rated 2000s movie on Metacritic. Considered one of the greatest fantasy movies and movies in general. The sixth-highest grossing foreign language movie in the United States. The spiritual succcessor to 2001's The Devil's Backbone. Gave Doug Jones a paycheck. Commentary: Easily Guillermo del Toro’s most iconic film. A film that is a fantastical cacophony of wonder and terror, as well as a powerful parable to how children deal with the actual hardships adults force upon them. A lonely girl whose mother is set to die and war-crazed stepfather is obsessed with taking down rebels...it makes sense she would want to be far away, in her own fantasy world. A world that, frankly, we don’t know is real or not. Serving as a more adult-oriented take on Alice in Wonderland or Narnia, this is all of GDT’s best attributes in one package. Incredible production design, gorgeous visual effects, and powerful storytelling, all wrapped in a package that could have only come from a man with a limitless imagination. For many, this is del Toro’s peak. His best, most defining work. What he will always be famous for. And despite recent Oscar wins for The Shape of Water and Pinocchio, that does feel like the case. At the very least, it’s a shining example of one of the best directors working today crafting one of the best films of the century. One that he can match, but frankly never top.

#21 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 1203 points, 20 lists "The ones that love us never really leave us. And you can always find them in here." Box Office: 797.7M Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Metacritic: 82 Awards: 2 Academy Award nominations, 1 BAFTA Award and 4 nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 9 Saturn Award nominations, Its Legacy: The highest-rated Harry Potter movie ever. The lowest-grossing Harry Potter movie ever. The first Harry Potter film to use IMAX technology. The first film to change the tone and style of Potter for good. The debut of Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. Gave Gary Oldman a paycheck. Commentary: Finally, we’re done with Harry Potter. And we’re ending things off with a rare case where a franchise brought along a famed auteur to make one of their silly toy commercials. And sure enough, this has become the fan favorite, the best in the series, for many Potter fans. It was the first time fan-favorite character Sirius Black joined the series, the first time we saw Michael Gambon take on the role of Dumbledore and the first time we saw Potter’s darker side. With heavy shadows, gloomier atmosphere, and a harsher story, this was when we really saw the true genius of Potter as a franchise. This was a series that grew up with its audience. Every year or two, a new one comes out, each one progressively becoming more mature and adult in its themes and style and execution, as if we are following a group of adolescents actually maturing and developing. Dealing with trauma, handling your own destiny, fighting against authority. All of this would become a lot more deft and discussed in Azkaban and define the series going forward. This all wouldn’t have happened if Cuaron didn’t craft something so strong and memorable, but his influence is still felt within almost all the future Potter installments, for better or for worse. And it’s no wonder that this is considered the crown jewel by the Potter fans here on BOT. Donate to the Transgender Law Center. Remember, trans rights are human rights. https://transgenderlawcenter.org/

#22 The Exorcist 1161 points, 19 lists "The Power of Christ compels you!" Box Office: 441.3M Rotten Tomatoes: 84% Metacritic: 82 Awards: 2 Academy Awards and 8 nominations, 4 Golden Globe Awards and 3 nominations Its Legacy: The former highest-grossing R-rated movie and highest-grossing horror movie ever made. The film that legitimized and prestigified the horror movie. #3 on AFI's Top 100 Thrills and #9 on AFI's Top 100 Villains. Referenced, homaged, and parodied countlessly in media, from Saturday Night Live to Ghostbusters. Sparked the modern horror movie franchise. Spawned way too many sequels and TV shows to count. A favorite and influence of Martin Scorsese, Robert Eggers, Stanley Kubrick, and David Fincher. Considered the greatest movie ever made by BBC film critic Mark Kermode. Caused audiences to faint and vomit. Caused the beginning of the end of Blaxploitation movies. Gave Ellen Burstyn a paycheck. Commentary: This entry sadly has an undercurrent of sadness to it now. William Friedkin, the director of this and countless other classics, passed away exactly one week ago. So it may be a little hard to really talk about arguably his greatest, most iconic work ever. But I suppose I can try it. Similar to many great all-time classics, The Exorcist wasn’t changed by the industry. Rather, the industry was changed by The Exorcist. Coming out to mixed reviews and massive controversy, the hype for The Exorcist came from just how terrifying and repulsive the film was to modern audiences. Audiences had never seen something so terrifying, so visceral, so nasty in all their lives. The cerebral angiography in particular was so gruesome to many that people fainted or vomited while watching the movie. That’s something you don’t typically hear from even the scariest horror releases. Moral panics ensued, drama over children sneaking into the movie was all over the press, the Catholic Church denounced it as blasphemous and Satanic. It was pure pandemonium. And sure enough, the entire horror genre changed overnight, as The Exorcist is oft-considered 2001 for the horror genre. What was considered schlocky nonsense could in fact boast incredible, jaw-dropping, thought-provoking features. Movies like these could easily thrive on big budgets and major set pieces. They can have emotionally stirring sequences, be contemplative, inspire and enrapture audiences, and make tons of money in the process. The Exorcist is a film that, if you are a horror fan, you are obligated to at least respect for a historical perspective. And it’s all thanks to Friedkin’s deliberate pacing, gorgeous cinematography, and compelling storyline about a mother who just wants the devil beaten out of her daughter. It has been a source for inspiration for just about every horror movie released in the last 50 years, is a major reason why films like The Conjuring and studios like Blumhouse are thriving the way they are now, and will continue to be a favorite around Halloween, no matter how many god awful sequels and prequels get made. Including that likely god awful Exorcist legacyquel coming out two months from now. William Friedkin, you made a masterpiece and you changed everything for the greater good of all horror and cinema fans forever. May you rest in peace.

