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:
If you've read the guides for Batman and Batman Returns, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Batman Forever.
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 Special Edition DVD is a 2 disc set and is the same whether you get it by itself or in the 4 movie Anthology set.
Video:
1.85 widescreen: This is a new transfer, and while I can't compare it to the original DVD I can tell you that this one looks great.
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:
There's a unity to the look of the Special Edition movies' art which is great even if I don't particularly like the cover art for this edition.
The case itself is standard plastic.
Unfortunately, like the others, there is no insert which also means no chapter list or any other printed material.
The interface isn’t particularly creative, but it does have animation and audio which is better than a plain page.
Extras:
-Commentary: Joel Schumacher. He is much easier to follow than Burton.
-Trailer: The only other extra on disc 1.
-Riddle Me This: This is a behind the scenes feature that was originally a TV special. It’s hosted by none other than Chris AKA Robin.
-Shadows of the Bat: The Shadows of the Bat series continues. It’s a behind the scenes feature that looks at the cultural aspects relating to comic book history.
-Behind the scenes: A group of behind the scenes clips looks at the more technical aspects of the movie: design, costumes, stunts, effects, and score. There is a play all option for the group.
-Character Profiles: The character profiles are back. They look at the characterizations and portrayals. Once again the characters from previous movies are not copied but are recreated to be unique for this movie. Included are Batman, Robin, Chase, Riddler, and 2 Face.
-Deleted Scenes: We haven’t gotten deleted scenes before (unless you count the storyboard from movie 1). This time there are 7 with a play all option. The first, Escape From Arkham, could have been a good spooky scene, a little closer to the Burton style. I actually would have liked the movie more if it had followed this mood. Another one of note is Secrets of the Batcave when Wayne confronts his true demon. It has some good drama. There are some other decent ones and a few weak ones.
-Music Video: I said in the Batman Returns review that “Face to Face” is the best song and video from the 4 Batman movies. “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal, though is not far behind. It’s a lovely song, poetic and well performed. The video uses movie visuals nicely. If I have a complaint it’s that the song itself doesn’t fit the colorful, comic-book action of the movie. I’m still happy to have it on the DVD. I’ve been so unimpressed with many of the songs/videos on so many DVD’s (I’m not at all pop-culture inclined in my musical tastes) that I get a little more excited when I find one I really like.
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.
Final Thoughts:
I was borderline on whether or not I wanted to buy Batman Forever, but now I’m rather glad I did. They put some effort into this release, and it’s a nice addition to any Batman collection. There is a lot here for your money, and I really enjoyed the extras included. I recommend going with the Anthology set over buying the individual releases unless you just really don't like the Burton Batman movies (although I don't recommend admitting that in public). The Blu combo is probably the best bargain for the set if you don't care about having the Anthology packaging.
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