When the 2009 Oscar nominations for the 81st Annual Academy Awards were announced on Thursday, a lot of people were upset and disappointed that The Dark Knight missed out on a nomination for Best Picture. No more than 10 minutes had past from when the official 2009 Oscar Nominations where announced to when the backlash began. People throughout the internet community were getting very upset that The Dark Knight is somehow not getting enough attention and recognition.

The Dark Knight failed to gain one of the five coveted spots for a Best Picture nomination. What were the Academy thinking about when the skipped the Batman? The Dark Knight has already received nominations from the Producers, Writers, and Cinematographers guilds earlier this month and picked up nominations and awards from the Screen Actors Guild, the Golden Globes, and the Grammys.

The late Heath Ledger has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but the movie has not been nominated for Best Picture, nor has Chris Nolan been nominated for a Best Director Oscar. Has the Dark Knight bubble finally burst?

Let me just point something out here, just because something is overrated does not mean it?s not a good or even great movie. It simply means that it gets more praise than it deserves, regardless of how good it is. It just happens that The Dark Knight is a fantastic movie.

Has The Dark Knight done too well at the box office? Has it destroyed or paved the pay for other super hero movies to follow? Will all future movies that fall into this genre be measured against this movie, both in style and content? It?s box office taking will take a lot to beat.

The Dark Knight is not just a movie about a dark super hero, it is a commentary on the ongoing cultural production and reproduction of a capitalist system. It is also about creating criminal classes out of any minority group, and the use of violence in keeping the lower classes in control. Along with the high production values associated with today?s blockbusters, it shows us about monopolising the financial capital and the power of the state transferred to capital.

The Dark Knight cashes in on the notion of capitalist dominance and the legitimate militarization of our society against these so-called insane terrorists. It comments on the society that we live in today and the problem with terrorism. It is any wonder that this movie has been such the box office draw that it has been?

While much about the next instalment in the Batman movie franchise remains unclear, The Dark Knight collected $997.7 million in Worldwide box office and has won a Golden Globe and a SAG award for the late Heath Ledger. It was also nominated for other prestigious awards, including the 81st Academy Awards.

The Dark Knight?s executive producer has spoken publicly about the very real possibility of a sequel, and has hinted at a release date in 2011.