I thought he died.

#23 The Fugitive 1152 points, 20 lists "I didn't kill my wife!" Box Office: 368.9M Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Metacritic: 87 Awards: 1 Academy Award and 6 nominations, 1 BAFTA Award and 3 nominations, 1 Golden Globe Award and 3 nominations, 2 MTV Movie Awards and 2 nominations Its Legacy: The definitive adaptation of The Fugitive franchise. Earned the biggest August opening weekend in history. Was #1 for six weeks in a row. The first Hollywood film to release in China since First Blood in 1985. #33 on AFI's Top 100 Thrills. Remade twice in India. Earned a spin-off, U.S. Marshals, in 1998. Gave Andreas Katsulas a paycheck. Commentary: It’s a premise that, frankly, is impossible to mess up. A man convicted of a crime he didn’t actually commit, trying to clear his name and find out who actually murdered his wife, while avoiding the feds, is an immediately compelling premise that is hard to mess up. All you need is a good director who can add style to the storyline and great actors to tie everything up in a good bow. And when you have a great action director like Andrew Davis of Under Siege fame, and your lead actors are the icons Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford...I mean, that’s how you get to #23 on this list. It’s a fast-paced thrill ride right from the beginning of the film’s giant bus crash and the epic monologue of Jones’ menacing Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard. And from then on, the movie doesn’t stop, with a new action setpiece and chase scene always around the corner. Still, the film knows how to use its assets wisely. Ford has always been a great everyman protagonist, so it’s easy to empathize with his plight right away. Helps also we know he’s totally innocent. Then of course there’s Sam Gerard who TLJ does incredible work for and steals the show whenever he’s on screen. This sure enough led to him getting his own spin-off movie in 1998 with Wesley Snipes and Robert Downey Jr. I’m pretty sure this is the first time many of you even knew that was a thing that happened. Still, he does awesome work. The Fugitive would very quickly break box office records, with the biggest opening and gross for an August movie until The Sixth Sense, and is still a favorite. And speaking of, don’t forget to vote for it in @Cap's 30 for 30 1993 retrospective.

https://deadline.com/2023/08/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-retail-sales-1235519233/

No offense, but it's okay to just acknoweldge that some critics just had a different opinion than you and there's nothing "baffling" about a kids movie getting good ratings. It's really not that hard a concept to grasp.

In retrospect, it's probably my favorite DCEU movie apart from Gunn's Suicide Squad. It's got legitimately solid humor and a strong emotional heart behind it that makes it endearing and has a lot of fun ideas and concepts in terms of the power fantasy of a kid with superpowers. It's also smart in making sure Billy Batson gets a ton of focus, which I'm disappointed Fury of the Gods supposedly ignores (will probably watch it? Maybe? Who knows?). Him learning his birth mother rejected him really is one of the few legit solid bits of pathos in that franchise.

