Batman Begins (Blu-ray)

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Still, these are minor quibbles in a film that succeeded in keeping my attention from beginning to end. I've seen it a record (for me) seven times now in three years--twice in a regular theater, once in IMAX, once on SD DVD, twice on HD-DVD--and now in Blu-ray. And you know what? I look forward to watching it again.

Video:
I spent the better part of an hour comparing the picture quality of the Blu-ray and HD DVD editions of this movie, both of them using VC-1/1080p transfers, the Blu-ray on a dual-layer BD50, the HD DVD on a dual-layer HD30. I first compared still pictures from each disc, pausing at the beginning of chapters and switching back-and-forth. Then I did the same thing with moving pictures, again switching to-and-fro. At one point, I put on my reading glasses and examined the screen from about eight inches away. I must have looked at the same spot on the same wallpaper fifty times, checking both versions for sharpness and clarity. In the end, I had to conclude that if Warner Bros. did anything different with the Blu-ray transfer, they pretty much fooled me. After all this, an audio-video insider friend assured me that the Blu-ray transfer is a direct port of the HD DVD release, so the two versions should, indeed, be identical.

No doubt any minute differences I may have noticed were so miniscule they have to have been characteristics of the two disc players I was using (a Panasonic BD30 and a Toshiba A35) rather than differences in the transfers themselves. So, if you already own the HD DVD version, there is little reason to replace it. In any case, the BD screen size measures the same 2.40:1 ratio as the HD DVD, with the same pleasing delineation, rich and radiant colors, solid contrasts, and well-detailed textures. The fact is, both versions of "Batman Begins"--Blu-ray and HD DVD--look almost as good as anything I've seen in either format. Yes, it's a dark film, but inner nuances are still good, even in duskier sections of the screen, and black levels are inky black on my CRT television.

Incidentally, I've read the criticisms leveled at Warner engineers for supposedly using too much DNR on the encode to clean up grain, in the process smoothing over detail and softening some of the image. I dunno. It's true the movie appeared to have more grain when I saw it originally in IMAX, but that giant screen exaggerates everything. In a regular theater, the movie seemed very clean. I think both of WB's high-def transfers look good. Facial features are a bit soft, as I've said in previous reviews, but most things are in fairly sharp focus compared to practically every other high-def movie I've watched, and the overall video quality is quite attractive.

Audio:
The Blu-ray disc makes the English audio available in lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and regular Dolby Digital 5.1. Either way, it is as good as the video. In Dolby Digital, I found big dynamic contrasts and a robust deep bass. In Dolby TrueHD I found a small but noticeable improvement in sonic quality. In TrueHD the dynamic surges and impact, pinpoint surround activity, taut bass, extended frequency response, realistic clarity, and wide, open feeling of depth and breadth are more prominent than ever. Yes, I also spent a few minutes comparing the TrueHD tracks on the Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, and again I found no discernable differences. There is no reason I can think of for either of the TrueHD tracks to sound any better than the other, and they don't.

Remember, though, that on both the BD and HD DVD discs the default settings are regular Dolby Digital. As happens more often than I like to admit, I was ten or fifteen minutes into the movie before I thought to switch over to TrueHD. I wish that owners could set their players or receivers to automatically detect and play back the best available audio codecs, but as yet most equipment doesn't work that way, and it's usually up to absentminded fellows like me to remember to do it. Oh, well....

Extras:
The bonus features on the Blu-ray Limited Edition Giftset include everything found on the HD DVD and more.

The first major item on the disc itself is the In-Movie Experience, which basically replaces a regular audio commentary. The filmmakers take you behind the scenes as you're watching the film, providing small image inserts, comics, special effects, and the like, all on screen along the way. Because it took a while to develop the capability for Blu-ray to reproduce this feature and because Warner Bros. apparently didn't want to release the Blu-ray disc without it, the studio postponed the BD edition for some time. Now that it's here, it's worth the wait, unless, as I say, you already own the HD DVD. (Note, though, that you must use a BD player with BonusView or BD-Live capability in order to access this extra.)

After the "In-Movie Experience" you'll find another exclusive high-def bonus, the first six-and-a-half minutes of the IMAX "Prologue" (16x9) to the movie's sequel, "The Dark Knight," in high definition.

Following the "Prologue" is a section of "Additional Footage" that contains "Reflections on Writing Batman Begins" with David S. Goyer, two minutes; "Digital Batman," the effects you may have missed, a little over one minute; and "Batman Begins Stunts," two minutes.

The longest section is called "Beyond the Story," which includes eleven sections. There is MTV's "Tankman Begins," a cute parody lasting about five minutes, integrating scenes from the movie with added shots of Jimmy Fallon and a surprise guest. Next is "Batman: The Journey Begins," a fourteen-minute documentary on the development and casting of the film. It's typical of such making-of documentaries, with comments from the director and filmmakers, plus excerpts from the movie. After that is "Shaping Mind and Body," twelve minutes on Christian Bale's transformation into Batman. Then it's "Gotham City Rises," twelve minutes on the creation of Gotham City, the Batcave, Wayne Manor, and more. Following that is "Cape and Cowl," eight minutes on the development of the new Batsuit; "Batman: The Tumbler," thirteen minutes on the reinvention of the Batmobile; "Path to Discovery," a fourteen-minute look at the first week of filming in Iceland; "Saving Gotham City," thirteen minutes on the miniatures, CGI, and effects for the monorail chase scene; and "Genesis of the Bat," a fourteen-minute look at the Dark Knight's incarnation and influences on the film.

The extras on the disc conclude with "Confidential Files," which lists and explains "Hardware," "Enemies," and "Allies and Mentors" in the story; a stills gallery; forty scene selections (but no chapter insert); and a widescreen theatrical trailer. There are English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese spoken languages; English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired.

As usual with a Warner Bros. Blu-ray disc, this one also includes pop-up menus, bookmarks, and an indicator of elapsed time.

In addition to the Blu-ray disc, the Limited Edition Giftset contains several other fun items. Foremost, there is what WB call "lenticular" artwork. I guess this is what I would call a 5" x 7" holographic photograph, and it is startlingly realistic in its 3D depth. Then, there are five collectable postcards, also 5" x 7"; a thirty-two-page booklet containing script pages, storyboards, and film stills from "The Dark Knight" prologue; a sixteen-page DC Comics adaptation of "The Dark Knight" prologue; and a coupon worth up to $7.50 to see "The Dark Knight." OK. You're getting the idea that the "Batman Begins" giftset heavily promotes "The Dark Knight." Life could be worse.

Parting Thoughts:
Is "Batman Begins" the best superhero film of all time? I have no idea. But is it entertaining? You bet. There have been few films over the years I liked well enough to watch as many times as I have watched this one, with the story and characters holding up each time. I found the movie creative, energetic, imaginative, involving, and even a little inspiring. Its edgy tone and dark atmosphere coupled with its comic-book theatrics make it a winning combination for older children and adults alike. If this Blu-ray version can't sell the film to a whole new group of home-theater buffs, nothing can.

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