DVD Review: The Dark Knight: Special Edition

A Special Features Packed 2-Disc Package of Christopher Nolan's Film

Dec 25, 2008 Rob Humanick

An excellent technical transfer and insightful behind-the-scenes material can't change the fact that greed and/or laziness kept this DVD from going all the way.

The Movie

Suffice to say, if you haven't yet seen The Dark Knight and have any vested interest whatsoever in modern filmmaking, waste no time in acquiring this from your nearest rental source. At once grand and flawed, it is an instantly born classic worthy of multiple revisits and hours of debate. Full review here.

Audio/Visual Specs

Without going to the Blu-ray high road, this DVD transfer more than gets the job done, even if the film's awesome shades of black are often lack definition and edge halos are sometimes visible. Better is the audio mix, which retains all the complexity and intensity of the theatrical experience, from the opening heist chase to the breathtaking back-to-back 180-degree vehicular flips during the film's massive chase sequence.

Special Features: What They Got Right

A handful of episodes from the film's fictitious news show "Gotham Tonight" may please die-hards, but mostly cover ground already in the film and suggest the beating of a dead horse. Far more interesting are two featurettes – "The Sound of Anarchy" and "The Evolution of the Knight" – that explore the musical cues used to wax on the Joker's presence in the film and the updated design of the Bat suit and Batpod, respectively. Trailers, production photos, promotional materials, and a digital copy of the film also await Nolan nerds thirsting for more to lap up.

Special Features: What They Got Wrong

As with any leap forward in technology, the DVD format has changed the way we watch movies. Much of this involves allowing us the opportunity to see films in more than one format: widescreen or fullscreen, dubbed or subtitled, color or black & white, extended or original cuts, etc. As early as 2001, the "Ultimate Edition" of Terminator 2: Judgment Day allowed viewers to watch, on one side of one disc, three versions of the film: the original theatrical cut, the unofficial "director's" extended cut, and a third alternate cut available via Easter egg.

As fans will/should know, over half an hour of The Dark Knight (mostly action sequences) was shot using IMAX cameras, the first time ever for a major theatrical release, and also the first time a film has been released simultaneously in two different formats (in short: the IMAX version of the film toggled back and forth between the standard 2.35:1 widescreen and the larger 1.78:1 IMAX images, whereas standard theatrical exhibition remained 2:35:1 throughout).

That Warner Bros. has chosen to present these IMAX sequences (six in total) as but a secluded special feature, unavailable within the context of the film, is nothing less than an insult to Dark Knight fans, cinematic technophiles, and DVD special features everywhere. Like 2006's twofold release of Miami Vice in separate theatrical and "unrated" editions, this smacks of corporate greed, as only Blu-ray owners have the capability of watching the film with these groundbreaking IMAX sequences intact. That DVD's prominence in the market is waning is of no concern here. Only if Heath Ledger's name goes unannounced come the Academy Award nominations, will such negligence go unsurpassed.

The copyright of the article DVD Review: The Dark Knight: Special Edition in Action Films/Thrillers is owned by Rob Humanick. Permission to republish DVD Review: The Dark Knight: Special Edition in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The Dark Knight 2-Disc Edition DVD

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 1+7?

Comments

Dec 25, 2008 6:10 PM

Guest :

I agree. The Dark Knight is action drama and sci-fi, all in one.

Feb 5, 2009 8:42 AM

Guest :

This is James Gilks (owner of SerialKillerCalendar.com) personally I would love it if they took the idea of the Riddler to a very dark extreme. His character is very close to real life serial killers like David Berkowitz (the son of sam) and the Zodiac Killer. Many serial killers (including Jack The Ripper and The Red Spider) have sent letters to the police and the Zodiac killer sent cryptograms (which where in essence a type of riddle). I think that if Hollywood is willing to take these films to the gritty dark side of real life, they should focus more on this angel and abandon the tacky jump suit wearing, cartoon aspect that Jim Carey brought to the screen. I would love to see a down right evil and twisted serial killer side to the Riddler.

I also believe that they are setting up The Mad Hatter for a future movie. If you watch carefully, Batman says that the man Dent is interrogating in The Dark Knight (the creepy smiling guy from the ambulance) is named "Jervis Tetch". This is The Mad Hatter.

Lastly, I would love to see all these films come together in to a plot that involves Arkham Asylum. There have been many amazing graphic novels that focus on this (especially "A Serious Place on Serious Earth"). This would be a perfect opportunity for the writers to place Batman against not only a huge cast of badies but also against his own troubled mind.)

Well, thats just the opinion of someone who runs a company devoted to selling serial killer merchandise so you can take it or leave it. I hope you can all stop by SerialKillerCalendar.com to pick up some morbid merch (including the new Serial Killer Magazine, Serial Killer Trading Cards and Serial Killer Action Figures. I know, its a shameless display of self promotion but really, I have to justify reading up on Batman Movies while I am supposed to be working somehow.

James Gilks
Owner of SerialKillerCalendar.com and Editor of Serial Killer Magazine.

2 Comments