This is the textbook case of a movie so popular that when “serious” awards bodies don’t pay it enough attention, they’re decried as too traditional.
In the context of this list, we’ve stayed mostly with the losers who were nominated for the highest honors of their year: Best Picture.
And yet, when it comes to 2009’s class of notables, none cast quite as impressive a shadow as The Dark Knight.
Christopher Nolan’s best Batman movie is a true blend of artistic merit, and blockbuster thrills, sealing the deal on this film’s hypothetical win in spades.