Batman Returns: Two-Disc Special Edition (1992) |
BUY IT |
General | Extras | ||
Category | Action |
Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Tim Burton (Director) Theatrical Trailer Featurette-The Bat, The Cat And The Penguin Featurette-Shadows Of The Bat: The Cinematic Saga Of The Dark Knight Featurette-Batman: The Heroes Featurette-Batman: The Villains Featurette-Beyond Batman Music Video-Face To Face By Siouxsie And The Banshees |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 1992 | ||
Running Time | 121:14 (Case: 126) | ||
RSDL / Flipper |
RSDL (67:10) Dual Disc Set |
Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Menu | ||
Region Coding | 2,4,5 | Directed By | Tim Burton |
Studio
Distributor |
Warner Home Video |
Starring |
Michael Keaton Danny DeVito Michelle Pfeiffer Christopher Walken Michael Gough Michael Murphy Cristi Conaway Andrew Bryniarski Pat Hingle Vincent Schiavelli Jan Hooks Steve Witting John Strong |
Case | ? | ||
RPI | $19.95 | Music |
Danny Elfman Steven Severin Siouxsie Sioux |
Video | Audio | ||
Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
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Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles |
English Italian English for the Hearing Impaired Italian for the Hearing Impaired |
Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
Three years after Tim Burton reinvented Batman for the big screen, he once again brought a nightmarish version of Gotham City to the big screen – Batman Returns. This time the caped crusader would be taking on two of his arch-nemeses, the Penguin (played by a wonderfully repulsive Danny DeVito) and Catwoman (masterfully done by a seductively slinky Michelle Pfeiffer), while dealing with the evil corporate greed of Gotham City’s richest entrepreneur, Max Shreck (a wonderfully deranged Christopher Walken).
With Gotham City under siege at Christmas time from a marauding acrobat troupe, Batman (played by Michael Keaton in his one and only reappraisal of the role) is called in to stop them. When billionaire Max Shreck is kidnapped by the troupe, he finds himself face-to-face with the Penguin who wants Shreck’s help to re-enter society as a man, not a freak. Shreck on the other hand has his own problems – a deal to build a power plant that the City Council will not approve. When he is forced to kill his secretary, Selina Kyle, after she gets too close to his corporate wrongdoing, he finds himself pondering the use of the Penguin to further his own agenda. But when Selina turns up alive, and psychotically disturbed (it’s not exactly normal to wear a cat suit made of leather), it seems that everybody has a Yuletide agenda, and Gotham City is caught in the middle, with only the Batman to protect it.
Batman Returns was not as critically or commercially successful as its predecessor, and Burton was never given the chance to make another Batman movie. Instead, the reigns were passed to Joel Schumacher who nearly destroyed the franchise with the two clunkers Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. In this reviewer’s opinion, Batman Returns was unfairly maligned, and although it loses itself in its fourth Act (the film is fairly divisible into five Acts rather than the more conventional three), it is a worthy contribution, with a lot of subtext, wonderful imagery and outstanding performances all around. Far more a tragedy of Shakespearian proportions than its predecessor, its final moments are reminiscent of Hamlet.
In time I think history will be kinder to the Burton adaptations, including the sequel, and Batman Begins will earn its place in the Batman canon. While certainly imperfect, it has enough outstanding moments to redeem itself for its faults.
Presented in 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced, mastered from a new high definition transfer, this is close to its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Upscaled to 1080i at 50Hz, this is another stunning transfer for the Batman franchise.
Colour saturation is excellent, and shadow detail is far more pronounced and less murky than it was for the original R4 release. The image is also sharper and more defined.
Film-to-video transfer artefacts are non-existent, although there is still some dirt and the odd hair cropping up – hardly surprising for a film of this vintage.
There are subtitles available in English and Italian. I watched the subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired. They are quite accurate.
The dual layer pause is at 67:10. It occurs during a scene change and is barely noticeable.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
Audio is available in English 5.1 DTS (768Kb/s), as well as English and Italian in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (both at 384Kb/s).
The Dolby Digital tracks are acceptable. The DTS track is far superior.
Dialogue is faultless, and much better than the original DVD releases in terms of clarity.
Surrounds are aggressive, and Danny Elfman’s brilliant score is given the treatment it deserves.
The subwoofer in heavily utilised.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The main menu on all the discs is presented in 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced with a 2.0 Dolby Surround audio track. The submenus are static and silent.
Presented in 2.0 Dolby Surround, this is a reasonably interesting commentary. Worth a listen if you’re a fan.
Presented at 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced, with 2.0 Dolby Surround audio.
Presented in 1.33:1, Full Frame, 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround audio, this is a fairly corny TV special behind-the-scenes for the film.
Presented in 1.33:1, Full Frame, 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround audio.
Presented in 1.33:1, Full Frame, 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround audio, this is a series of interviews about the history of the various characters:
Presented in 1.33:1, Full Frame, 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround audio, this is a series of interviews about the history of the various characters:
Presented in 1.33:1, Full Frame, 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround audio, this is a very interesting documentary on the making of the film, containing the following chapters:
Presented in 1.33:1, Full Frame, 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround audio, this is a series of storyboards from a sequence that was conceived but never shot in which Robin would play a role in the film.
There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Content-wise, the R1, R2 UK and R4 Special Edition releases appear to be identical. The R1 release has a French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround soundtrack instead of the Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital track available here. I have seen no negative reviews regarding video quality. Visual and audio quality is infinitely better than the earlier releases, and this time we actually get special features. Buy whichever Special Edition is cheapest.
Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is an unfairly maligned visual masterpiece. Although the plot becomes slightly muddled in the fourth Act, this movie is much darker that its predecessor, and very emotionally satisfying. If you have not seen this for a while, I recommend trying it again.
This DVD transfer is excellent, and much better than the earlier releases.
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Extras | |
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Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Momitsu V880N Deluxe, using DVI output |
Display | Sony VPL-HS50 LCD Cineza Projector with HP 80" Widescreen (16:9) HDTV Mobile Projector Screen. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. |
Amplification | Marantz SR7000 |
Speakers | Digital Accoustics Emerald 703G - Centre, Front Left & Right, Rear Left & Right Satellites, Subwoofer |