Product: Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (2005)
Rating: 5.0
Great movie, great DVD
What can I say that others haven't for me. The movie is just a stunning revivement of the once-maligned Batman franchise, which took a nose dive with the one-two punch of Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever" and "Batman & Robin" in 1995 and 1997, respectively. After B&R; bombed at the box office (though it made over $100 million domestically) and the wannabe Batman revival film "Catwoman", the franchise seemed doomed to wallow in development hell. In 2003, newcomer filmmaker Christopher Nolan (who blew audiences away with his first feature film "Memento") and veteran screenwriter David S. Goyer (who penned all three scripts for the "Blade" series, which were also based on a comic book) approached Warner Brothers about doing another Batman movie, only this time taking the hero back to his roots and making it more realistic and believable. The film began production in early 2004 in London, casting Welsh actor Christian Bale as the titular hero Bruce Wayne/Batman and Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth.. When the film finished principal photography, Warner Brothers decided not to pull a big ad campaign like they did for the previous four films, but decided to mute it and let the film sell itself.The film opened with a good $72 million opening weekend and with ecstatic critical acclaim by critics nationwide. In a year that was filled with big blockbusters (including the highly anticipated "Revenge of the Sith"), "Batman Begins" demonstrated long legs at the box office, finally ending its theatrical run with a tidy $205 million profit domestically.One of the reason "Batman Begins" did so well was the good word-of-mouth. People came back for repeat viewings (I did go and see it in theaters twice) and truth be told, it's an excellent movie to boot. It jetissons the campiness of the Schumacher entries and the excess Gothicism of the Burton entries and goes for a low-key realism. Sure, there are still minor elements in the film that recall other Batman films (the poison gas plot is redone from "Batman" and there are two villains), but they fit in with the surroundings. And it delves into Bruce Wayne's backstory via flashbacks and flash-forwarding to the present (it is non-linear, so one has to pay attention to the film right from the start) for a good bit of running time before remaining firmly entrenched in the present future. The Oscar-nominated cinematography is just stunning and while it still captures the darkness of the Burton films, it does so in a subtly different way. Every actor is well-cast, particularly Christian Bale ("American Psycho", "The Prestige") as the title character and balances Wayne's duality naturally. The movie also strikes a balance between exposition and keeping the action moving, and never loses focus. From the beginning right to the end credits, the movie is riveting and never boring. It stands well by itself, but the ending is purposefully wide-open for a sequel. (The sequel, "The Dark Knight" is currently in production and will have a July 2008 release date.)The movie is available on DVD in two forms: separate single-disc full-screen and anamorphic widescreen formats and a widescreen-only 2-disc edition. It is also available in a out-of-print VHS format as well as on HD-DVD (the Blu-ray edition has yet to be released). As much as I'm a sucker for extras, I'll be reviewing the single-disc widescreen edition (which has a much better cover).The film is presented in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen and it looks absolutely spectacular from start to finish. (Nolan has said that he worked with the WB to make sure the film looked and sounded as good as possible on home video.) The film has a natural, more earthy tone than the simply Gothic and gaudy looks Burton and Schumacher imparted in the previous movies, and it handles contrast with ease. Black levels are smooth and inky, and compression is very well-done. There's no unwanted grain (other than just enough to impart a more film-like presentation), and no dirt or digital artifacts. For standard defintion DVD, this is one of the WB's best-looking titles.While the 2-disc Special Editions of the previous "Batman" movies all get DTS audio, "Batman Begins" is excluded from the DTS treatment. Nevertheless, the Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track is phenomenal. Dialogue is clear and placed in the center channel, while the surrounds are constantly in use, even in dialogue-driven scenes, where the ambience really helps draw the viewer in. But it certainly amps up the volume in the action sequences, with deep bass that'll shake the rafters and pinpoint surround activity (particularly the Tumbler chase and the climax on the monorail). Dialogue is never lost during the action sequences, and the score co-composed by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer is always clear and detailed. A French 5.1 dub is included, and the film has optional subtitles in English, French, or Spanish.As this is a single-disc release by Warner Brothers, there are mainly no extras on here save for the movie, the theatrical trailer (presented in anamorphic widescreen with stereo audio), DVD-ROM material and two skippable previews at start-up for "Smallville" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". The main menu and almost all of the submenus are animated (the scene selection has animated previews) and the film is divided into 40 chapters. The disc is placed in a regular Amaray case and no chapter insert is included.If you haven't seen this movie due to the hype, you owe it to yourself to check this movie out. Both editions of the film (as well as the HD-DVD) present the movie in flawless digital clarity and stunning surround sound, so you won't lose quality either way in terms of presentation. Highly recommended and can't wait for the sequel.