The E! tagline says it all…”One of the most anticipated films of all-time.” The Dark Knight really needs no introduction. Since first hearing the official press release news on September 26^th of the Blu-ray’s eventual release date, I have been obsessing over the December 9^th release date in almost a religious fashion. I made sure to notify my day job as soon as possible upon hearing the news that I would be requiring the day of December 9^th off so I can sit there in my robe all day long and absorb all of the special features. Try as I might, I could not find a way to acquire an advanced copy of The Dark Knight Blu-ray so at 11:40 PM on December 8^th, I ventured out into the cold Cleveland night to pay top dollar for it at my local Blockbuster video store. By 12:31 AM I was sitting back with a cat on my lap, sipping a cup of green tea for caffeine support and experiencing the most amazing home theatre experience I ever had. Life does not get any better than this. After watching the film, I remember talking to my wife around 3:30 AM and having difficulties trying to fall asleep because of the adrenaline levels that filled my body after my initial viewing. One would have thought after seeing this movie multiple times before that I would have been numb to it by now, but the Blu-ray experience completely overwhelmed me, in a good way.

The Dark Knight opened on July 18, 2008 in the United States and immediately broke records for number of advance tickets sold as it was greeted by positive reviews from fans and critics alike. In a very short period of time The Dark Knight went on to become only the second film to ever gross more than $500 million at the American box office and numerous other records were shattered. Despite the success of The Dark Knight, there seems to be a taboo curse associated with it and its main actors such as the tragic and untimely death of Heath Ledger from a sleeping pill overdose, the near fatal car crash involving Morgan Freeman and the domestic violence charges brought upon Christian Bale.

The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago as the foundation for the fictional Gotham City with additional filming in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong. Director Christopher Nolan, who is responsible for the successful reboot of the Batman franchise, returned to helm The Dark Knight project. Nolan used an IMAX camera to capture all of the aerial scenes, some of the film’s major action scenes and the film’s prologue which first introduces us to the Joker. I was fortunate enough to be able to see the film shown theatrically in IMAX format once in San Diego, CA and again in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It was quite a breathtaking experience to say the least. The IMAX theatre I saw it on in San Diego was just recently renovated at the time. The theatre manager came out and told the viewing audience that the movie was going to be extremely loud due to the film’s nature and the theatre’s new audio system. They warned us not to exit the theatre and ask for the volume to be turned down, as they would not comply. They asked that if anyone had any problems with this they should leave and go down the hall to the Mamma Mia film screening. Needless to say, I was in heaven. Interesting enough was Warner Brothers’ decision to incorporate all the IMAX footage on the Blu-ray release. If my memory serves me correctly, there are over 35 minutes of integrated IMAX footage. What does this mean? It means that the film’s aspect ratio changes throughout the Blu-ray presentation from the IMAX sequences framed at 1.78:1 to the 35mm footage framed at 2.40:1 and vice-versa. At first I thought this would be quite distracting, especially for the folks I know who are black bar haters, but after seeing this in the IMAX theatrical presentations, I am fine with it. You are so amazed by the enormous scope and detail of the IMAX footage that you hardly notice the changing aspect ratios. It would be safe to presume we will be seeing a lot more of this in future theatrical and Blu-ray releases as more and more directors are experimenting by capturing certain film sequences on the IMAX format.

Before we tackle the basic plot of The Dark Knight, I would like to pay homage to the brilliant musical score. Batman Begins’ composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard returned to score The Dark Knight. Since Christopher Nolan planned to up the ante with this sequel, Hans Zimmer felt he needed to raise the bar as well. During filming, Christopher Nolan received an iPod with ten hours of recordings done by Zimmer for him to meticulously go through. My favorite, the 9-minute “Joker Theme,” was based upon two notes played on a cello. The haunting vibration you hear identifies to the audience, with no visual cues, that the Joker will be appearing onscreen. This, ladies and gentlemen, is brilliance at its best. I feel no need to expand anymore upon the masterpiece of this musical score. A musical soundtrack has not moved me this much since the days of John Williams and Star Wars.

The opening scene of The Dark Knight is filmed in IMAX and introduces us to the Joker (Heath Ledger) who we see robbing a Gotham mob-owned bank with his accomplices. Later, Batman interrupts a meeting between the Chechen (Ritchie Coster), a Gotham mobster, and the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy’s returning role from Batman Begins). Desperate to put an end to all mob activity once and for all, the Batman (Christian Bale) and Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) contemplate introducing the new district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to their plan. The Batman, of course, has trust issues and ponders whether or not Harvery Dent is the real deal…the White Knight of Gotham…the hero he can never be as Batman. Bruce Wayne runs into Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Dent, who are dating in a serious relationship, and after prophesizing with Dent, he realizes that he is the real deal and decides to host a fundraiser for him. Bruce realizes that if Harvey Dent can successfully clean up the streets without wearing a mask, then maybe in the long run, he can retire from being Batman and be able to be with the one woman he loves, Rachel Dawes.

