2008′s biggest blockbuster explodes onto DVD just in time for the holidays. Ask yourself again: Why so serious?
The Dark Knight
Warner Bros.
Single Disc: $28.98
Two Disc Special Edition: $34.98
Blu-ray: $35.99
Limited Edition with Batpod: $64.98
Plot: Batman versus The Joker. ‘Nuff said.
Opinion: With more than $500 in the bank and an almost-certain Oscar nod for Best Picture on the horizon, there’s no question that The Dark Knight is the movie of 2008. For me though, it’s a very good film that falls short of greatness. More than anything, The Dark Knight distinguishes itself from other comic-book movies by its sheer scale, redefining what a comic-book movie should look like and the kinds of stories it should tell. Nolan is painting on a giant canvas here and, to be honest, I think he lost control of the story at a certain point.
The heart of the movie should be the battle between the Joker and Batman over their ultimate prize, the mind of Harvey Dent. Those fanboys who have read such graphic novels as Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke and Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb’s The Long Halloween will recognize some of the elements Nolan has worked into The Dark Knight, from the Joker’s mysterious, ever-changing past to Dent’s internal struggle between his love of the legal process and fierce desire to see justice done, even if it has to happen outside of the courtroom. As long as Nolan keeps this conflict at the center of the film, The Dark Knight is involving, sophisticated stuff. It’s when he tries to work in additional subplots-the mobsters that are protecting their interests, the amateur Bat-men fighting crime, Rachel and Harvey’s romance, a detour to Hong Kong-that the film’s narrative goes haywire. Considering where the story heads in the second and third acts, the first half is absurdly overplotted-certain relationships and characters that are established early on all but cease to matter once the Joker starts his reign of terror. Even with all of these problems, The Dark Knight is a wholly enveloping viewing experience. Nolan’s sweeping camerawork and the stellar production values keep your attention riveted on the screen at all times and the performances across the board are excellent. And then there’s Ledger; watching his live-wire performance here made me feel his loss all over again. I’m not about to say that he’s the best Joker ever, as each actor that’s played the role-from Cesar Romero to Jack Nicholson to Mark Hamill-has brought something unique to the part. But I do think that Ledger’s Joker is the scariest of the lot, mainly because he lacks any semblance of human emotion. In a summer filled with lackluster movie villains, here’s a bad guy that’s more than just a punching bag. Batman may be the star of The Dark Knight, but Ledger makes The Joker into its pitch-black soul.
Extras: Compared to the geek-friendly bonus features that peppered the recent Iron Man 2-disc set, it has to be said that The Dark Knight is something of a letdown in the extras department. This means two things: 1) Warner Brothers rushed this disc onto the market in time for the holidays or 2) They’ve got a super-deluxe special edition the works for next year, after the film receives its Best Picture nod. For now, features vary depending on which version you buy. The single-disc edition only offers the movie, while the two-disc edition has two behind-the-scenes featurettes, six unedited clips of “Gotham Tonight” broadcasts (the TV news show that appears frequently in the movie) and a gallery of poster art and production stills. The Blu-ray version offers the most extensive batch of extras, from a pair of History Channel specials to eighteen short making-of featurettes that can be viewed alongside the movie or as a standalone documentary. Hardcore Knight fans will probably be adding the limited edition Blu-ray gift set to their wish lists, as it comes with a small-scale replica of the Caped Crusader’s sweet Batpod ride. Considering that The Dark Knight is 2008′s biggest movie, I’m not going to tell you not to buy this DVD, but be prepared to shell out again for an upgraded version sometime in ’09.
Verdict: Buy It
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Lost: The Complete Fourth Season
ABC
$59.99
Plot: Where to start? Well, this is the season when the castaways (well, some of them anyway) finally get off the island. But they’re troubles don’t end there-the memories of the people they left behind still follow them and island mastermind Ben is roaming the world with his own agenda.
Opinion: After a wildly uneven third season, Lost found its footing again in Year Four, as the writers took the daring step of flashing forward to the characters’ off-island life, a creative choice that answered a number of long-standing questions while also raising many more. The risk paid off though-this is the best the series has been since its stellar debut year. The writing is better, the cast is stronger and there’s a sense that the show is finally building to something instead of killing time. Best of all, this is the year that Michael Emerson’s twisted mastermind Ben Linus supplanted Matthew Fox’s Jack as Lost‘s real star. Although it’s a little hard to swallow that Ben has done all the things he’s supposedly responsible for, Emerson sells every improbable plot twist. Whenever people tell me that they’ve given up on Lost in favor of NBC’s rapidly flatlining Heroes, I’ll just hand them a copy of this set as evidence that they’re wrong.
Extras: A handy eight-minute recap of Lost modeled after that awesome Sopranos YouTube clip; five making of featurettes, covering such topics as the new characters on the freighter and a mockumentary questioning the veracity of the story behind the so-called Oceanic Six; bloopers, deleted scenes and commentaries round out the set.
Verdict: Buy It
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Man on Wire
Magnolia
$26.98
Plot: A documentary about French tightrope walker Philippe Petit, who made headlines in 1974 when he skywalked between the World Trade Center towers on a razor-thin wire.
Opinion: James Marsh lucked onto a great story when he decided to make a movie about Petit’s World Trade Center stunt. A piece of recent history that many New Yorkers know little about, Man on Wire recounts how this operation came in heist movie fashion, showing us how Petit’s oddball group of accomplices came together in the first place and then put their fearless leader’s crazy plan into action. Although little footage exists of Petit’s WTC walk, the archival photographs (including the one that graces the DVD’s box cover) tell a thousand words. I wish that Marsh had pushed his subject a little bit hard for details of his personal life: just how could he afford to devote his life to tightrope walking anyway? But Man on Wire remains a genuine crowd-pleaser and if your heart doesn’t jump just a little at the sight of those towers being built, you clearly haven’t lived in New York for very long.
Extras: An additional interview with Petit, archival footage of his 1973 Sydney Harbor Bridge stunt and an animated short based on his exploits.
Verdict: Rent It
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Also on DVD
It’s a light week for DVDs, but I do want to highlight two new box sets from HBO, The Wire: The Complete Series (HBO, $249.99) and Deadwood: The Complete Series (HBO, $179.97). Neither set is as extras-laden as the recent Sopranos box, but at least they offer every episode of these groundbreaking shows in one handy place. Buy one of these and you’ll have your TV plans set during the early winter months when all the other shows are in repeats.
