Here’s an interview with Christopher Nolan about the Dark Knight. It contains DK spoilers, but the part I’m interested in is here:

Some of that fascination with technology appears on screen. Nolan credits the James Bond franchise with inspiring how some of Batman’s gadgets appear. “I think the Bond films are a big influence tonally,” he said. “If you look at the early Bond films you’ve got extraordinary things happening, but there’s an overall tone you can buy into as a regular action movie. You’re not completely stepping outside the bounds of reality. Particularly with the earlier films.

I like that. I like that he’s crediting the Bond franchise with being strongly influential, without dissing it. Everyone these days (BOURNE!) has to respond to the notion of Bond influence by saying how much better they are, and how old-fashioned Bond is.

Which pisses me off.

So this respectful acknowledgement really makes me feel good.