Blu-ray Review: The Dark Knight
Release Date: December 9th, 2008
Running Time: 153 minutes
The Film
The Dark Knight is officially a phenomenon. Faced with massive expectations, a horrific loss of a key cast member, and a stacked summer season, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if the film fell short of expectations. However, The Dark Knight rose through the adversity and has cemented its place in cinema history as one of the best comic book films ever made. An unstoppable force that smashed box office records, The Dark Knight has an appropriately solid Blu-ray set that does not disappoint.
The Dark Knight picks up a year or so after Batman Begins. Gotham has been cleaned up. Within the first ten minutes Batman (Christian Bale) catches The Scarecrow, and puts down a series of wannabe Batman vigilantes. A new District Attorney has become the city’s white knight—Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). He also happens to be seeing Bruce Wayne’s old flame, Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Coupled with the excellent work of Police Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), Wayne begins to think that he may be able to retire the Batman. He couldn’t be more wrong.
As Alfred (Michael Caine) so eloquently puts it, Batman has pushed the criminals of Gotham to desperation. He has beaten them so badly that they have turned to a monster they don’t fully understand. There are people who simply want to see the world burn. In a horrible decision, the mob hired The Joker (Heath Ledger) to take out Batman, but the Joker won’t stop with there. He won’t stop until he has wreaked as much chaos on the city as possible. What ensues is Batman and the city reacting to sadistic plans by the Joker, whether it is him threatening to blow up a hospital unless someone is killed, or two boats rigged with explosives where the passengers have to decide who dies. Worse yet, in the process of tearing down the city, The Joker systematically breaks down Harvey Dent and creates Two Face. He proves that every man, no matter how good, has a breaking point. The Joker takes Gotham’s most beloved hero, and turns him into a monster.
At almost two and a half hours, many say that The Dark Knight has too much going on. I would agree, but everything is handled very well. You have two complete villain stories. It is a lot of content, but both Two Face and The Joker receive plenty of story time so the film never seems to have extraneous material, like Spider-Man 3. Then you have to consider the fact that the acting is superb on all accounts. Bale is a Batman for the ages, despite what some may say about his Batman voice. You won’t be able to take your eyes off Ledger’s performance, and the degeneration of Harvey Dent seen through Eckhart is heartbreaking. With little CGI and tons of incredible practical effects, The Dark Knight is gritty, dark, and realistic. This isn’t a fantastical film, but one very much grounded in its own reality, and unflinching in its execution. In short, The Dark Knight may very well be the definitive Batman film.
The Disc
The video is presented in a 2.40:1, 1080p High Definition transfer. The IMAX scenes switch to 1.78:1, but honestly I did not notice outside of the prologue. This is a reference quality disc through and through. The print is spotless, and no video noise or compression errors muddle up the image. The black levels redefine how deep the format can get, something I was very pleased to see since it is such a dark film. Colors have the perfect amount of pop without being oversaturated. The level of detail is phenomenal, especially considering how much of the film is in low lighting. You can see every crack in The Joker’s makeup and every texture in Batman’s new suit. If you can believe it, the IMAX moments are every more sharp. Overall you are going to be hard pressed to find anything wrong with this transfer.
The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital 5.1 TrueHD Surround Sound, as well as English/French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and English 2.0 Stereo with English/French/Spanish subtitles. The mix is far more realistic than most comic films and may seem a little less engrossing on the surface, but that is not the case at all. It isn’t a spectacle track like The Matrix, but what you get is a very detailed, precise mix that chooses to blend into the overall experience rather than draw unnecessary attention to itself. The dynamic range is awesome, featuring tons of deep bass rumbles in the soundtrack. The rear channels are full of atmosphere and subtle ambiance while the front channels explode with action. Throughout everything the dialogue remains balanced and crisp.
The Extras
The set is not overly loaded with content, but I prefer selections like this where the material is less in number but far more meaty and meaningful.
The first disc has a feature called “Gotham Uncovered.” It is a series of 18 behind-the-scenes featurettes that total 65 minutes. The various production moments covered in the footage are heavy on information and rarely fall into the trap of promotional actor interviews. The focus is solely on the production. You also have the option to watch all of these through the “Focus Points” picture-in-picture mode, essentially becoming like a video commentary.
Disc Two houses the rest of the special features.
“Batman Tech: The Incredible Gadgets and Tools” is a 46-minute History Channel documentary that focuses on Batman’s equipment and the various real-world inspirations. This actually wasn’t something I really enjoyed because I prefer to keep the mystery behind Batman’s “wonderful toys.” The way I see it, he’s a billionaire and has access to any technology he wants, I don’t need the inner workings spelled out for me, but that is solely a personal opinion.
“Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of The Dark Knight” is another 46-minute History Channel documentary. The unique piece looks at the psychology behind Batman’s actions and ideology, as well as that of some of the villains.
The “Gotham Tonight” section contains six shorts that total 47 minutes. These fake news broadcasts are promotional segments that aired on Comcast’s On Demand. Hosted by Anthony Michael Hall, they serve as a way to get an update on the universe of the film in the time that has passed since Batman Begins.
The “Galleries” section contains: Jokers Cards, Poster Arts, Production Stills, and Concept & Art. You can view the picture as stills or montages.
“Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots” contains the Teaser, Theatrical Trailers, and TV Spots.
Finally, BD-Live options are available, as well as a Digital Copy of the film.
Final Thoughts
The Dark Knight is a groundbreaking achievement in the superhero genre and easily one of the best films of the year. Not surprisingly, it has been given an equally impressive Blu-ray set that is a must-own for any self-respecting cinephile.
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