The mob meets to discuss the problems they are faced with, notably the cops and most recently the Batman. Lau, a Chinese mafia accountant, informs them he has hidden their money and fled to Hong Kong in an attempt to foil Gordon’s plans of seizing the mobsters’ money. The Joker arrives to the occasion informing the mobsters that Lau’s plan will never work because Batman has no jurisdiction in Hong Kong and he will find Lau and make him squeal. The Joker emphasizes the only solution that would work is to kill the Batman and he would do that for half of the mob’s money, a proposition they all refuse. This brings me to one of my favorite lines of the movie, a motto, which I incorporated into my own life. The mob boss, Sal Maroni (Eric Roberts), asks the Joker why hasn’t he killed off the Batman already. The Joker responds, and I quote, “If you are good at something, never do it for free.” Eventually Batman captures Lau and brings him to justice, thus in turn imprisoning the majority of the mob with his testimony. The Joker responds by issuing a televised ultimatum to the residents of Gotham, stating if Batman does not take off his mask and reveal his true identity, people will die each day with the blood on Batman’s hands. I am going to stop right here as this is the main platter…the meat and potatoes where our story really starts to unfold. Unlike other reviewers, I do not like to post the whole plot or give away any key spoilers in case the sole purpose of reading this review is for the consumer to ultimately decide whether or not they should blind buy it, but in the case of The Dark Knight, they should of course…blind buy it that is. When all is said and done, this is pretty “heavy” (as coined in the movie Back to the Future) subject matter for a mere comic book movie. Please don’t be mislead or misinformed. This is not your run of the mill stereotypical comic book movie. This is a genuine mobster movie at its best that I will go out on the limb of believability and boldly state it is just as good, if not even better, than recent mob hits such as The Departed or American Gangster. There is a reason why this movie is the second biggest grossing hit of all-time in America. In my opinion, this is definitely one of the best film releases of the past five years, in which a 5-star rating is a no-brainer for me.

Video

Warner Bros. brings the most highly anticipated Blu-ray title of all-time to the format with a most impressive 1080P VC-1 video transfer that is definitely the new demo disc of choice in my home theatre. I really struggled to find anything to complain about here, as the video quality throughout is just spot-on perfect with the deepest three-dimensional pop I have ever witnessed on the three-year old format. Right from the beginning I was treated to the clearest WB logo my aging eyes have ever seen on the Blu-ray format. As discussed prior, because of the included IMAX footage, the aspect ratio changes back and forth between 1.78:1 and 2.40:1. The three-dimensional pop quality of the film does quite a remarkable job in separating the foreground and figures from the backgrounds. The details are so finite that you can see every wrinkle and pore in the actors’ faces (depending on who it is it can be a bad or a good thing), the woven details of all fabrics and most importantly, a first time for me, I could clearly see the bright purple strings that held all the gadgets together in the underside of the Joker’s top coat. The blacks are incredibly strong and solid with not even a grain molecule to be found. The skin tones are realistic in appearance and the outside shots, especially in the sun, are just gorgeous. The colors ere exuberant and vibrant throughout, most notably in the brightly lit interrogation scene. I have to give credit where credit is deserved. The lighting of The Dark Knight is some of the best I have ever seen.

Like I said before, I struggled to find anything wrong at all with the transfer and I tried hard to find any flaws. With that being said I only noticed two. The first was a blurry shot of the buildings during the funeral procession down the streets of Gotham for Commissioner Loeb. I cannot tell if this was director’s intent or not so I am willing to let this one slide. The second is so anal that you really have to be looking with a fine toothcomb to find. I experienced a couple of nano seconds where I thought I saw what appeared to be a white speckle or two. Both of those complaints are no reason to overturn my decision to give this spectacular Blu-ray release a much-deserved 5-star rating in the video department.

