![Batman Begins [Blu-ray]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0019FLTH8.02._SS400_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg) |
Batman Begins [Blu-ray]In retrospect, Batman Begins is perhaps even more of a towering achievement than we first realised. Arriving eight years after the franchise-killing Batman & Robin, it managed to not only shine fresh light on the Batman franchise, but also emerge as a template for what a top notch comic book movie should be.
Much of the credit, of course, should go to the pairing of Christian Bale and director Christopher Nolan. Bale steps where the likes of Michael Keaton, Adam West and George Clooney have stepped before, and yet his Batman is darker and more complex than any of them. Behind the camera is perhaps Batman Begins' secret weapon, as Nolan--previously responsible for Memento among others--rewards the gamble to give him the job in the first place. His film is packed full of memorable characters, and he draws together a staggering cast, yet none of them are shortchanged. From Rutger Hauer's brief cameo as head of Wayne Enterprises through to Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson and Liam Neeson, it's the finest cast in a film of this ilk since the first Superman. The film's belated Blu-ray debut has, fortunately, been worth the wait, with the reference-quality 1080p image simply sparkling on any screen that can handle the resolution. Backed up with a thumping surround sound mix, this is superb work, and it's fitting that it should be used on a film of this quality. Now? We just need The Dark Knight to join it in high definition. That's what you'd call a double bill...-Jon Foster |
Average User Rating: 80% (12 Reviews) | |
| 5 / 5 | The Greatest Comic Book movie ever made on Blu Ray --Oh Yes!!
UnluckyBauer007 (York England) - 17 July 2008 One word describes this Blue Ray.......Awesome. I'm sure everyone knows this actual movie by know and if you have never seen it before then you must have lived in a BAT Cave (see what i did there) for 3 years. Christian Bale does a truly amazing job as DC Comics's Dark Knight BATMAN, in this re telling of BATMAN! it starts the movies all over again, and thanx to Joel Schumachers pathetic Batman Forever & the even worse Batman and Robin it was much needed. Accompanied by a stella cast including Micheal Cain, Gary Oldman , Morgan Freedman, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy and loads more, it beats Superman 2 and Spidey 2 to the greatest Super Hero Film of all time! Now its on Blu Ray too, this film looks amazing in Hi-DEF- previously only avail on HD_DVD you can now experience this amazing fim with crystal clairity and perfect blu ray sound. The opening scenes of Ras Al Gouls palace thing takes your breath away as does there the city scape scenes of Gotham. Infact every scene looks HD terrific. The special features to deserve a mention everything the DVD has and more, PIP directors commentry and loads of featurettes. The best bit though! you get the first 6 minutes of The Dark Knight! and it got me very excited! can't wait for it. The actual box the Blu ray comes in is also impressive with a cool holographic front cover with the moving BATs and the cool art cards this was a bargin price. I have this movie on DVD and I still think the Blu Ray was a bargin, there not many pf my DVD's i will bother to get on Blu Ray too but this is def one worth getting!... Read Full Review » |
| 5 / 5 | It just makes a great film better
Mr. I. A. Macpherson "Macca" (Leamington Spa, Warwickshire) - 16 July 2008 Batman Begins is a great movie, and I guess many people, like me, will be teased by the prospect of the upcoming The Dark Knight to invest in a shiny new Bluray version of Batman Begins, especially as it has a full scene from The Dark Knight in the extras. I would rate this film as 5 stars on DVD, so what does Bluray offer? The difference between decent upscaled DVD and Bluray is often marginal, and in some scenes I would be hard pressed to really tell much difference. However the city scapes, close detail (for example I could make out the intricate patterns on the wrist armour during the ice sword fight) and general depth of field are all improved on this Bluray version. I also noticed things like the snow swirlling when Bruce Wayne first enters Ra's castle had real depth and each flake could be seen landing on his jacket. It doesn't make the film any better, if you know what I mean, but somehow it just feels a bit more enjoyable to watch. If you want this film then the Bluray is obviously better, but if you already have the DVD, don't expect to be "blown away" by the quality improvement. Those into their home cinema and picture clarity will find enough to justify the reasonable price. The Dark Knight preview is an interesting scene (I guess the first scene in the movie with the Joker) and certainly got me looking forward to the full movie. To be honest I wasn't bothered about the photo stills and 3D card that came with it, but my son loved them and has them on his wall...... Read Full Review » |
| 4 / 5 | Good video transfer - but not the extras you get in USA
Henry Honda (Norfolk, UK) - 16 July 2008 This 'special' Blu-ray edition Batman Begins [Blu-ray] [2005] - with lenticular panel and postcard inserts - is not the same one that you get from the USA (e.g. Movietyme - region-free) as it lacks the multipage comics that appear in the US version. Slightly disappointing - but much cheaper than Movietyme price. However, both the video transfer and TrueHD audio are impressive. A worthwhile addition to my collection. Can't wait to get my hands on a Blu-ray copy of 'The Dark Knight'!... Read Full Review » |
| 4 / 5 | Movie: 4.5/5 Picture Quality: 3.5~4.5/5 Sound Quality: 4.5/5 Extras: 4.25/5
LGANS316 (Tokyo Japan) - 22 August 2008 Same encode as HD DVD. Version: U.S.A / Region Free VC-1 BD-50 Running time: 2:20:02 Movie size: 23,792,474,112 bytes Disc size: 35,115,738,871 bytes Average Video Bit Rate: 13.69 Mbps English Dolby TrueHD - 1551Kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps) English / Japanese / French / Portuguese / Spanish DD 640 Kbps Subtitles : English / Japanese / Chinese / French / Korean / Portuguese / Spanish The Dark Knight IMAX Prologue (Picture Quality: 5/5) VC-1 Running time: 0:06:37 Movie size: 1,234,102,272 bytes Average video bit rate: 22.91 Mbps DD AC3 5.1 640Kbps HD DVD specification ******************** VC-1 HD-30 Running time: 2:19:54 Movie size: 19,857,584,128 bytes Disc size: 26,635,886,280 bytes Average Video Bit Rate: 13.70 Mbps Dolby TrueHD 5.1 16-bit DDPlus 5.1 640Kbps... Read Full Review » |
| 5 / 5 | Knight in not so shining armour!
chuckles "barnie884" (Netherlands) - 23 October 2008 In preparation for the Dark Knight, I had to re-watch this movie, and to be honest I forgot how good it was. These movies re-invent the Batman in a much more realistic and plausible way than the orginal 90's movies. The really changes the way you feel about the character and the setting, it changes from being a comic book adaptation in an over the top Gotham, unbelievable gadgets and unbelievable villians to something that with a little bit of imagination may actually be happening around us. This sets up the history of Batman, and how he turns into the Dark Knight, with believable explainations on his skills, gadgets, costumes, money and alike. This is a perfect start to what I hope turns out to be an excellent series of movies. Well directed, well acted with good (and not obviously CGI) effects.... Read Full Review » |
RRP
£23.99
Release Date
14 July 2008
Price Range
£14.98 - £20.43