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The Dark Knight Blu-ray
Warner Bros. | 2008 | 152 mins | Rated PG-13 | Dec 09, 2008
The Dark Knight(2008)Action | Crime | Thriller     With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), the Batman (Christian Bale) has been making headway against local crime... until a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker (Heath Ledger) unleashes a fresh reign of chaos across Gotham City. To stop this devious new menace — Batman's most personal and vicious enemy yet — he will have to use every high-tech weapon in his arsenal and confront everything he believes. For more details about The Dark Knight on Blu-ray, see The Dark Knight Blu-ray Review Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman Director: Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight Blu-ray, Video Quality  Around the time it came to theaters, many BD collectors already had a preview on their HDTVs showing the superior resolution of The Dark Knight. Its prologue was included on the Blu-ray version of Batman Begins. Since that prologue sequence was shot using IMAX cameras, the question arose how it would integrate with other sequences--whether Nolan would opt for 2.4:1 throughout the BD, or deliver dual aspect ratios to more closely approximate the full resolution of the source material. The question is now put to rest. Approximating the viewing experience in IMAX theaters, the Blu-ray version of The Dark Knight shifts between 1.78:1 and 2.4:1 sequences, which is a tremendous asset in preserving the vision of the filmmaker and in attempting to get an IMAX-like experience in viewers' home theaters. The prologue, as well as other 1.78:1 sequences, appear with lifelike detail and good depth. Some have complained about the subtle use of edge enhancement as detracting from the overall picture quality, but I believe what they are seeing is an ever-so-slight glow effect that makes the bright areas of some scenes appear heightened. Deducting points for this type of brightness would be silly. Meanwhile, the black level is remarkable as it conveys all gradations of grey and retains very good definition. Since so much of the film has dark, dimly lit scenes, the inky blacks contribute greatly to the depth and weight of the picture. So how does the resolution of the 2.4:1 content compare to the 1.78:1 picture quality? Believe it or not, the detail remains nearly consistent in both aspect ratios--there's just more presence in the scenes shot using the IMAX cameras. Non-IMAX sequences give up surprisingly little in definition. Perhaps the most extraordinary scene to view the differences is when Batman raids the high rise building in Hong Kong to extract Lau (Chin Han). In the full IMAX resolution, with much of the screen enveloped in deep black, Batman is shown perched above the city. He then descends through the air, breaking through the window nearby the desk where Lau is working and quickly dispatches Lau's body guards. Finally, as he holds Lau near the broken windows, both men are whisked out of the building by a floating device and a passing aircraft. The complicated, busy action coupled with poor lighting would be problematic if not for the detail delivered both by the 1.78:1 and 2.4:1 shots that make up the scene. While the IMAX picture is preferable because of a greater sense of depth and resolution, the 2.4:1 content shares its small, gentle grain and otherwise clean, highly detailed presentation. Some element of the grain has a digital sheen to it, but I cannot justify deducting a point or half-point for that. Hardly a frame of The Dark Knight seems less than perfectly shot, framed and produced for 1080p. While videophiles can always nitpick, it's important to put the picture quality in perspective by taking a look at Batman Begins. That BD lacked the vibrancy and detail that, thankfully, are on display throughout The Dark Knight. The comparison with the earlier film is no contest. Watch the IMAX aerial shot looking down on Wayne's yacht. The extraordinary depth makes it appear that you could take off into the picture on a hang glider and float down to the water. The enticing video quality has a similar effect in the prologue, when two of the Joker's henchman rappel from one building to another. The picture appears rich and deep, giving the illusion that one could step into the screen and rappel with them. Though these examples feature the extraordinary IMAX sequences, the 2.4:1 sequences often have this effect as well. Above all, the tremendous definition and delineation within dark areas of the screen push the picture of The Dark Knight all the way to reference quality. The Dark Knight Blu-ray, Audio Quality  In keeping with the dark visuals, the sound throughout The Dark Knight is weighted toward the lower registers with heavy LFE content. While the audio across the dynamic range is delivered in good detail, with plenty of resolution, the Dolby TrueHD content is clearly bass-heavy. It doesn't have quite the 3D impact one might expect in an action movie, with very little content assigned assigned to the rear channels. But it is preferable to err on the conservative side than to have an overly aggressive surround soundstage where it is really not warranted. On the other hand, some multichannel audiophiles may nitpick that the surrounds are underutilized. The anchoring across the center channel delivers all the dialog, while