Batman Begins / The Dark Knight (DVD + UV Copy) [2005]

Enough has of course been said on Christopher Nolan's achievements; in re-inventing this franchise and the comic book movie genre altogether! I had been a Batman 'fan' since I saw the Tim Burton & Joel Schumacher films when I was a child and Nolan's re-invention of the franchise proved why there are so many fans of this character still as teenagers and adults alike. Nolan showcases all the more adult problems and social questions that the Batman and other characters go through in this heightened reality; his suffering / pyschological trauma, isolation, difficult decisions he has to make, sacrifices and gritty reality of war and violent conflicts he undertakes. Influenced by the more intelligent, darker Batman comics (such as Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's The Killing Joke), Nolan gives us the more intelligent, serious and convincingly realistic superhero movie, which the Tim Burton films admirally paved the way for (especially stylistically), but fell short narratively.While as Batman Begins gives a great example of storytelling and character development, which we had never seen as fully before with the Batman character; The Dark Knight begins to ask more questions on the need of such a 'vigilante', as well as hinting at social issues in todays world and responsibilties of the media and government, which the Joker character pokes fun at whilst hinting at serious social attitudes, threat of terrorism & perceptions of the public to government. Heath Ledger's performance is legendary and deservedly so; it's no surprise that posters of the joker were on nearly every teenagers / students walls, as ledger's performance personifies (to immoral extremes) the anti-establishment rebel, highly self-confident, extrovert, free speaker and political / social activist that so many students / young people feel like being, to have their say, that sense of freedom and that the world is their oyster - we just forget for a moment that the character up on the wall goes to the extremes of also being a criminally insane, terrorist, homocidal psychopath, with a complete lack of order, morality, empathy or conscience for other human beings or the world around him (the antithesis of Batman).It is a great achievement in itself that Nolan created a superhero trilogy that was varied somewhat stylistically for each film, yet continued a masterful housestyle throughout and overall narratively and production-wise had so little flaws to mention. In Blu-ray the films unsurprisingly look and sound stunning and there are of course many interesting special features available for each film (although not as much as you might expect for The Dark Knight in comparison to Batman Begins). Overall I would highly recommend making the jump to Blu-ray with these films (if you somehow haven't already), as it's definitely well worth it!

I've never been a fan of comic books or particularly enamoured of comic book movies - I can take or leave Superman in his various guises (usually leave) and have not even bothered with Spiderman, X-Men, et al. I probably would have felt the same about Batman too, but when researching for new TV and Blu-ray home cinema system these two movies were almost universally cited as being both great films and real showcases for any HD system. So with the blessing of my wife (like me not really a comic book fan but an absolute devotee of Gary Oldman) I took the plunge and invested in this double pack and haven't regretted it since. Unlike the majority of people my personal favourite is Batman Begins, but both films offer a truly astounding audio-visual experience and the night-time sequences, particularly the Hong Kong one in Dark Knight, are both mind and eye-bogglingly impressive.I found Christian Bale to be a most convincing Batman who portrayed the human side of the character particularly well. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both gave excellent cameo performances. Heath Ledger deserved all the plaudits for his manic and chaotic portrayal of The Joker in Dark Knight, although I did feel that the film dragged on just a little too long and lacked the mystical feel of Batman Begins, which is probably why I prefer that to Dark Knight.The extras are not really my bag, and I certainly wouldn't buy a film on the basis of what extras were available; and I can't pass comment on these as I haven't watched any of them as yet. But if you want to watch two superbly enjoyable films of fantastic cinematic quality then these are undoubtedly for you.

