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Batman Special Edition DVD - Extras The film looks and sounds terrific – much better than it did on the original DVD release – and Burton provides optional commentary for it, if you’re keen. Though he covers most of the information he relays here in the second disc’s special features, he’s an interesting guy – and you’ll appreciate hearing his impetus and reasons behind doing “Batman” the way he did. Disc 2 contains the weight of the extras, and boy are they fantastic! First up, there’s a documentary on the legend of the character himself. This is a wide-ranging, fairly prolonged doco, narrated by Mark Hamill, which starts from the foundation and ends with the current crop of movies. Everyone from filmmaker Kevin Smith, Marvel’s Stan Lee, Comic legend Frank Miller, and Burton, are here. If you love the Caped Crusader, or simply want to know more about the character’s evolution, this is a must-watch. “Shadows of the Bat: A Cinematic History of the Dark Knight” is a 3-part documentary that’s got some real sizzle. Here, we learn all about the challenging process of bringing “Batman” to the big screen – finding a studio and producer to back it, the controversy surrounding Keaton’s casting, re-casting Sean Young’s part as Vicki Vale and so on – and it’s ultimate success at the box office. (Jack Nicholson sits back and gleams about the experience. Understandably so, he’s sitting on a beanbag-sized bundle of freshly rolled hundred dollar notes to do the interview). “Beyond Batman” gets into the technical side of things – personally, didn’t interest me as much, not to say it won’t interest you – taking a look at how such things as the gadgets, the backdrop, the car, the suit, the music and casting Jack as ‘The Joker’, came about. Also on the disc – a vintage featurette that features the late Bob Kane on the film’s set, brief interviews with those that played the ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ of the movie, a brief deleted scene, three of Prince’s music videos, and the original storyboard sequence for a scene that would have introduced Robin into the movie – ultimately scrapped. One of the best DVD releases of the year – easily.            Back to News |
