Dark Knight is a major release for Blu-ray, the first disc to reach one million printed/packaged discs at launch. It was imperative that Warner delivered to reach those new to the format, and for the most part, they have. It’s an odd, strange presentation though that many will find themselves confused by.
Nolan was adamant about shooting in IMAX format, and some of the film was shot this way. The problem when the film comes home is that the jarring switch from the IMAX ratio to the wider 2.35:1 format of the rest of the movie is still intact. In the theater, it wasn’t that noticeable, but on home video, it’s irritating. Yes, this is keeping with the intent and proper aspect ratio, but it’s a shame it turns out like this. Warner’s customer service will probably have some angry, confused customers to deal with thinking their discs are defective.
On that note, the IMAX footage looks mind-blowing. The clarity, the detail, the color, and black levels are easily some of the best you’ll see on Blu-ray. It’s so sharp, it can even challenge the best of the computer animated films on the format. The level of minute detail that comes through is truly remarkable.
Unfortunately, the same does not hold true for those shot in the wider ratio. While yes, the contrast is wonderful, colors spectacular, and detail is high, numerous shots are marred by ugly edge enhancement, and even a little DNR. It’s a constant problem, although some scenes manage to avoid it. Flesh tones are also inconsistent, ranging from too orange into pink territory. It’s at its worst during the quieter scenes. Action tends to look perfect. It’s better than a lot of films out there (and the IMAX footage makes up for a lot), but with the expectation this disc has riding on it, it’s also inexcusable. 
Unlike many other recent studio releases, Warner has wisely graced the film with an uncompressed audio track, this time in TrueHD. Whatever disc you have on your shelf to show off your hardware can now be retired. The bass is the highlight, easily offering some of the deepest explosions, loudest musical cues, and massive gunfire you’ll ever hear. Surround use is somewhat more subtle, being less pronounced than the fronts, but those channels have plenty to work with. Listen for the amazing echo in the tunnel chase, easily the disc's highlight. Even better, dialogue is better mixed than the theatrical release, picking on the nuances of Christian Bale’s low speaking voice. 
![The Dark Knight: Limited Edition with Batpod (+Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513hdZRcx4L._SL120_.jpg)
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