A few of those have showed up and a few of those aren't even eligible. Not gonna say what of course. 🤫

Moderation Just wanted to stop before this gets too far. The general DCEU dissertations are straying too off-topic and aren’t benefiting the Tracking Thread. Best to take this to the WB/Blue Beetle thread

I messed up. I’ll update when I’m off work

Quorum Updates Back on the Strip T-4: 21.71% Awareness The Equalizer 3 T-18: 52.2% Awareness Saw X T-46: 37.68% Awareness Godzilla Minus One T-109: 14.77% Awareness Anyone But You T-123: 13.21% Awareness Blue Beetle T-4: 40.38% Awareness Final Awareness: 89% chance of 10M, 59% chance of 20M, 37% chance of 30M, 22% chance of 40M, 11% chance of 70M DC/MCU Awareness: 100% chance of 70M Strays T-4: 44.92% Awareness Final Awareness: 89% chance of 10M, 59% chance of 20M Original - Low Awareness: 100% chance of 10M, 25% chance of 20M Gran Turismo T-11: 38.94% Awareness Final Awareness: 33% chance of 10M, 2% chance of 20M Horror Awareness: 50% chance of 10M, 10% chance of 20M The Hill T-11: 22.57% Awareness Final Awareness: 16% chance of 10M Original - Low Awareness: 13% chance of 10M Ordinary Angels T-60: 10.45% Awareness T-60 Awareness: 22% chance of 10M Original - Low Awareness: 0% chance of 10M

#24 Dog Day Afternoon 1148 points, 16 lists "Attica! Attica!" Box Office: 50-56M Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Metacritic: 86 Awards: 1 Academy Award and 5 nominations, 2 BAFTA Awards and 4 nominations, 7 Golden Globe Award nominations Its Legacy: Considered one of the greatest anti-authority movies ever made. One of the first movies ever to have a bisexual male lead. Inspired the 1977 Italian film Operazione Kappa. Remade in Hong Kong in 1987 with People's Hero. Pacino's character influenced the voice for Moe on The Simpsons. Marcia Jean Kurtz and Lionel Pina reprised their roles in Inside Man. Referenced in All in the Family, Hill Street Blues, Kenan & Kel, Bob's Burgers, and Supernatural. Joined the National Film Registry in 2009. Gave John Cazale a paycheck. Commentary: The wonderful Sidney Lumet has always been a director for the people. His films, known for their grit and realism, have always been about the working class, the people who deal with oppression, the people who dare to fight against the main authority. His greatest hits all feature these unique stamps, yet it’s perhaps Dog Day Afternoon that is his strongest in this regard. A bank heist thriller where everything goes wrong, it’s an incredible acting powerhouse from Al Pacino, a satirical jab at the media who love to exploit others and their misfortunes, and a legitimately progressive insights into the lower rungs of LGBT folk that, frankly, has aged beautifully 5 decades later. LGBT media always runs the risk of being not good enough representation or too dated, especially the farther you get, at a time when intersectionality was ignored and transgender issues were frankly not as widespread as they are now. Yet the story, about a man who robs a bank to pay for his partner Leon’s sex reassignment surgery, holds up extremely well. Not just because of the demonstrable costs it still takes to have trans folk live their life in the body they want, but just in how important Leon is to the narrative. She is very sympathetic throughout the picture, her conversation with Sonny in particular is gut-wrenching, and despite her limited screen time, she carries the film. She is the reason this film is so angry against the system and the world. She is the inciting incident that gets us invested in the drama. I'd say Leon still holds up and would work well even in a modern-day LGBT film, which is a crowning achievement for both writer Frank Pierson and director Sidney Lumet. And yeah, this makes me love this great movie even more. There’s a lot more to say about this, yet I found this aspect to be the most compelling and wanted to highlight this aspect in particular. Just to show how resonant and prescient this film is today. Which frankly is the best thing you can say about any movie.