This Batman Triple-Play boxset is good value for money and while it can be argued that a bigger, better boxset will inevitably be released alongside the final installment, The Dark Knight Rises, this will keep fans happy for a bargain price in the meantime. Christian Bale gives an excellent performance as our favourite caped-crusader and both films have memorable action sequences and good effects. While The Dark Knight stands out particularly due to Heath Ledgers exceptional performance as the Joker, Batman Begins is essential viewing to understand the origin of Batman. Both films look stunning on Bluray and I highly recommend them even if you are not a fan of the superhero genre. I have listed additional details for each film below for fans who are interested in the special features included in this set.Batman Begins: 1 x DVD copy, 1 x Bluray copy and 1 x Ultraviolet digital copy.Special Features:In-Movie Experience, The Dark Knight Imax Prologue (HD), Tankman Begins Spoof, Batman - The Journey Begins, Shaping Mind and Body, Gotham City Rises, Cape and Cowl, Batman - The Tumbler, Path to Discovery, Saving Gotham City, Genesis of the Bat, Reflections on Writing Batman Begins, Digital Batman, Batman Begins Stunts, Confidential File, Stills Gallery, Theatrical Trailer.The Dark Knight: 1 x DVD copy, 1 x Bluray copy and 1 x Ultraviolet digital copy.Special Features:Gotham Uncovered, Batman Tech, Batman Unmasked, Gotham Tonight, Galleries.

Conforme

I will spare the reader reviews of the films because those are fantastic and not the issue! What I will review is the packaging. I was not aware that the product I order was packaged in Europe. Upon opening the Blu-ray combo pack of Dark Knight and Batman Begins, which arrived quickly, I noticed that the Blu-ray labels where written in foreign language and the box covers had symbols not related to any US rating systems. The text on the back was English yet the inserts in the Blu-ray were not. Aside from this, the Blu-rays themselves were all in English which was a big relief. Again the product/combo pack is great just be aware that the packaging is from Europe but the Blu-rays are 100% in English.Side bar...I am really hoping for a great end with The Dark Knight Rises. Don't know who will replace Bale/Nolan. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill because surely the Batman movie franchise won't end.

Si no te importa que la carátula esté en italiano, es la misma edición que a la venta en España, con 1 disco con película y extras en Batman Begins, y 2 discos en El Caballero Oscuro pero te ahorras dinero frente a las ediciones españolas.Tiene cajas independientes para las dos películas, que para mí perfecto porque temía que la edición tuviera unos discos sobre los otros y se acaban golpeando unos con otros, como en las series y otros packs, pero no, es como comprarlas de forma independiente.El idioma está también en perfecto castellano, con opción de inglés, italiano o catalán.Rapidez de entrega por amazon excelente (al día siguiente de pedirlo ya intentaron realizar la primera entrega en mi domicilio).

due film assolutamente da avere per gli amanti del genere!Dopo che la serie era nettamente scaduta, con batman begins e il cavaliere oscuro c'è stata una vera e propria rinascita; due film emozionanti e spettacolari con una sceneggiatura davvero notevole!Il cavaliere scuro poi presenta uno dei "nemici" di batman meglio riuscito di tutta la serieparte tecnica non di certo ottimale ma comunque apprezzabile.Amazon sempre puntuale e precisa e, in questa spedizione che aveva presentato un problema di consegna a causa del corriere, con davvero un'ottimo servizio di assitenza clienti.

Stellbook warten,habe deshalb dieses Bestellt!Wenn man Bedenkt das die Filme einzeln ca.30€ Kosten,super Preis!! Zu denn Filmen muß man nicht viel Sagen,Begins fand ich jetzt nicht so gut aber noch sehens wert.Zu dem Bild kann ich noch nichts Sagen werde meine Rezension noch aendern wen ich beide gesehen habe. Die Idee mit dem Cover find ich Klasse und Endlich wird die linke Seite der Heulle sinnvoll Genutzt!!!!!:-) (11.01.09)Habe es endlich Geschaft beide Teile zu Sehen, OK das mit den 30€ stimmt Mittlerweile nicht mehr ! Begins finde ich nachdem ich ihn jetzt zum zweiten mal Gesehen habe, doch ganz gut!Bild und Sound sind super, bei Dark Knight ist der Sound auch super ! Das mit den verschiedenen Formaten faellt mir nicht Negativ auf, da mein LCD auf nur Scan eingestellt ist wenn ich HD Filme Schaue ! Wenn der Fernseher am Bild noch rum Zoomen wuerde waere dies bestimmt ein Negativ Punkt,also den LCD oder Plasma auf nur Scan oder Aehnliches gestellt, dann ist es OK !!Bild ist super konnte auch kein Rauschen feststellen !! (01.02.09)