The Dark Knight (2008/Batman/Warner Blu-ray + DVD-Video Sets)
Picture: A*/B- Sound: A-/B Extras: B/B- Film: B
Before we
begin exploring the success and content of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster Batman Begins sequel, The Dark Knight, I want to address
Heath Ledger’s work singularly. I have
seen the film several times since before its release and looking at it again,
it is a performance that offer so much that it takes multiple viewings just to
see how much he did with the character, how he managed to give a performance so
good that it could succeed great performances by great actors like Cesar Romero
and Jack Nicholson who left extremely strong, memorable and influential stamps
on the character in their own way.
Bringing things out of the comic book version of the character no actor
(live action or animated) did before that was always on the printed page
(especially from the early 1970s) is remarkable, effective and would have made
this film a huge hit no matter Leger’s sad and terrible passing.
Of
course, The Joker is Batman’s #1 nemesis and this film got more out of that
antagonistic relationship than any other version ever did, with none of the
previous versions slacking. This also
the first time any pair of hero/villain combos have appeared on the big screen
with a third pair of actors playing them.
After the origins of Batman were covered with a new zeal in the first
film, this film opens with the return of The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy back
again) after we see that the rise of The Joker is at hand, starting with a
daring robbery from a mob-controlled bank.
It is the
beginning of a scheme to benefit from the rise of Batman and new hope for
Gotham City as the mobsters scramble with the end of the free reign bubble they
have enjoyed as the city has decayed and been wrought with corruption. Adding to this has been the rise of District
Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart in a much underrated performance) who is
the new love interest of Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal, succeeding Katie Holmes
after her falling out with producers) while still very much in Bruce
Wayne/Batman’s heart. After a smart
set-up, then things start to happen and once they get going, this film becomes
more and more compelling throughout to the point that once you get involved,
you can’t stop watching what happens next.
Some have
called this the best Superhero film yet, which is what some were considering
surprise hit Iron Man (reviewed
elsewhere on this site) released a few months before, but what has really
happened is that the mainstream genre (allotted serious growth through its
massive commercial series of hits) is the films from both DC and Marvel finally
caught up with the first Robocop
(1987) with its violent, realistic edge that originally earned it an
X-rating. These films are not as
outright bold, sardonic, brutal or nihilistic, but on some levels they
certainly are and that Dark Knight
was a step further than Iron Man in
this respect just made both seem like a logical progression of the genre.
Because
you have a fine cast of actors cast so well and a very clever screenplay by
Director Nolan, Johnathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, plus the financial backing
of Warner and DC, you get a first rate, high class, solid A-level Hollywood
product that is sadly the exception to the shallow, silly, would-be
blockbusters that keep getting greenlit no matter how obviously bad the
idea. Unlike most commercial films since
the 1980s, the makers (all the way to the studio) actually care about the
characters, film, story and audience, which is why it was poised to became a
runaway hit even before Ledger’s passing.
The fact is he aced this role and was highly formidable, giving a darkly
comic performance as well as being a very threatening presence. This is even more so since ultra-vivid IMAX
filmmaking (used for about 25% of the film and far superior to the best HD
shooting you can do) is something you cannot hide from or behind. The fact that there are so many great scenes
and moments only builds the picture up and with only a few minor false notes,
it becomes the kind of great experience a fun film with some substance to offer
can deliver, the kind Hollywood used to make all the time.
Christian
Bale is underrated here too, giving new dimension to one of the most successful
heroes of all time, Gary Oldman is even better as a slowly & increasingly
confident Jim Gordon and veterans like Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman (who
made the first film so effective) complete the early making of the Batman
Family that has sent this film into the stratosphere. Though it can be uneven in parts and the move
to IMAX changed the dark-throughout look and feel of the first film, it is a
home run on so many levels and on Blu-ray in particular, offers a new perspective
when seeing it on a home theater system.
*The 1080p
digital High Definition image has two aspect ratios going for it at the same
time. Outside of documentaries, Stanley
Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1965)
switched between 1.33 and 1.66 X 1, but Dark
Knight goes from the amazingly vivid IMAX shooting in 1.78 X 1 here to the
2.35 X 1 anamorphic 35mm Panavision frame (much superior to too often generic
looking Super 35mm shooting that tries to look like scope) that brings us back
to the dark approach of the first film and is exclusive to Blu-ray. The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image on
the DVD is never 1.78 X 1 and is much like the 35mm reduction prints in looking
inkier when that IMAX footage is reduced.
The DVD looks pretty good for the format, but cannot handle the amazing
detail, depth, nuance and film black the Blu-ray can handle. I rate the IMAX footage as good as the best
70mm shooting we have seen so far in previous transfers (Baraka, 2001, Grand Prix; all reviewed elsewhere on
this site) and the 35mm a letter grade below, with is excellent for real
Panavision on Blu-ray. Wally Pfister,
A.S.C., does another winning cinematography job here, while locations and
production design also impress.
Then
there is the sound. Released in IMAX in
the Sonics-DDP format, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix here is a knockout, amazing
demo material as good as any film issued on Blu-ray (or any other format) to
date and between its integration as a thorough soundfield and the clever music
by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard, that soundfield suddenly becomes an
expansive world, enclosed on the one hand, yet paradoxically opening the
cinematic space to more possibilities, suspense and a feeling that anything can
happen. Bale’s voice as an angry Batman
is clearer and more articulate here than in my three (yes, 3!) IMAX screenings
(and they changed the balance by the third one) and you get new detail here
that maybe other IMAX screens had but mine did not. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on the DVD is decent
too; though DTS would have helped the DVD, Blu-ray and True HD are the way to
go. Could the Blu have been better with
DTS and/or a 7.1 mix? Possibly, but not
by much since the 5.1 TrueHD is that enveloping.
All of
the Warner/DC Superhero genre films (like
V for Vendetta, Superman Returns
and even graphic novel comic adaptation 300)
have been getting top sonic release treatment, but Dark Knight is the next step forward and even after Wall-E, will be
the Blu-ray to beat for amazing sound from a modern feature release and
certainly one in live action.
Extras in
both formats (excluding a single DVD we are not covering, which has less
extras) include Gotham Uncovered:
Creation Of A Scene featurette, Batman Tech featurette about the
gadgets, Batman Unmasked: The Psychology
Of The Dark Knight featurette, the actual stand-alone version of all the
Gotham Tonight news segments, some great still sections, trailers and TV
spots. The Blu-ray adds the interactive
BD Live feature and a special gift edition (we did not get) even includes a Bat
Pod. That will be plenty of versions to
satisfy everyone, but if you can play Blu-ray, you must get this set above all
others!
For more
on Batman Begins, you can start with
the Blu-ray review at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/7223/Batman+Begins+(2005/Blu-ray)
- Nicholas Sheffo
