Blu-Ray Review: Batman Motion Picture Anthology

First Four Batman Films by Burton and Schumacher Make Blu-Ray Debut

Apr 11, 2009

A much awaited Bluray box set with nearly 18 hours of extras lets fans can relive their favorite moments from the original first four films, released from 1989 to 1997.

Having introduced audiences to tales of the Dark Knight before Christopher Nolan's rebooted franchise, the Batman Motion Picture Anthology is a veritable treasure trove of behind-the-scenes glimpses, at this highly popular film series.

Rather than uneccessarily explaining the all-too familiar plotlines to each film, let us look at how each film was revisited, in all new Blu-ray splendor. Note, the plethora of extras in this Blu-Ray set, are similar to what was offered in the standard DVD release of this set in 2005, with the added value of being offered in 1080p quality.

The quintessential interpretation of the Dark Knight by dark auteur Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow), Batman reveled in Art Deco excess and noir ambiance. Furthered by an unforgettable instrumental soundtrack by Burton crony Danny Elfman, Batman introduced the tale of billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton, rumored hairpiece and all), as he fights the criminal elements of Gotham City, leading up to a showdown with crime figure turned psychopath The Joker (Jack Nicholson, in a scene-stealing role).

Other than the incredible transfer to high definition, the gem of this piece is the commentary by director Burton, allowing fans to get into the head of the filmmaker as he explains the many creative decisions which seemed controversial at the time of the film's release.

Also of note is the first of many segments spanning this four-disc box set, an ongoing documentary entitled "Shadows of the Bat". On this Batman disc, this feature includes several interviews with producers, writers, even archival footage with Batman creator Bob Kane, on how difficult it was to get this project to become a reality.

Aside from this informative piece (with the exception of the director commentary), the rest of the disc's contents is pretty standard, what with the ubiquitous Prince music videos which permeated the airwaves in the summer of 1989, and an obscure storyboard on a botched attempt to introduce Robin in the first film.

Tim Burton's return to his 1989 hit, this sequel started the trend of introducing multiple villains in a single movie, a trend which continued into the later films. Batman (Keaton, once again) must now face evil on many fronts, with shrewd Gotham businessman Max Schreck (Christopher Walken, ironically the better villain in this piece) in league with Oswald Cobblepot (aka The Penguin, brilliantly played by Danny DeVito), as they all face retribution from the seductive but deadly Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer, in a rubber latex suit which launched a thousand pictorials in 1992).

Burton has tons of fun in this movie, again displaying Gotham City as a skyline gone wrong, with a populace in peril, around Christmas time. Though the story is uneven at best, it's still fun to watch Keaton and Pfeiffer duke it out on the rooftops, on inspired sets.

This film also looks great on high definition, though some of the darker scenes will seem blurry, making it hard to distinguish tones of black. The treatment benefits from a well adjusted audio output, and again Elfman's music maintains the mood of the piece.

Skip most of the extras on this one, and stick with the aforementioned "Shadow of the Bat" segment, with part four featured on this disc.

With the Joker having taken a tumble down a few hundred stories, Penguin gone, and Catwoman missing in action, Batman needed a new brand of terror to combat. Director Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Flatliners) complies, and throws in Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones, in a horrible campy performance) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey), who team up to bring down the Dark Knight (now played by Val Kilmer).

Many say this was the beginning of the end for the franchise, with Schumacher eschewing the dark tone of Burton's films, and replacing it with Day-Glo absurdity, and burlesque music from Elliot Goldenthal.

Akiva Goldsman (a gifted writer responsible for A Beautiful Mind) destroys any credibility the franchise has built up to this point, infusing the characters' dialogue with hackneyed camp. This seems bizarre, given that the audience isn't necessarily looking for Shakespearian sonnets, or anything of the sort.

The film is negatively contrasted with its predecessors. Val Kilmer does a decent Bruce Wayne, and Jim Carrey is a hoot as The Riddler, letting loose with his usual hyperactive antics. Nicole Kidman and Chris O'Donnell round up the cast, though they are just counting the minutes to the conclusion.

The additional scenes in the extras are pointless, and the making of the costumes featurettes are extraneous.

The most reviled of the series, Batman and Robin goes even deeper into theatrical excess, remindful of the campy 60's series it tried to avoid with the first two film installments. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze gets to utter the most absurd lines ("All...right everyone...chill!"), while Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy chews up the scenery, with more ridiculous dialogue, courtesy of Goldsman.

George Clooney (as Batman) and Alicia Silverstone (as Batgirl) breeze through this painful project for the sake of a paycheck, while director Schumacher continues to indulge in excessive homo-erotic displays of bat nipples and male nude statues all over Gotham. Simply atrocious, but pretty in its 1080p HD splendor.

Here again, if needed, go for the last of the "Shadow of..." featurettes, unless you are interested in how they achieved Arnold's silvery makeup.

Final Analysis

This set is for completists looking to add to their Blu-ray collections. Those unwilling to buy all four in a set, can wait for the individual films to be sold separately, this coming May. Either way, they all look awesome in this upgraded treatment.

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