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Studio:Warner Home Video

Director:Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Running Time:146 minutes

Product Description

Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman, Eric RobertsDirector: Christopher Nolan

Amazon.co.uk Review

The Dark Knight arrives with tremendous hype (best superhero movie ever? posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger?), and incredibly, it lives up to all of it. But calling it the best superhero movie ever seems like faint praise, since part of what makes the movie great--in addition to pitch-perfect casting, outstanding writing, and a compelling vision--is that it bypasses the normal fantasy element of the superhero genre and makes it all terrifyingly real. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is Gotham City's new district attorney, charged with cleaning up the crime rings that have paralysed the city. He enters an uneasy alliance with the young police lieutenant, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Batman (Christian Bale), the caped vigilante who seems to trust only Gordon--and whom only Gordon seems to trust. They make progress until a psychotic and deadly new player enters the game: the Joker (Heath Ledger), who offers the crime bosses a solution--kill the Batman. Further complicating matters is that Dent is now dating Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal, after Katie Holmes turned down the chance to reprise her role), the longtime love of Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne.

In his last completed role before his tragic death, Ledger is fantastic as the Joker, a volcanic, truly frightening force of evil. And he sets the tone of the movie: the world is a dark, dangerous place where there are no easy choices. Eckhart and Oldman also shine, but as good as Bale is, his character turns out rather bland in comparison (not uncommon for heroes facing more colorful villains). Director/co-writer Christopher Nolan (Memento) follows his critically acclaimed Batman Begins with an even better sequel that sets itself apart from notable superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man because of its sheer emotional impact and striking sense of realism--there are no suspension-of-disbelief superpowers here. At 152 minutes, it's a shade too long, and it's much too intense for kids. But for most movie fans--and not just superhero fans--The Dark Knight is a film for the ages. --David Horiuchi

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Reviews

- Audio and Subtittles

Audio: Dolby True HD: English5.1, Dolby Digital: Brazilian Portugese 5.1, Castilian Spanish 5.1, French 5.1 , German 5.1, Italian 5.1,

.Subtittles English, Brazilian Portuguese , Castalian Spanish , Complex CHinese, Danish, Dutch,French, German, Italian ,Korean , Norwegian , Portuguese Spanish and Swedish

- variable aspect ratio just works!

The film's great, blah blah, nothing new.

This is really to comment on the Blu-Ray variable aspect ratio that is featured on this BD. As a film purist, I was VERY sceptical about the idea of moving from letterbox to full-screen aspect ratios during such a brilliant film. I was so worried that it would look cheap and gimmicky that I rented the BD before buying to make up my mind. At the worst, I would get the DVD and get the whole thing in letterbox format, I thought.

Looking back, I am glad I checked, because it really could have been awful, but honestly? I'm not sure how I could imagine that such a landmark film would be the object of cheap gimmicks...

The switching from letterbox to full screen is so subtly integrated that my wife didn't even notice it(and she's just as film savvy as I am - I knew about the VAR so I was looking out for the switches)

Here's the verdict: I found that it actually added to the film.

The opening bank heist and the lorry vs bike scene (don't pretend you don't know the one...) both get the full screen treatment. Obviously, they are two amazing set pieces that really benefit from the involving appeal of the full-screen experience. They are also two scenes that must have been intentionally shot with no important info on the sides, so you really do lose nothing you would have wanted to keep and you gain immersion and pixel-perfect definition. This is not Channel 5 cutting of the sides of your favourite movies just to get rid of the black stripes. When the black stripes go, it's because it really is best that way. And then when they come back, it's integrated into dark scenes so that you don't even realise it.

Other full-screen moments include wide-angle pans over the city giving you a completely immersive experience. The switch to full-screen on these scenes give you the impression of flying over Gotham at night. Incredible.

I will now never accept to see the film in any other format. This truly seems to be the director's vision. And if it isn't, then it should be. Who would have thought that The Dark Knight could be improved on? I feel humbled.

