Very recently, Warner Home Video released an “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray set containing 6 discs, one of which is filled with all new features encompassing Christopher Nolan’s entire Dark Knight movie trilogy. Not content with just providing movies and special features, the set comes with a very nice looking art book, some miniature replica models of vehicles from the movie, art cards and more, all within an attractive box.
So what’s this set like?
The Movies/Graphics & Sound: If you’re a Dark Knight Trilogy afficionado, you know what you’re getting, and it’s worth it. Me? I preferred the later two over the first one, with The Dark Knight holding an especially nice place for me since I wrote a tie-in book for it and all. Christopher Nolan’s direction is great, but Christian Bale’s Batman voice will forever grate on me, but by Rises I kind of got used to it.
With that said… wow. The picture quality on this set is so clear that I actually enjoyed the films more watching them at home over how I felt the first time(s) in the theater. Having all three films in the same set, combined with the extras, gives you an immersive feeling that you’re a part of Nolan’s Dark Knight world. The color palette, the way things are shot… it’s really not like any other comic book movie franchise, and the quality of actors seen in the films (Morgan Freeman! Liam Neeson! Tom Hardy! Heath Ledger! Michael Caine! Gary Oldman! Anne Hathaway!) is beyond anyone you’d normally expect from a Batman film. While yes, I guess folks like Jack Nicholson were pretty amazing in the past, these are people you wouldn’t normally associate with Batman.
Speaking of the late Heath Ledger, I have to say he was the biggest surprise of these films. He was not the Joker that we all would have expected, and that’s exactly what made him work. He didn’t need to be held up to Nicholson or Cesar Romero, or Mark Hamill’s voice… he embodied a character that was SO different. Even if Ledger hadn’t died I think he’d be long remembered for this take.
One other bonus of watching these films so long after the fact? Katie Holmes doesn’t annoy me nearly as much as she did in 2005 when I first saw Batman Begins. At the time, I was already tired of reading the news about her and Tom Cruise. Now she’s far, far away, and I can like her again. So, yay for that.
Continuing the technology side, I like how things like the Tumbler are much more military-style than anything we’ve seen before from Batman. It gave it all a different feel, and an explanation for how Batman gets all of his fantastic toys.
I’ll also put this out there: I LIKED The Dark Knight Rises, although many didn’t seem to like how it concluded. Yes, some things made no sense, like why certain things didn’t just happen sooner and easier, and some plot points were unnecessary, but I still enjoyed it.
The Extras: The Dark Knight and Rises get their own discs of extras; Batman Begins’ extras are all on Disc 1 with the movie. You’ve probably already seen this stuff. The real draw here is the disc that’s exclusive to this set: A LONG documentary about the creation of the Dark Knight trilogy, that is almost as lengthy as a movie itself. So many people are interviewed, with such incredible clips… audiences are spoiled now with the things we are now allowed to see. This feature, “The Fire Rises,” is itself worth the cost of “admission.”
If that’s not enough, there’s a sit-down talk between Christopher Nolan and the genius behind the original Superman movie, Richard Donner. It’s great to see two titans interacting and the respect they have for one another, with Nolan’s admiration for Mr. Donner being very clear.
The extra disc features “IMAX sequences” as a bonus and I must be missing something, because… they don’t look all that different from what is in the movies themselves. Maybe I’m just clueless?
As mentioned before, there are also some nice arty things in this set. The glossy book of photographs from the film matches the aesthetic of the films and is a thing of beauty. The art cards? Also great. I admit, although I like toys, the reproductions of the vehicles from the movies was a little unnecessary, but, I’m sure someone loves them. The box is black and white and very classy.
The Final Verdict: This is not only the Blu-ray set you need — it is also the one that you deserve. No skimping was done in putting together this collection. I am very impressed!