the front left and right speakers provide the bulk of the score. The music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is less thematic and more of a mood amplifier to make the story more hard-hitting. Aside from the sound effects and subwoofer content, the soundtrack mostly disappears in the action and visuals. Looking back on it, that is a unique accomplishment for an action film, to be such a visual work of art that one hardly notices the score as sound. While all detail of the dialog and music is clearly articulated across the front channels, it often sounds diminutive in comparison to deeper content. Listen to the scene where Batman, Lt. Gordon and Dent have a rooftop meeting together. Gordon's and Dent's voices are perfectly reproduced, crisp and detailed, yet they sound slightly anemic compared to Batman's deeper, more open voice. While the audio engineering is actually very good, the bass emphasis can overshadow the more relaxed dialog, especially Gordon's voice. This is a minor complaint, as all dialog is plainly audible and every word and breath expertly recorded. And of course, the advantage of having a pronounced LFE channel is on display throughout The Dark Knight. Listen to the scene where the 18 wheeler flips over its horizontal axis--an impressive bit of stuntwork--creating a cacaphony of deep bass rumble, crashing steel and other sound effects. Explosions, breaking glass, gunshots and other effects are impressively engineered. The amazing feature of the Dolby TrueHD track is that nothing gets lost in the mix, regardless of the minimal use of surrounds. One of the denizens at Blu-ray.com asked whether Warner's BD defaulted to the Dolby Digital track, as many of its titles do. The answer is yes. It is imperitive to go into the menu immediately when the movie starts and select the TrueHD track. The Dark Knight Blu-ray, News and Updates• The Dark Knight Blu-ray Nears 3 Million Units Sold - February 4, 2009 According to Warner Home Video, the Blu-ray release of 'The Dark Knight' has sold an astounding 2.8 Million copies, with 2 Million being sold in the US alone. As many will recall, the most recent Batman film sold a record-breaking 1.7 Million copies in its first ... • The Dark Knight Closes in on 2 Million Units Sold Worldwide - December 17, 2008 A week after hitting store shelves, the Blu-ray release of Warner Brothers 'The Dark Knight' has sold over 1.7 Million units worldwide, shattering all previous Blu-ray sales records. The film, which stars Christian Bale as the caped-crusader, is set to break $1 ... • The Dark Knight Sells 600K on First Day Sales - December 11, 2008 Reports are in, and the Warner Brothers Blu-ray release of 'The Dark Knight' sold approximately 600,000 copies in the US, Canada, and UK on Tuesday, which works out to 20% of all home media sales for the title. This single day accomplishment blows away the previous ... • Today on Blu-ray - December 9th - December 9, 2008 Batman is not your typical superhero. He has no special powers, didn't mutate during a freak accident, and didn't travel from any distant planet. He is as human as you or me. But what he lacks in uniqueness, he makes up for with gadgets and a consuming desire to ... • First Reports In: The Dark Knight Smashes UK Blu-ray Records - December 9, 2008 The first numbers are in, and the Blu-ray release of Warner Brothers 'The Dark Knight' sold 107,730 copies on its first day of release in the UK, representing 21% of total sales for the title. Last month, the total number of Blu-ray Discs sold in the UK was 463,000, ... • The Dark Knight BD-Live Features Explained - December 2, 2008 Warner Home Video has revealed the BD-Live features that will be included in the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'The Dark Knight', which is due to hit store shelves on December 9th, day-and-date with the DVD release. The first feature will be a "Live Community Screening" ... • Warner to Ship More than 1M Dark Knight Blu-rays - November 7, 2008 According to sources, Warner Home Video will ship more than 1 Million copies of the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'The Dark Knight' to retailers, which represents the largest initial shipment of any Blu-ray title, ever. There has been a great deal of anticipation ... • The Dark Knight Pre-Order is Up - October 9, 2008 Amazon.com has just begun taking pre-orders for the highly anticipated Blu-ray release of 'The Dark Knight', which is due to hit store shelves on December 9th. As the currently highest grossing film of 2008, and designated as an instant classic by reviewers and ... • The Dark Knight: December 9th - September 26, 2008 Warner Home Video has announced that they will bring the summer blockbuster hit 'The Dark Knight' to Blu-ray on December 9th, day-and-date with the DVD release. This two-disc special edition will be Warner's first BD-Live Blu-ray title, as well as come with a digital ... • Details Emerge About The Dark Knight's Audio and Extras - September 19, 2008 The PlanetaHD site from Spain is reporting the first detailed information about the audio and supplements to be included on The Dark Knight Blu-ray Disc. The highly expected title will have a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack and will be issued in a two-disc edition ... » Show more news posts The Dark Knight Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
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