Batman Begins

'Batman Begins' is probably the most eagerly-awaited title to hit HD DVD thus far. A true A-list, must-have disc for early adopters, a lot is riding on this one. If 'Batman Begins' doesn't look and sound spectacular, and boast tons of supplemental features, the HD DVD format is going to have its first genuine disappointment on its hands. But I'm happy to report that 'Batman Begins' delivers in spades. It is all that I hoped for, and as it stands now, is likely to be the first disc I pull out when I need great demo material to show off my system.

Presented in 2.40:1 widescreen and 1080p/VC-1 video, I can find nothing to fault here. I've always thought that the dominant color of the Batman cinematic universe has been black, from the black of the Gotham skies to black rubber of Batman's suit to the black chrome of the Batmobile. Even recalling my 'Batman Begins' experience in the theater, I remember it being a largely colorless, rather dour experience. So this HD DVD presentation was a total surprise for me. Noticeably superior to the standard DVD, the film really is quite colorful. Even if it is appropriately dark and even grimy in spots, colors are always rich, vivid and free from oversaturation. Right from the beginning, such as in the early flashback scenes of Bruce Wayne as a child, oranges, yellows and greens are quite rich and pure, with wonderfully accurate fleshtones. Even the training scenes early on with the Liam Neeson character, which are shot in overcast exteriors, exhibit flashes of striking color, such as the deep blues of the arctic ice or the subtle shadings on a flower. Hues never bleed or smear, and no chroma noise is apparent.

The source material has also been kept in pristine shape. Blacks are rock solid and contrast excellent. The image has great "pop" but even the harshest whites don't bloom or obscure detail, and shadow delineation -- essential to a dark and moody Batman flick -- is superior. Even in the darkly-lit lair of the Scarecrow, for example, I could still make out the texture on the burlap sack cover his head, right down to the lines in the rope holding it together. I was even more surprised by how improved sharpness is versus the standard DVD release, which was a bit spotty -- this HD DVD image is never anything less than razor-sharp. The sense of depth is consistently top-notch throughout, and this is another of those great HD DVD transfers that often exhibits the "window effect" -- looking more like a fine photograph than video.

Lastly, Warner has also done another fine job encoding 'Batman Begins.' Though the film is not as quick-cut as some recent blockbusters, it does have many scenes of fast action, which this transfer handles adroitly. No macroblocking or any type of posterization is present. And though there is some slight film grain present at times, there are no compression problems or resultant noise. Excellent, excellent job, folks. 'Batman Begins' looks fabulous.

'Batman Begins' ports over all the same standard-def extras as the two-disc DVD release of the film, which certainly makes it a great value for money. Of course, it helps that most of the goodies here are actually worth watching -- a welcome surprise in these days of EPK filler and other forgettable extras.

Rather unusual for a major release, there is no audio commentary of any kind on 'Batman Begins.' Nor are there any deleted scenes, or techy-like material, such as storyboard comparisons. Instead, we get what is essentially a two-hour documentary, broken up into a bunch of shorter featurettes. Though the HD DVD-exclusive "In-Movie Experience" (see below) is a bit more concise and certainly easier to digest in one sitting, I'm afraid diehard Batman fans are gonna have to watch all of this stuff. (Disappointingly, all of these featurettes are presented in 480i standard-def video, and though shot in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, are letterboxed in a 4:3 frame. It is a shame Warner didn't present these extras in full 1.78:1 widescreen, even if they are only 480i standard-def video. Sigh.)

Though Warner doesn't really order all these featurettes in a truly user-friendly way on the menu, I tried to watch them in some sort of logical order. Note that all are culled from the same spate of cast and crew interviews dating back to the time of the film's production and release, as well as a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage. First up are "Genesis of the Bat" (15 min.) and "Batman: The Journey Begins" (14 min.). These offer a good point of introduction, with director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer handling the lions share of the explaining. "The Journey Begins" also details the casting of the film, including the then-controversial choices of Christian Bale and Katie Holmes. Even if you don't get into all the more technical-oriented featurettes later one, definitely watch these two.

Next we have three featurettes that focus on the nitty-gritty of production. "Path to Discovery" (14 min.) chronicles the challenges of shooting the film's opening scenes and backstory in the cold climate of Iceland. "Saving Gotham City" (13 min.) highlights the film's excellent action scenes, which were staged with as little CGI as possible -- one of the reasons 'Batman Begins' remains, for me, superior to most other blockbusters these days. But my favorite is "Shaping Mind and Body" (13 min.), as Bale is put through the paces, training to play such an iconic character. Many feel Bale is the best Batman yet, and I can see why. He seems to have an innate understanding of the character, and he certainly has the right physicality for the part. The behind-the-scenes fight footage here is also quite cool.

An additional three featurettes examine various production aspects more in-depth. "Gotham City Rises" (13 min.) pays a visit to the production design team, who had the massive task of reimagining the fabled city for a new generation of Batman fans, as well as having to work within real-world locations in some instances, such as Wayne Manor. "Cape and Cowl" (8 min.) practically fetishizes the Batsuit, and I'll admit all that hot black rubber is a turn-on. Finally, "Batman: The Tumbler" (14 min.) pays tribute to the kick-ass Batmobile, which the Nolan originally conceived as "a Lamborghini crossed with a Humvee." Even Holmes gets into it, admitting that for the first time, she realizes "why guys love cars so much." Think she bought one for Tom Cruise?

Oddly, Warner has placed yet another three featurettes in their own section, called "Additional Scenes." But there is no deleted or additional footage here, so whatever -- am I missing something? Instead, these are three short little vignettes, each running about two minutes. "Digital Batman" is an all-too-quick comparison between a CGI Batman created for the film, and the real one -- I wanted to see more of this. "Reflections on Writing" is also a far-too-short, cute little story from Goyer on how word got out that he was writing the new Batman flick. Finally, "Batman Begins Stunts" is simply a montage of behind-the-scenes footage of the Batmobile and the Batsuit in action.

The extras start to wind down with two text-based goodies. The Still Gallery focuses exclusively various advertising a concepts for the film's multi-million dollar marketing push. Separate sections for the U.S., International and pre-release campaigns are included. "Confidential Files" is a rather extensive assortment of animated text pages featuring more stills and concept art for the various "Hardware," "Enemies" and "Allies and Mentors" of 'Batman Begins.' This is actually a very cool, well put-together and informative extra, so don't skip it just because it might seem like a bunch of lame production notes.

Rounding out the package are two promo items. The "Tankman Begins" spoof that was created for the 2005 MTV Movie Awards is entertaining, but like most of these type shorts, runs out of steam quickly. Last but not least is the film's Theatrical Trailer (actually only a 1-minute teaser), presented in 2.35:1 widescreen, 1080i-MPEG-2 video and Dolby Digital-Plus 5.1 surround. Kudos to Warner for that -- I hope we see more trailers in the future in full HD video.