The biggest film of 2008 arrives on Blu-ray and DVD this December 9th, and Cinematical is here to share our initial impressions, likes and dislikes, as well as let you know whether this monster piece of home entertainment is worth the purchase. Perhaps time will tell if The Dark Knight is the best comic book movie ever made, but in the meantime it's fairly easy to declare it the best comic book movie of 2008. Director Christopher Nolan and his team of Bat-freaks brought out the bigger guns for this sequel, adding more explosions, more depth, more darkness and more Gotham. The result is an action-packed psychological salad full of delicious performances and fantastic visuals.

In fact, that's exactly why you'll want to own this thing -- it just looks ... so ... good. On the Blu-ray disc, for example, the film alternates between aspect ratios, showing the IMAX-filmed scenes in 1.78:1, and the rest in 2.40:1. Sure, it's a bit different than watching it on a seven-story screen, but the IMAX sequences (in particular the opening bank heist) will no doubt take your television hostage and seduce every inch of your geek-obsessed body. Is it somewhat annoying to dance between two aspect ratios during the film? Not really, except that you'll wish the entire saga was shot with IMAX cameras. If you haven't yet watched a flick on Blu-ray, do yourself a favor and pop your HD cherry on The Dark Knight.

Now follow us after the jump for more ...

Gallery: The Dark Knight DVD

Filed under: Action, DVD Reviews, Fandom, Home Entertainment, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

Continue reading Sneak Peek: 'The Dark Knight' on Blu-ray and DVD

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A couple of months ago -- and after watching the film spit out monster box office totals -- there was word Warner Bros. would throw The Dark Knight back onto IMAX screens (and possibly conventional theaters) for one last run. With the flick currently lingering around the $996 million mark, a re-release would all but guarantee it the much sought-after $1 billion. However, according to Superhero Hype, it's not gonna happen. They don't give much of a reason or a statement, just that plans to re-release on IMAX screens have apparently been scrapped.

It's unfortunate, too, because the DVD (which we'll review tomorrow) includes a few great behind-the-scenes features on the film's IMAX sequences. And, as someone who did not have a chance to catch the flick on IMAX screens, I was kinda looking forward to taking in a screening this January during the re-release after watching how they went about shooting it. Considering Christopher Nolan and his crew made history by becoming the first major feature film to shoot partly using IMAX cameras, you'd think folks might want to stage an encore engagement. Oh well.

Also of note: Variety reports that The Dark Knight will arrive via video-on-demand in South Korea two weeks before the DVD hits shelves, making it the first Hollywood blockbuster release to go VOD before DVD.

Were you looking forward to watching The Dark Knight again on IMAX screens?

Filed under: Action, Fandom, Exhibition, Home Entertainment, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

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Image Entertainment has announced some more titles which they plan to release early next year. On February 10th, they will release 'Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk', an IMAX feature with narration from Robert Redford and music from Dave Matthews Band. It comes out the same day as the previous announced IMAX title 'Hurricane On The Bayou'....brbra href="http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2128"Read full article at Blu-ray.com/a