Blu-ray Review: Great Gift Set Comes Early in ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’

Printer-friendly versionPrinter-friendly versionE-mail page to friendE-mail page to friendPDF versionPDF version
Average: 5 (1 vote)

CHICAGO – Believe it or not, it’s already time to start holiday shopping, which means it’s the time of year that studios release lavish gift sets for their most beloved films. No one is better at this holiday season product design than Warner Bros., who has released great Limited Edition sets for “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factor,” “Ben-Hur,” and the “Harry Potter” films in recent years. The first one this year is one of the best I’ve seen, a gorgeously packaged and beautifully accompanied collection for “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” including awesome physical collectibles and 90 minutes of new special features.

HollywoodChicago.com Blu-ray rating: 5.0/5.0
Rating: 5.0/5.0

Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Trilogy” has made almost $2.5 BILLION worldwide and won numerous awards, including Oscars. To call them hits would be a massive understatement. And yet they’ve already been released in well-designed Blu-ray editions. What else could they add? Believe it or not, Warner Bros. doesn’t skimp here, as they have on a few other Special Editions, providing not just new physical collectibles but new featurettes as well.

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition was released on Blu-ray on September 24, 2013
The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition was released on Blu-ray on September 24, 2013
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Let’s start in the box. There are five prints designed by the Mondo artists who have become so incredibly popular that their posters sell out in a matter of minutes, sometimes seconds. They’re cool enough that the biggest “TDK” fan in your family might have them framed. There are physical reproductions of The Tumbler, Bat-Pod, and Bat from each of the three films. There’s a 48-page photo book. Finally, there’s a letter from director Christopher Nolan, and all of it is housed in a beautiful set that could be the centerpiece of your mantle.

The special features from previous editions have been imported and a new disc is included with bonus material that’s not merely tossed off. “The Fire Rises” features interviews with almost all of the major players, and, most interestingly, admirers of the films like Guillermo Del Toro, Damon Lindelof, and critics like Scott Foundas of Variety. Hearing so many well-spoken people discuss the creation and importance of the films gives them a more interesting place in movie history. Superhero fans will rejoice at hearing a conversation between Nolan and the man who held the superhero director title before him, Richard Donner, who directed “Superman.” Finally, the IMAX sequences are included with their unique aspect ratio.

Sometimes even Warner Bros. cuts a corner in their holiday season gift sets, repackaging available material and throwing in a weird piece of swag or two. Not this time. This is a great set with digital and physical reasons to pick it up. Put it in your letter to Santa.

“The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition” was released on Blu-ray on September 24th, 2013.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

User Login

Free Giveaway Mailing

TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

Advertisement



HollywoodChicago.com on Twitter

archive

HollywoodChicago.com Top Ten Discussions
tracker