Tim Burton's first Batman movie has seen numerous releases over the years. There's a variety of DVD and high-def options which I hope to help you sort out below. Keep in mind that by the time you read this it is entirely possible that they have repackaged or re-released it yet again.

 

All 4 of the 90's Batman movies have a few different solo and combo options, but they come in 2 basic varieties: an older print and newer remaster. The older one is bare-bones offered on a solo DVD and as part of a combo. The newer remaster typically comes in a 2-disc DVD Special Edition or Blu-ray. There is an Anthology box set for both formats and at least 1 combo for the Blu. While it's entirely possible that there is, or will be, a DVD combo of the remaster I have yet to see one. If you're not sure about the difference between the combo and box set distinctions the box set looks like you bought each movie then put them all in a Batman box, the combo looks more like you condensed everything into a Batman mix tape. The Blu is also included in the Tim Burton Collection box set. And finally there is the 20th Anniversary Edition which is only available on Blu by itself.

The Special Edition DVD is a 2 disc set and is the same whether you get it by itself or in the 4 movie box set.

 

Video:

1.85 widescreen: There's no way in Gotham this is going to look as good as the 1080p presentation, but if Blu isn't an option I doubt you will have any complaints about the image quality. It is a new transfer and really looks good.

 

Audio:

5.1 Dolby and 5.1 DTS: The sound is clean, clear, and rich. Again, it's not HD quality, but stacked up against other DVD's it sounds quite good.

 

Packaging:

I love the Batman cover art from the Tim Burton movies and therefore love the look of these DVD cases. There's a unity to the look of the Special Edition movies' art.

 

The case itself is standard plastic.

 

The only complaint I have about this edition is that it has no insert. I like chapters lists and a little bit of printed material with my DVD’s. I can overlook the lack of them with the $5 bargain bin DVD’s, but a big release like this one should have something.

 

The interface isn’t particularly creative, but it does have animation and audio which is better than a plain page.

 

Extras:

-Commentary: Tim Burton: Tim is a better director than he is a speaker. He has some interesting ideas but they are presented in a stumbling and interrupted way making it difficult to follow sometimes.

 

-Trailer: The only other extra on disc 1 is the movie trailer.

 

-History of Batman: Disc 2 starts out with a history of Batman. It’s lengthy and interesting.

 

-On Set with Bob Kane: In another clip Bob Kane shares his thoughts about the movie. It feels cut off at the end, but is otherwise worth watching.

 

-Shadows of the Bat: This is a behind the scenes series that will continue through the following 3 movie releases. The first 3 parts cover this movie: pre-production, writing and vision – the people that made it happen, and other things like location, cost, adversity, and marketing.

 

-Behind the scenes: Another series of behind the scenes videos covers more technical aspects: design, props, the Batmobile, costumes, Joker makeup, and music. There is play all feature for these.

 

-Character Profiles: These take a look at the history and motivations of the key players: Batman, Vicki, Alex, Gordon, Harvey Dent, Joker, and Bob.

 

-Storyboard: A storyboard shows how the writers explored the idea of the introduction of Robin. It has simple animation and music and what appears to be the cast of the animated series as the voices. It’s pretty interesting to see what might have been.

 

-Music Videos: There are 3 music videos by Prince.

-“Partyman” is energetic and features some good Joker visuals.

-“Scandalous” is a terrible song and a boring video. Sorry, Prince fans. How it became the pop-sound for such an otherwise great production is beyond me.

-“Batdance” is a weak song but has some great visuals, the dancers made up to be half Batman half Joker suggest a new spin on the duality of super heroes and villains. These songs seem to me like they fit the production of Batman Forever better than they do this one and vice-versa for “Kiss From a Rose.”

Other Editions:

The Original Print:

The older DVD is mostly bare-bones though it may offer some production notes as an extra. The video is 1.85 widescreen with 5.1 surround sound. I have read that the quality is awful. The combo DVD that offers this version is a 2 disc set and therefore probably includes double-sided DVD's (1 movie per side).

 

The Remaster:

The Blu-rays list everything that I described with the Special Edition DVD counterparts (no Blu-ray exclusive features, in other words). The main difference, of course, is the HD quality: 1.85 16x9 widescreen presentation at 1080p with 5.1 Dolby True HD sound. I have to caution you, though, several reviews have said that the actual quality is not as impressive as one might think. Even if that's true the new transfer already looks good just on DVD.

 

The Anthology box set would, as I'm sure you can surmise, look like you bought all 4 movies on Blu and put them in a Batman box.

 

The Blu combo repackages everything but appears to include the same specs and extras as the regular Blus. Assuming the info listed is correct you'll only miss out on some of the nicer original packaging but get all of the same content.

 

Other Blu Options:

The 20th Anniversary edition Blu comes with a digital copy of the movie (which could also be included with the other Blu release, but I haven't seen it listed) and a book that is a part of the disc case. The book is reportedly 50 pages and includes recreations of the original making-of book along with some script and comic book pages. I don't think this book is available anywhere else. The contents of the disc look the same as the other releases.

 

The Tim Burton box set also sounds like it's the exact same version as the standard Blu, though, of course, I can't confirm that since I don't have it. The main difference is that this box set comes with a book that includes details about each movie. Is it different than the content of the 20th Anniversary book? Probably, but I can't speak about the exact content. What I can tell you, though, is that multiple reviews have expressed amazement of the high quality of this book.

 

Final Thoughts:

If you're a Batman fan the Special Edition DVD's are very well done and offer a lot for your money. If you have even a mild interest in DVD extras and like this movie you should consider adding Batman to your shelf. This is even more of a consideration if you want to see all 4 of the movies and all that each one has to offer. If you are wanting only this first Batman movie (or are just that dedicated a fan) the 20th Anniversary is worth a look for the exclusive book it offers, and if you're specifically looking for Tim Burton movies the Blu box set of his various movies sounds like a good buy. If I ever do upgrade my Batman and Batman Returns DVD's to Blu it will be because I broke down and got that collection. The Anthology box set has been a good bargain in the past, and the Blu combo pack is a good deal if you don't care about having the Anthology packaging. Go for the old bare-bones DVD only if you have no self respect as a DVD collector.

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