EDIT: Yes, obviously, when I say full screen, I mean the full 16:9 (1.78:1) of an HD TV, as opposed to letter-box 2.4:1 which presents black lines at the top and bottom of the screen. (For those commentators who appear to be watching their blu-ray films on a 4:3 cathode-ray tube... I do suggest sticking to DVD or even VHS: it's much cheaper! Another tip would be to buy two speakers so you can upgrade to stereo sound! I hope this clarifies things for you.)
Though it is interesting to learn that the sequences that I was so impressed with were originally shot with that 16:9 IMAX ratio, staying therefore 100% true to the director's vision. So in the end it's the DVD version that cuts material off, not this blu-ray version. Thanks for the info!

- AN EVEN DARKER KNIGHT...? (Spoilers)

What I didn't realise about the Dark Knight blu-ray disc is that certain segments/shots were filmed in IMAX. So the regular 2:40:1 ratio sometimes suddenly cuts to a 16:9 ratio that fills the TV screen. It's not much of a distraction, and the larger image actually looks better on TV, but I would have thought that being blu-ray the studio could have produced a seemless branching version which included both versions of the film so that you could watch the regular 2.40:1 ratio in its entirety, as well as have the option to watch the bits with the full IMAX frame.

However, I have a strong suspicion that the branching version will be included in a more complete special edition to be released in the near future. Here are my reasons why:

1) The bonus disc has virtually no information about the production of the film. There are no documentaries about the conception, writing, casting, design of the film - The best docs are actually on the first disc and are mainly about the stunts, special effects and other technical aspects of filming. I expect the awards it has subsequently received will inform any future documentaries, which will almost certainly include a tribute doc to Heath Ledger.

2) After watching the film again, it is possible to detect that a more violent version of the film might have existed, as certain scenes have noticeably jarring cuts, which were possibly done to achieve a 12-rating in the UK. The scenes include:

- When the mob boss played by Michael Jai White is attacked by The Joker he suddenly falls down dead. It happens too suddenly, I'm sure something has been cut out here.

- When the dogs attack Batman in the car-park/Scarecrow action scene - due to the editing it is unclear if the real Batman or the fake Batman is being bitten by the dog. And what happened to the fake Batman? (The BBFC are traditionally very heavy-handed when it comes to violence against animals and it rarely goes uncut in mainstream films (Remember the rat in The Abyss?)

- Is there more to the scene where the cop beats up The Joker in the police station? I think so.

- The Chinese banker appears bound and kneeling (and out-of-focus in the background) ontop of The Jokers' pile of money. The Joker sets alight to the money but we don't see what happens to the banker - no screams, does he scramble off? (- I would) It's ambigious and edited as if they wished the banker wasn't in the scene at all.

Therefore, I have a feeling a 15-rated (or maybe even an 18-rated) cut might emerge. They may have had to make some compromises with the censors to get Harvey Dent's horrific face passed uncut as this was more important to the film as a whole. But we will probably have to wait until the third film hits cinemas before another edition of the Dark Knight is released. In the meantime we can enjoy this edition which is a must-own blu-ray release.

- Great Buy

Excellent Sound, Great Picture quality......Pity it switches between Imax aspect ratio and 16x9 Aspect Ratio......would have loved this in full Imax.

- A superb cinematic experience for a inexpensive price

The movie per se is mind-blowing. Two and a half hours that passes in a blink of an eye and yet keeps you longing for more. Amazing film-making, extraordinary acting, well written script... OK, nothing new so far.

This 2 disk BD edition reflects the contents' excellency. The transition between the IMAX shots (1.78) and the traditional 2.35 widescreen shots is seamless and allows the viewer to see the picture in the way the director intended to present it. A high quality video transfer, crisp and clear audio and a supplements galore completes the package. And better, for an affordable price!

In a nutshell, a superb cinematic experience for a inexpensive price. Absolutely recommended!