Audio

Warner Bros. does not skimp or disappoint in the audio department either. Warner provides a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround audio track for The Dark Knight, which has also just become my newest demo-worthy soundtrack of choice. Most notably here is the depth of sound produced by the lowest thunderous bass mix my old ears have ever heard. I was tempted to turn my home stereo system down a few times in fear of overloading the speakers, but against my better judgment I decided to give my setup a much-needed workout and I am so glad I did. The surround track of The Dark Knight is a sonic masterpiece. This also probably contains one of the best dialogue tracks I have ever heard on the Blu-ray format. The voices were always loud, clear and intelligible. Even the disguised voice of Batman was legible and understandable. Now that is an accomplishment! The explosions, special effects and gunshots were all ultra-realistic in sound and authenticity. The explosions will rock your viewing room…guaranteed. With that being said I feel real bad for anyone not watching this and listening to the audio through a surround sound system because they are truly missing out on the total Blu-ray experience. The whole is only equal to the sum of its parts. Another reference demo-quality moment is the club scene where Batman rushes in and takes on Maroni’s thugs. Wait until you hear the kicking soundtrack there. Of course proper credit is also due to the musical ingenious and score of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard that is properly mixed throughout all speakers. I am so glad the Academy reversed their decision and will allow The Dark Knight to be a possible contender at the 2009 Oscars for the coveted prize of best musical score. These guys truly do deserve the prestige of top honors. Without a doubt I found it very easy, with no hesitation, in giving the film’s audio another 5-star rating.

Special Features

Never one for the special features found on home video releases, I could not help but find myself glued to my television screen for over four hours straight digesting all the extra snacks that Warner Bros. graciously fed me on The Dark Knight. I think it is mostly because I just cannot get enough of The Dark Knight. Whatever bonus features Warner Bros. has to offer, I want to tackle them, study them and ultimately live them. Did I forget to mention that all the special features are in High-Definition too? I do want to point out that my obsession with The Dark Knight has not completely clouded my judgment. I found it impossible to give The Dark Knight a perfect 5-star rating for special features because of two essential missing ingredients; a director audio commentary track and a Picture-in-Picture Profile 1.1 track, both of which have become pretty standard in today’s Blu-ray releases. Enough with all the talk…let’s move on and explore all the goodies that Warner Bros. has provided us on the 3-disc Blu-ray release of The Dark Knight. I have broken the special features down by the discs they inhabit for easy dissection. All special features are as follows.

Disc One:

Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a Scene (HD) – Since The Dark Knight lacks any kind of audio commentary and Picture-in-Picture video tracks, this is the next best thing. There are a total of 18 vignettes that span the runtime of the film when watched interactively. When watched separately, the 18 vignettes account for a total runtime of 64 minutes. If you chose to watch the vignettes interactively during the playback of the film, you will be presented with an icon that identifies when a vignette is available for the particular scene. When the icon is selected, the vignette will branch off to a full-screen segment before returning you to the feature film. Quick breakdowns of all 18 vignettes are as follows:

• The Prologue – Director Christopher Nolan and others talk about putting together the prologue and discuss the challenges of shooting in IMAX (8:48).
• The New Bat-suit – We get to see the redesigned Bat-suit and the improvements made in terms of practical use (4:47).
• Joker Theme – Composer Hans Zimmer takes us through the creation of his unique music. This is one of my favorite vignettes as it shows how Joker’s identifying theme (my favorite) was created (6:18).
• Hong Kong Jump – Christopher Nolan and crew discuss the jump and the shooting of Christian Bale on the edge of the building in Hong Kong (3:05).
• Judge’s Car Blows Up – The filmmakers discover the logistics of blowing up a car (1:09).
• Challenges of the Chase, in IMAX – Director Christopher Nolan and the crew discuss the shooting of the chase in IMAX (4:04).
• SWAT Van Into River – This is a helicopter shoot of crashing the van in the chase scene (1:44).
• Miniature Unit – This vignette explores the use of scaled-down miniatures seamlessly incorporated into the chase sequence (1:35).
• Destruction of Batmobile – This continues the chase scene discussion (2:08).
• Bat-Pod – This is an introduction to the Bat-Pod (6:06).
• Helicopter Crash – The logistics of creating the helicopter crash are discussed here (1:12).
• Truck Flip – This wraps up the discussion of flipping over the 18-wheeler (4:02).
• MCU Explosion – This explores how the filmmakers engineered the indoor explosion of the Major Crimes Unit (1:12).
• Lamborghini Crash – The painful vision of watching the stunt where Bruce Wayne crashes his Lamborghini (1:54).
• Hospital Explosion – This is a look at the planning and execution of one of the biggest endeavors in the film (6:43).
• Mob Car Flip – This explains how the filmmakers succeeded in flipping Maroni’s car over (0:39).
• String of Sausages Stunt – This is a discussion of how the law enforcement agents were all strung together, by Batman, to dangle off the building in the film’s final action sequence (2:08).
• Upping the Ante – This is a discussion of the filmmaker’s methodology for increasing the scale of this film (6:40)

BD-Live – As of writing this, the following BD-Live features are functional on the Warner Brothers’ servers.

• Express Yourself – Perhaps the most notable of the BD-Live features, Express Yourself allows you to join a live community screening of the film or create your own Warner Brothers’ commentary (audio and video via web cam).
• Media Center – The Media Center contains even more extra content that is not available on discs one or two. Also accessible through here are pages of Warner Brothers movie trailers to watch and download.

