Exclusive review: The Dark Knight takes Blu-ray to a whole new level

The Dark Knight goes against the accepted wisdom that summer blockbusters offer nothing more than brainless action-packed fun.

Writer/director Christopher Nolan has delivered a smart and complex story that places characterisation and narrative on the same level of importance as stunts and special effects.

So the spectacular fights and car chases (more often than not presented in glorious IMAX-o-vision) are balanced by remarkable performances from the likes of Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger and a story with real psychological depth and pathos.

Given the ludicrous amount of money the film took at the box office over the summer, it's hard to imagine that there is anybody reading this that hasn't already seen the film. So, we won't bother getting into any specifics. Suffice to say, while not necessarily the best comic book movie ever made (we'll let you argue about what is in the comments section) The Dark Knight is utterly Bat-tastic in every way.

Mark Craven: Unsurprisingly, The Dark Knight looks absolutely tremendous in hi-def. The 2.40:1 photography is richly coloured and packed with detail. If there’s one complaint, it’s that this material sometimes shows very faint traces of edge enhancement. It’s barely noticeable, but look at the upper deck of the boat as the cars drive into shot at the start of Chapter 27 for one of the clearer examples.

The real highpoint though is the 1.78:1 IMAX footage. As anybody who caught the film at an IMAX screening will know, Nolan shot a number of scenes in this higher resolution 70mm film format. Surprisingly you quickly start to forget all about the shifts between aspect ratio as the movie jumps from 35mm to 70mm content, and it soon starts to feel like a natural way of opening up the impact of the film's cityscapes and action scenes.

As expected, the IMAX footage looks absolutely phenomenal on Blu-ray - the pin-sharp textures and deep blacks ensure that this material jumps off the screen with incredible vibrancy. Check out the eruption of colour highlighted against the inky black backdrop as the Batmobile explodes in Chapter 21 to see what we mean.

Steve May: The Dark Knight is a masterclass in multichannel sound design. Image placement, ADR, Foley and score are all beautifully integrated; the result is probably the most satisfying hi-rez soundtrack we've heard this year.

The detail in Richard King's sound design is a perfect complement to the detail in the IMAX imagery, and it's fully realised in the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix. The Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard score is also a thriller. Zimmer says that his Joker theme was inspired by German industrialists Kraftwerk, and its insistent, nagging, metallic edge has become the signature of the soundtrack in just the same way Ledger's performance dominates the visuals.

For those looking for a demo disc, The Dark Knight edges past rival Iron Man (another great BD soundtrack). It's just bigger, better, battier. For instant gratification, dial up Chapter 21 – the Bat-pod/Lorry chase sequence. The no shortage of deep-routed LFE, while the fidelity and steering is breathless.

Anton van Beek: The Dark Knight doesn’t overwhelm the viewer with bonus features, instead delivering a more considered package across its two discs.

In place of an audio commentary, Disc One offers up a collection of 18 Focus Points (65mins total running time). Accessed via seamless branching while watching the film or from a separate menu in Special Features, these vignettes take you behind-the-scenes to explore a specific aspect of the production (be it shooting using IMAX cameras or the creation of a stunt involving crashing a van into a river). It might have made more sense to offer the Focus Points as a Picture-in-Picture track instead, but at least this feature should work on those old Profile 1.0 decks.

The only other additional content accessible from Disc One is a BD-Live connection. Sadly, the Warner Media Site the disc links to wasn't active when we looked at it, so it's hard to talk too much about what this will offer. However, the menu screen indicates access to a general site full of new trailers and promo content, plus the ability to arrange 'communal screenings' of the film with other users and provide text comments during the film (presumably along the lines of Lionsgate's MoLog feature).

The two big extras on Disc Two are the 45min Batman Tech and Batman Unmasked documentaries. The first of these is pretty self-explanatory as it takes a look at the real-world technology that influences Batman's many movie gadgets. The second gives a number of criminologists, psychologists and even a couple of comic book writers the chance to delve into Batman's psyche and examine the neurosis that drives him. It also finds time to explore the mindset of The Dark Knight's antagonists Joker and Two-Face, as well as other villains from the comics like The Riddler. Both feel a little like promo documentaries made for TV, but at least they make a pleasant change from the usual run-of-the-mill EPK featurettes.

Next up on Disc Two is a section called Extras (aren't all of the features on this disc extras?) containing six Gotham Tonight mock news reports (46mins total running time) that work at fleshing out the world the movie inhabits and four art galleries - Joker Cards (73 images), Concept Art (58 images), Poster Art (12 images) and Production Stills (89 images). Finally, there's another sub-menu on the disc that houses a trio of theatrical trailers and six TV spots

We say: Bigger, bolder and smarter than its predecessor, The Dark Knight is an excellent film and a truly breathtaking hi-def experience.

Warner Home Video, All-region Blu-ray, £28, On sale December 8
HCC VERDICT: 5/5