The Dark Knight‘s incredibly strong Rotten Tomatoes score was almost beaten by an overly unexpected Batman movie. To this day, The Dark Knight is still considered one of the best superhero movies of all time, if not the best. The Dark Knight may have a more grounded tone than some outright comic book movies, but it is still beloved.

In terms of superhero movies on Rotten Tomatoes, The Dark Knight is one of the highest-ranked. Upcoming DC movies will look to finally supplant The Dark Knight as the best Batman movie, be it Matt Reeves’ The Batman – Part 2 or the planned Brave and the Bold movie in the DC Universe. Until then, though, The Dark Knight will retain its crown.

What makes The Dark Knight‘s status all the more impressive is that, since the film’s release in 2008, no Batman movie has overtaken it on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is still dubbed the best Batman movie, despite some positively received installments of late. Interestingly, the only Batman movie to come anywhere close to matching The Dark Knight is perhaps the most unexpected one.

The Lego Batman Movie Comes Seriously Close To Beating The Dark Knight’s Rotten Tomatoes Review Score

The only Batman movie that almost rivaled The Dark Knight on Rotten Tomatoes was The LEGO Batman Movie, released in 2017. The Dark Knight currently holds a 94% critical approval rating on the website, with The LEGO Batman Movie coming in at only 5% below that, with 89%. The next Batman movie after that is 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.

Even the acclaimed 2022 movie The Batman did not come as close to surpᴀssing The Dark Knight, holding only an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The LEGO Batman Movie, however, outdid each of these, almost toppling what is largely considered an unbeatable superhero movie.

Why The Lego Batman Movie Is So Close To The Dark Knight’s Rotten Tomatoes Score

Concerning why The LEGO Batman Movie came so close to beating The Dark Knight‘s Rotten Tomatoes score, the former is much more family-friendly than a lot of other Batman movies have been. The film, by being set in the LEGO universe, delved deeper into comedic elements and jokes, all while being allowed to play in the sandbox of DC Comics in a way most live-action films cannot.

This allowed The LEGO Batman Movie to be more easily enjoyed by audiences and, especially, critics. Movies like The Batman and The Dark Knight Rises may be taken more seriously, leading to their lower scores. The LEGO Batman Movie, though, is easy to watch as an enjoyable, not-so-serious adventure through the Batman mythos, explaining its proximity to The Dark Knight.