Robert Downey Jr. Trash Talks The Dark Knight

Posted by on August 14th, 2008   Filed under: Books/Comics, Gossip
Source: Moviehole

It seems there’s still an on-going debate among comic book fanboys over which is the best comic book movie of all-time, Iron Man or The Dark Knight. But in my mind there’s no comparison at all… sure Iron Man was fun, but it doesn’t come close to achieving the same level of sophistication as The Dark Knight. To each their own, I suppose.

Recently, Iron Man himself was even put on the defensive when asked about his feelings on The Dark Knight. In a recent interview with Moviehole, Robert Downey Jr. decided to throw down the proverbial gauntlet:

“My whole thing is that that I saw The Dark Knight. I feel like I’m dumb because I feel like I don’t get how many things that are so smart. It’s like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I’m like, ‘That’s not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.’ I loved The Prestige but didn’t understand The Dark Knight. Didn’t get it, still can’t tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I’m like, ‘I get it. This is so high brow and so f–king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.’ You know what? F-ck DC comics. That’s all I have to say and that’s where I’m really coming from.”

Is he serious? I have to think that he’s at least partially joking here, or maybe just trying to egg on some fanboys, but who knows. If great storytelling is not something that he wants to see in a movie, then what does he want? At this point it seems a safe assumption that Iron Man 2 will not be aspire to be dark or deep in any way.



  • Itchy-Finger

    Sounds to me like someone fell of the wagon.

  • Matt

    It’s suprising to read him talk like this. I thought he’d be a lot more laid back. Maybe he’s in withdrawl. Part of the appeal of Iron Man was just how charming and witty Downey jr. made Stark. But in the article he just sound incredibly bitter. I wonder if he’s jelous over TDK’s continuing success. I really doubt that he would be this bitter if TDK had bombed. Iron Man and TDK are vastly different movies, and they very going for very different things. Iron Man, to be light, fun, funny, and entertaining. It succeeded. TDK, to be thoughtful, challenging, deep, and spectacular. It also succeeded. Both movies are very good at what they tried to accomplish, it’s just that TDK tried to accomplish a lot more than Iron Man, and that’s why it’s a better movie.

    BTW, you do not need a college education to understand TDK.

  • Bob the Slob

    excuse…two best what? how old are these movies? damn kids and their music…

  • Danno

    Am I the only one that had a hard time understanding wtf he was talking about? I feel like I’m dumb because I didn’t really get the ferrari engine reference and the how many things are so smart. Maybe i need a college degree.

  • swarez

    “I feel like I’m dumb because I didn’t really get the ferrari engine reference”

    That’s because you’re not rich. Only rich people get that reference.

  • cronenfly

    sounds like he is trying to pick a fight between the fans. Silly Downey and his addiction fits :)

    LOL! “maybe his in withdrawl” -Matt

  • cronenfly

    sounds like he is trying to pick a fight between the fans. Silly Downey and his addiction fits :)

    LOL! “maybe he’s in withdrawl” -Matt

  • Ian

    Ha my pretentious philosophy gradstudent friend just commented on my review on TDK with a link to some high minded review that also was quite negative. check it out and let me know what you guys think. My opinion is that if a reviewer wants to read something into a movie they will and then if you don’t agree or think they are overreaching then you’re the idiot. http://www.nplusonemag.com/dark-knight

  • Primal

    Are you guys sure that he isn’t a dude playing another dude disguised as another dude when he said this? Nah, I think his comments on the film are funny, but I think it is a truthful statement. I guess people aren’t realizing subjectivity of film doesn’t reach to actors. Don’t expect him to have to call on a press conference to apologize to all the people who loved TDK.

  • tony

    oh no he didn’t!!

  • Derro

    @1.Itchy-Finger
    Maybe you should learn to spell before you make fun of peoples problems….it’s off…

  • stevie_boy

    Besides the “fuck DC” part, I don’t see any malice in this at all. He’s saying what many people think and it’s that TDK can be a tad confusing at time. I’m personally college-educated and missed plenty of the allusions and layered-dialogue first time I watched it, I can totally understand others missing the plot. It’s just unfortunate that in his fervour, he comes off as a tad unprofessional and edgy.

  • I guess Bobby Jr is back on drugs man..

  • It doesn’t seem so bad what he said. He probably just said it for Marvel vs. DC. Maybe we’ll read Christian Bale Trash Talks Robert Downey Jr. back.

  • it’s funny that Robert Downey Jr. said the Dark Knight is too sophisticated when he himself tends to sound so sophisticated

  • D.W.

    I see IRON MAN as a good movie cause it made sense, simple and good, as a hero should be, yeah Robert’s drug addiction and abuse is something, but hell him and stark were a match made in heaven. The movie’s story was simple,”Didn’t know my company was supplying to the enemy, the USA’s counter-ability was ZERO, I gotta do something about this.”
    The Dark Knight, all I hear ALL I HEAR is “ZOMG LEDGER IS SO FUKKEN HAWT!!!111 *fangirl-gasm*” THe story for dark knight was challenging yeah, he puts on the suit to save people to stop crime, he’s a crime fighter, and industrialist who have workers to build Wayne Industries items, and his assistant to build the gadgets, butler who gives him the heads up on his playboy life, we all know the story of batman, sad part is the killer of his parents is always change, the combinations of villians he fights are change, heath ledger’s joker was good but not that good everyone’s going ga-ga as if they got the nerve to say iron man sucks and old joker sucks.
    It gets extremely annoying, so I know how he and others feel. I love the dark knight it was fantastic, but goddamnit the story felt messed up, just lengthy to keep you satisfied.

  • AlphaNoodle

    I think he was joking. And hype shouldn’t affect your opinion of a movie. If somebody else likes a movie, how does it lower one’s enjoyment of the material, I don’t really get how if something gets a lot of hype, an opinion wavers, it doesn’t make sense.