Second on the all-time U.S. box-office total (if you pay no attention to adjusted values), The Dark Knight will be returning to theaters on Jan. 23. Yet, if would like to see it, or see it again, you don’t have to wait that long because not only is December 9th the official date of the home video debut of both the single- and two-disc DVD sets as well as Blu-ray, but it’s in some stores already. If you get it before December 18th, director/co-writer Christopher Nolan is doing a live commentary with TDK Blu-ray owners, answering questions throughout the film.
The Blu-ray package comes with two discs and a digital copy. I previously gave The Dark Knight high marks in my review last summer, and upon rewatching it, my opinion remains the same. It’s a top-notch action film elevated by a clever script containing compelling characters and themes that make the consequences matter. Before getting to the discs, the Blu-ray packaging continues the marketing campaign of the film as The Joker mocks Batman by defacing the jacket insert of the disc case.
Accompanying the film on Disc One are "Focus Points" about the making of the film. Together, they provide over 80 minutes of in-depth, behind-the-scenes footage about elements such as music, costumes, stunts, and shooting in IMAX with commentary from Christopher Nolan and the crew. They can be viewed on their own, or the viewer can be alerted when a specific Focus Point applies to the scene being viewed and access them. However, this disrupts the flow of watching the film; I would recommend the former choice.
The video is presented in 1080p High Definition with ratios of 2.4:1 and also 1.78:1 for the IMAX sequences. The transition between formats is noticeable, going from letterbox to fullscreen, but doesn’t draw undue attention to itself. The images look great. There is a lot of very fine detail from the textures on clothing, especially the new Batsuit, to the pores on people’s faces. The colors are rendered well, especially the blacks.
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