The movie progresses with Joker’s rise to power and Batman’s burning need to stop him fueled by the realization that a younger Jack Napier was the man who killed his parents. As Joker tries to seduce his girlfriend, Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger), Batman has further motivation to end his crime spree.
At the climax of the film we have Batman and Joker face off and I have to say it is perfect. Joker is not a fighter and relies on his tricks and goons for support. Once Batman eliminates all of his options, the fight is over nearly before it begins. Batman is given a chance to save the Joker and tries to despite his hate of the man but ultimately fails, we can effectively see he is conflicted by the result. Joker’s reign of terror has ended and Batman can have some peace at last.
Tim Burton took a lot of chances on this film and he succeeded in delivering a striking look at the dark knight that was edgy and different. Some choices were not as favorable but did not impact the film in a noticeable way (his Commissioner Gordan always bugged me immensely).
The acting, effects and story are all commendable and despite the fact that the new generation of Chris Nolan Batman films are outstanding this one holds up as one of the best superhero movies of all time.
The Video
The fact that I own the original VHS release and three DVD versions of this movie had me eagerly anticipating an HD transfer of the film. Batman on Blu-ray does not disappoint, despite its age this 1080p/VC-1 transfer presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio looks very, very good. Filling my entire 16:9 display I immediately noticed that the film grain was preserved and there are little signs of any edge enhancement or digital sharpening.
The black levels are a little hit and miss; at times they were perfect and other times the image looked grayed out. The fine details really stood out in comparison to SD releases, individual hairs, makeup lines on the Joker and details on the bat suit really came to life. High Definition did not do all the effects a favor though, some still look amazing but others, in particular composite shots, show their age.
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