#25 Ocean's Eleven 1135 points, 21 lists "Tess is with Benedict now? She's too tall for him!" Box Office: 450.7M Rotten Tomatoes: 83% Metacritic: 74 Awards: 1 Cesar Award nomination, 1 Critics Choice Award nomination, 1 Empire Award nomination, 1 Satellite Award nomination, 2 MTV Movie Award nominations Its Legacy: Made Steven Soderbergh a household name. Boosted the popularity of the 1960 Rat Pack classic. Spawned two sequels, a spin-off, and an upcoming prequel. Features one of the worst cockney accents ever. Earned the biggest December opening weekend in history and the biggest Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts opening. Gave Carl Reiner a paycheck. Commentary: Taking the classic Rat Pack film from the 60s and adding a new coat of paint, Steven Soderbergh made the ultimate heist movie. Not only does this boast an incredible cast who all understand the assignment, but it’s just a perfectly paced, incredibly taut thriller that has a goofy, breezy, self-aware attitude and infectious spirits that make the heist seem like a jolly good time with friends. With all-stars like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, and more, everybody is on their A-game, delivering fun characters who have a great screenplay full of witty dialogue and strong set pieces. It’s insanely memorable and snappy, and helped solidify a banner year for good ol’ Soderbergh. Two more movies would be made, alongside a Sandra Bullock-centered spin-off, and even a prequel starring the two actors currently appearing in WB’s biggest hit of the year in development. It’s a rare case where the remake is far more successful than its original. And frankly, it’s looking to still be a gold mine for Warner for decades to come, thanks to that classic Soderbergh magic and ingenuity.

#26 Dunkirk 1091 points, 21 lists "How hard is it to find a dead Englishman on Dunkirk beach? He didn't kill anyone!" Box Office: 527M Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Metacritic: 94 Awards: 3 Academy Awards and 5 nominations, 1 BAFTA Award and 7 nominations, 1 Critics Choice Award and 7 nominations, 3 Golden Globe Award nominations Its Legacy: The highest-grossing World War II movie of all time until Oppenheimer. Oft-considered Papa Nolan's best film. Considered one of the best war films ever made and one of the best films of the 2010s. Papa Nolan's first Best Director nomination. Gave Fionn Whitehead a paycheck. Commentary: Time. It’s the one thing we want more of but never have enough of. We all wish we had more time to get work done, more time with the people we love, more time to just enjoy life. Papa Nolan understands that, which is why time plays a big part in many of his movies. And his best showcase of this was the World War II epic Dunkirk. It’s a basic story about three perspectives during the big Dunkirk evacuation. The soldiers who are trying to survive, waiting for evacuation, praying they’ll get home. An elderly sailor who takes the fight into his own hands and sails into the fight, trying to rescue however he can. An Air Force pilot with only an hour of fuel trying to survive, knowing he will inevitably crash and be taken away by the Germans. These are all people who wish they had more time. More time to breathe, more time for safety, more time with their loved ones. It’s all exemplified in a tragic story, but one that also boasts incredible sequences, with massive practical effects and historic planes and boats from that event. And sure enough, this became an all-time favorite amongst critics and Nolan fans alike, to the point where it became the highest-grossing World War II movie ever made...but then Papa Nolan topped himself just last month. A true Chad. Only downside? Harry Styles tries to act in this. We should have stopped while we were ahead.

#27 The Lego Movie 1077 points, 21 lists "I only work in black and sometimes very, very dark grey." Box Office: 468.1M Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Metacritic: 83 Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination, 1 Annie Award and 5 nominations, 1 BAFTA Award, 1 Critics Choice Award and 1 nomination, 1 Golden Globe Award nomination Its Legacy: The debut film of Warner Animation Group. The first of many sequels and spin-offs. Warner's highest-grossing animated movie ever made. The third most profitable film of 2014. Part of a banner year for Chris Pratt. Ranked as one of the best films by the National Board of Review. Criticized by conservatives for being anti-business...okay. Gave Alison Brie a paycheck. Commentary: Man, can you imagine making a movie about a toy? Can you imagine how cynical that idea can be? Imagine making a movie that only exists to promote figures and play things. A movie that was only made to boost the stock of a toy company. You can’t make anything emotionally resonant or politically engaging. Nobody would see something as stupid or cynical as this. Well wouldn’t you know it, Greta Gerwig...wait, hold on. Sorry. Okay, Phil Lord and Chris Miller proved people wrong by creating a film that still shows their unique, auteurist touch, while also making something that will make you want to buy a bunch of toys after the movie. The Lego Movie boasts an absurdist, throw everything to the wall style of comedy, with so many gags thrown at your face left and right. Most of them hit bullseyes, and the wacky ensemble and hilarious cast means there’s going to be one character who will be your favorite. But within the wacky comedy is still a very powerful story about the joys and wonders of imagination. That creativity creates incredible, amazing things, and individuality is the greatest aspect that makes you you as a person. And that limiting and stifling that creativity can only lead to awful repercussions for everybody. It’s the thesis statement of Lego itself, and a lesson that’s important for youngsters to recognize and take hold before they grow up to be boring, cynical adults. That our world can’t just stay put the way it is and be controlled by boring business figures. And that your individuality and unique spark is what’s needed to make the world better. As a movie franchise, The Lego Movie would see several spin-offs and sequels that ultimately saw diminishing returns. And now the toy has moved over to Universal who plan to do...something with the franchise. But regardless of what happens, we got this masterpiece of kineticism and wit and creativity. Something that will never be taken away from us. Everything is awesome, mah bois.