Disc Two:

• Behind the Story – Batman Tech (HD) – This is the first of the two main documentaries clocking in just shy of 46 minutes. I am never one for all the extra documentaries but this one is quite exceptional. I found it very interesting learning about all the various gadgets, weapons, body armor, capes and vehicles of Batman and how most of the items/technology actually exists in real life. There is some amazing stuff to be learned here. There was a really interesting conversation on the properties of Kevlar that I found to be of utmost importance as it relates to how Batman can take a bullet and keep on ticking.
• Behind the Story – Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight (HD) – This documentary goes inside the mind of a super hero to unlock the psyche of Bruce Wayne and the villains of the Batman mythology. This featurette clocks in at a runtime of 46 minutes. Experts discuss the mindset of Bruce Wayne and ultimately his fear, which leads to the creation of the Batman. One expert suggests that Batman is a perfect balance between the good and the evil that exists in human life. If you spend the time to think about it in a deepened fashioned, I would have to agree with this expert.
• Gotham Tonight (HD) – This extra just goes to show how much thought went into the development of background stories that tie directly into the essential story of The Dark Knight. There are six faux-Gotham GCN (Gotham Cable News) newscasts in all clocking in over 46 minutes of runtime when watched together. These six stories are entertaining too watch but may be overkill for many viewers, including myself. The six faux-Gotham newscasts are as follows: “Election Night,” Billionaire Without A Cause,” “Escalation,” “Top Cop,” “Cops and Mobsters” and “Gotham’s White Knight.”
• Galleries (HD) – There are four decent size galleries containing images of the Joker cards, concept art, poster art and production stills. The stills go by automatically or you can use your remote to pause or advance images. I should point out that the images do not fill your entire viewing screen.
• Trailers and More (HD) – A theatrical teaser and the two movie trailers are included along with a total of six television spots. The six television spots are as follows: “Anarchy,” “Alter Ego,” “Aggressive Expansion,” “One Rule,” “Avenge” and “Madness.” When played all together, they consume a total of approximately 9 minutes. It is pretty impressive that all six-television spots are encoded with VC-1 1080i video and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

Disc Three:

• Digital Copy (SD) – Disc three consists of the Digital Copy of the film compatible with PCs and iTunes. This will be a much welcome on-the-go addition for my laptop

 

Final Thoughts

I am really not sure what to say that I have not said already. In my opinion, The Dark Knight is a masterpiece, an opus of its generation. I truly do understand the hesitation and pressure that Christopher Nolan must be feeling in deciding whether or not to follow up with a sequel. How do you follow up a masterpiece? Can Christopher Nolan or anther director deliver the goods? That remains to be seen. I would highly doubt that Warner Bros. wouldn’t do a third installment in the Batman franchise. Even if the film completely sucked it would still be a cash cow for them. With that being said, I really do hope Christopher Nolan returns to helm the eventual sequel, but only after careful planning, script revisions and unprejudiced consideration. I would rather wait years for the third Batman installment, then to have it ruined like what happened in the previous Batman franchise or even the Matrix sequels, for that matter.

I have not been this impressed with a Blu-ray transfer since the likes of Crank, The Incredible Hulk and The Island (UK Import). As a huge fan, I tried to be subjective and I looked for as many flaws as I could find. Fortunately, there are not even a small handful of flaws. This is simply the most beautiful Blu-ray release we the fans deserve and were expecting from one of the highest grossing films of all time. I have no hesitation, whatsoever, in recommending a purchase of this Blu-ray. Even if you have not seen the movie as of yet, I would not bother wasting your time or money with a rental. Put that money you would have used towards a rental and invest it in one of the finest Blu-ray purchases your hard-earned money could ever make…The Dark Knight. It is a must-see!

The Dark Knight should satisfy all High-Definition enthusiasts with its intriguing story, stunning video, sonic audio and wealth of extras. I am expecting the announcement any day now of this title being the biggest seller ever on the young Blu-ray format. If you had to guess, how many people will enter the land of Blu-ray for this title alone? This title will single-handedly seal the deal for the Blu-ray format’s superiority over the acronym that is too painful for me to pronounce…DVD. Couple this with the speculation that this film will be an Oscar contender and you have a no-holds-barred winner here. An instant classic! Run…don’t walk…and pick up your copy today. Don’t forget the Blu-ray player too if you need one of those. “Let’s put a smile on that face.” I could not think of any other way except with the gift that keeps on giving…The Dark Knight on Blu-ray. Merry Christmas.

 

I hope you enjoyed my review of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Blu-ray release. Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments below. I look forward to hearing feedback from my readers.  If you like what you read in the review above, please show your support for our site by clicking the Amazon link below to order and save with Amazon’s Everyday Lowest Price Guarantee. Thanks!