Righteous Recommendations
The full title of the box set is Batman The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997. It includes the 4 Batman movies from during that time. Each one of those is a 2 disc set.
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:
The Anthology box set does not offer any additional extras for the collection, but each release is loaded.
Other Releases Available:
Releases Reviewed:
Tim Burton's second Batman movie, Batman Returns, has almost as many buying options as the first one. Your main considerations will be which of the other Batman movies you want and which format you prefer.
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.
As with the first movie the Special Edition DVD is extremely well done. All too often even successful sequels don’t get very good DVD treatment no matter how much attention is given to the first one. Batman Returns is loaded. This release is a 2 disc set and is the same whether you get it by itself or in the 4 movie Anthology box set.
Video:
1.85 widescreen: This is a new transfer and really looks great.
Audio:
5.1 Dolby, 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.
Unfortunately, like the first, there is no insert which also means no chapters list or other printed info. This is a bit of a disappointment with such an otherwise very well done release. I can overlook the lack of inserts 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 not a very good speaker, but it seems that he may finally be getting the hang of the commentary thing. This one is the best I’ve heard him do.
-Trailer: Disc 1 contains an original trailer
-The Bat the Cat and the Penguin: The main behind the scenes feature must have been a TV special originally since that is how it is formatted. It has some great interview segments.
-Shadows of the Bat: The Shadows of the Bat series continues from the first movie and is a behind the scenes feature that focuses on the people that made it happen. Some of it is the same as the TV special, but it is still worth watching.
-Behind the Scenes: Another group of behind the scenes videos looks at the more technical aspects of making the movie: design, costumes, Penguin make-up, working with penguins, visual effects, and music. Each one is a separate video, but a play all feature ties them together.
-Character Profiles: There are character profiles that explore the history and motivations of key players: Batman, Alfred, Penguin, Catwoman, and Max Shreck. While it would have been easy for them to just copy the Batman profile from the first movie they instead made another one unique to this release. They get a pat on the back for the effort.
-Music Video: There is but one music video this time, but it’s the best song and the best video of any of the Batman releases. “Face to Face” by Siouxsie & the Banshees has a sound and visual style that fits perfectly with the gothic feel of Burton’s Batman. I wonder what the first movie would have been like if we’d had music more like this as opposed to Prince.
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 Tim Burton box set sounds like it's the exact same version as the Blu I described above, 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. Multiple reviews have expressed amazement of the high quality of this book.
Final Thoughts:
If you're looking to build even a meager Batman movie library this is a worthy addition. There is a lot for your money especially if you're looking to get the whole set included in the Anthology or the Blu combo pack (which is probably the best bargain if you don't care about the Anthology packaging). Go for the bare-bones DVD only if your life depends on it. The Tim Burton Collection is worth consideration if you don't care for Batman Forever or Batman & Robin.
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