#28 A.I. Artificial Intelligence 1074 points, 17 lists "So David went to sleep too. And for the first time in his life, he went to that place... where dreams are born." Box Office: 235.9M Rotten Tomatoes: 75% Metacritic: 65 Awards: 2 Academy Award nominations, 1 BAFTA Award nomination, 4 Empire Award nominations, 3 Golden Globe Award nominations Its Legacy: A tribute to the Kubrick film that never was. Continued Haley Joel Osment’s success as a child actor. 83rd best movie of the 21st century according to a BBC poll. Earned major critical reevaluation years later. Was parodied on The Simpsons. Gave Chris Rock a paycheck. Commentary: Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi rendition of Pinocchio is an odd beast. One that confused and baffled viewers back in 2001. Originally, this was a Stanley Kubrick production that was designed to be sensitive and sentimental like a Spielberg movie. Then Spielberg took over once Kubrick died and tried to add his sensibilities of eerieness and coldheartedness into the movie. To pay tribute to an all-time director and a great friend. It worked for some, but it was considered too weird and disjointed for others, especially with its controversial ending. Yet that also made it one of the more unique pieces in Spielberg history and perhaps one of his most fascinating to analyze. There's a strong undercurrent of sadness and terror in every moment. From the opening where David is a mere pest to the tragic separation between him and his mother to him realizing his own life is meaningless, all the way to finding comfort in a world that is as artificial as him and learning what truly makes him unique and wonderful. It's really the best of both worlds. The eerie atmosphere and complex ideologies of Kubrick meshed with the incredible visual stylings and emotional resonance of the crowd pleaser icon. If anything, it's aged even better, since...well, the future of A.I., a dying world where the people in power would rather use technology for sport and personal pleasure...that's us. Right now. And as we deal with this dying planet, with no hope for our future, we just have to be our best, find the people who love us, and hold on tight to them. Show them how much we care for them and why they are so important to us. Because you never know how long you'll have them around.

October 17 is when submissions start. Y’all have three months, till January 17, so you better use those months wisely.

#29 The Dark Knight Rises 1036 points, 18 lists "Oh, you think darkness is your ally. But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, moulded by it." Box Office: 1.081B Rotten Tomatoes: 87% Metacritic: 78 Awards: 1 BAFTA Award nomination, 4 Critics Choice Award nominations, 3 Empire Award nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 7 MTV Movie Award nominations Its Legacy: The highest-grossing Batman and Papa Nolan movie ever made. The former biggest DC Comics movie ever made. Made Tom Hardy a movie star and Bane an A-lister villain. Gave Papa Nolan a producing credit on Man of Steel. Was the seventh-highest grossing movie of all time. Baneposting became a meme. Gave Anne Hathaway a paycheck. Commentary: For those who maybe weren’t in the know in 2012, there was nothing on the same level as buzz and hype and excitement as Papa Nolan’s third and final Batman movie. After the 2008 movie blew everybody away and redefined what superhero movies could be, everybody had to know how Papa would top pigs with pigs. Was it even possible to do so? In a way, this was a sequel that was never going to match expectations. And uh...yeah. It didn’t. But it was still really cool! Tom Hardy was the baddie this time, playing a reworked version of classic Batman villain Bane, and he served an iconic performance that serves as a fun rebel character, a symbol for the oppressed, and gave us a funny voice we have all memed and made fun of. And that’s most important. And sure, people had criticized the story and screenplay for being janky and awkwardly right-wing, and there’s the usual issues of Nolan having no clue how to write women (thank goodness for Oppenheimer lol), but it also is a movie that boasts incredible action, maximalist scope, great cinematography, and some strong heroes at the center. This helped it become the highest-grossing Batman movie of all time, a record it still holds a decade later, and served as a solid finale for an era of DC movies before we got to the DC Extended Universe, which um...well, yeah.

I hate that it says x.com so much lmao

They've had 2PM/7PM previews for GT all this weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And that includes the ones next weekend. That's like...12 preview showings? Around that I think? It's such a stupid idea that, at this point, you might as well have kept it on its original release date. Also the ones at Regal are in ScreenX, which like...no thank you. Would have likely checked one of them out on a boring weekend like this, but using that screen? I'm good mate.

Well if you submitted a list, this wouldn’t have happened. Just saying 😂

#30 Full Metal Jacket 1022 points, 21 lists "I don't like the name Lawrence, only f---ots and sailors are called Lawrence. From now on you're Gomer Pyle. Box Office: 120M Rotten Tomatoes: 90% Metacritic: 76 Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination, 2 BAFTA Award nominations, 1 Golden Globe Award nomination, 1 WGA Award nomination Its Legacy: Cited as one of the best Vietnam War movies ever. Kickstarted the film career of R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D'Onofrio. The final film released in Kubrick's lifetime. #5 on Channel 4's greatest war movies ever made, #457 on Empire's Top 500 Movies of All Time, #95 on AFI's Top 100 Thrills. Gave Matthew Modine a paycheck. Commentary: Kubrick’s epic war drama is split into two very distinct halves. There’s of course the more iconic first half, which is all about boot camp. You’ve got a group of scrappy platoon members all forced to endure the abuse of camp through perhaps one of the most crazed and sadistic drill sergeants in cinema history. Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, played by R. Lee Ermey, is by far the best part of the movie and the one aspect everybody remembers. He’s foul-mouthed, ruthless, and always full of energy. He has no shame to insult or berate or scare you and he is damn good at it. Makes sense of course, since Ermey was a drill sergeant back in the day. This would lead to the man continuing to play similar roles like this for decades to come, up until his passing in 2018. You younger BOT members probably know him best as the little Army men in Toy Story. Of course we then go into the second half, as we see our platoon deal with the struggles and fears of war, specifically during Vietnam. It’s grungy, it’s nasty, it’s horrifying...yet somehow, it might not be as scary as boot camp back home. It’s a good creative decision that shows just how ruthless and nasty things are for soldiers back then and even right now. How we force these people to go through this abuse just to support a country. A country that, honestly, does it need support? This was Kubrick’s penultimate release and would become one of his most famous works out there. It’s the kind of film that exemplifies the power and damage the Vietnam War created and will always serve as one of the most popular and iconic war movies in modern cinema history.

#31 The Batman 984 points, 21 lists "I'm vengeance!" Box Office: 771M Rotten Tomatoes: 85% Metacritic: 72 Awards: 3 Academy Award nominations, 4 BAFTA Award nominations, 3 Critics Choice Award nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 4 MTV Movie Award nominations, 2 Saturn Awards and 10 nominations Its Legacy: One of the first films then in production hit by the COVID lockdowns. The seventh most profitable film of 2022. One of Robert Pattinson's biggest movies ever and one of the biggest DC Comics movies ever. The planned beginning for a whole sub-franchise of movies and shows. One of the highest-viewed films on Max. Gave Andy Serkis a paycheck. Commentary: The most recently released movie in the top 100, it’s very clear Matt Reeves’ dark adaptation of the Caped Crusader struck a chord with people here right away. Enough to get it just barely under the top 30. And...yeah, I get it. What Reeves crafted, within all the grimdark atmosphere and epic, brutal action, is a visual feast that feels like a breath of fresh air within a genre that’s the biggest it’s ever been. Not only is the film visceral, brutal, and adrenaline-pumping throughout so many sequences, but there's so many creative camera tricks that makes the film feel more alive. Blurred out sequences, heavy darkness and shadows in the cinematography, and creative sound editing allows the film to feel more distinct and immersive. Gotham hasn't felt this alive since the Burton days. The ensemble also works really well in giving the film so much personality and spontaneity, in particular Robert Pattinson. Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne might be my personal favorite iteration of the character. Pattinson tackles his own familial issues with expertise, as he learns things aren't as black and white from his childhood as he remembers, and offers the proper menace and mystery when donning the Batman outfit. There's anguish and frustration under his eyes that gives off so much humanity and it really hooks you into the narrative. Already WB is pushing this universe hard. While James Gunn is doing his shared universe silliness, this is its own thing, with Reeves getting to have all the toys to himself to craft a wild universe all his own. TV shows are in the works, a sequel is set for release in two years, and who knows what else Pattinson will pop up in down the road? And thankfully, Reeves pulled off something splendid here that is sure to get us all hyped and invested in these characters for years to come.