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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
    Batman
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
    Batman and Robin
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
    Batman Forever
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • French: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
    Batman Returns
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • French: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  Subtitles
    Batman
    English, Arabic, English - Hearing Impaired
    Batman and Robin
    English, Czech, Greek, Polish, Hungarian, Arabic, English - Hearing Impaired, Turkish, Icelandic, Croatian
    Batman Forever
    English, French, Spanish
    Batman Returns
    English, French, Spanish
  Extras
    Batman
  • Cast/crew biographies
  • Production notes
    Batman and Robin
  • Cast/crew biographies
  • Production notes
    Batman Forever
  • Production notes
    Batman Returns
  • Production notes
The Batman Legacy
Warner Bros./Warner Bros. . R4 . COLOR . 300 mins . M15+ . PAL

  Feature
Contract

In 1989 Tim Burton forever changed our vision of Bob Kane’s nocturnal caped crusader, casting off Adam West’s 1960s camp depiction and launching the most successful comic book cinema franchise since Superman. The story of Bruce Wayne, a millionaire by day and dark avenging angel by night, Batman was ripe for the Hollywood treatment, and Burton was able to give the cinema going public something the likes of which they'd never seen before. This was no whiter-than-white superhero, but a dark and flawed super-antihero.

There are four latter-day Batman films all told. With Burton at the helm, the early movies Batman and Batman Returns are dark and sombre affairs, reeking of film noir. They stand as a testament to the triumph of production design over story and style over substance. A formula that in anyone else’s hands would have spelled disaster, Burton managed to turn this into two hugely entertaining films. Shrewd enough not to attempt a third in the same vein, Burton stepped back from the director’s chair into production. If another film was to be garnered from the franchise, then more was needed – more action that is, and Joel Schumacher was enlisted to breathe more thrills and spills into the third and significantly lighter film, Batman Forever. Of course this turn towards action effectively sealed the lifespan of the franchise, not to mention dissolving whatever artistic kudos Burton had initially garnered. The fourth and last film Batman and Robin, having to outdo its predecessor with even more thrills, beached the franchise on the edge of the action envelope. When your last movie is a Schwarzenegger action blockbuster, where else is there left to go?

Individual titles reviews
REVIEW: Batman
"This is Jack Nicholson at his best, out-shone only by Burton's amazing production design."
- Gavin Turner

REVIEW: Batman and Robin
"...by far the most vapid and least satisfying member of the Batman cinema franchise."
- Gavin Turner

REVIEW: Batman Forever
"Batman goes pulp... and gets a whole lot more entertaining."
- Gavin Turner

REVIEW: Batman Returns
"Brilliant performances and Burton's superb visuals all wrapped up in a reasonable transfer. But is it better than the original?"
- Gavin Turner

  Video
  Audio
  Extras
  Overall
Contract

There's no disputing the wide appeal of the Batman franchise, and it's great to see all the movies finally packaged together. However, Warner have (quite disappointingly) done nothing special to mark the release of this collection, other than wrap some cardboard around the existing discs.

With all four discs sporting early transfers and only a single layer, these films are screaming to be re-mastered. In addition, the dearth of extras on each of them (brought on by the single layers) is nothing short of astounding and given the amount of production material that must exist out there on Warner's shelves, it is very surprising that, at the very least, an exclusive-to-the-set extras disc has not been compiled for inclusion.

No more than a convenient and less-expensive way to purchase the films, this box set won't have fans (who I suspect already own the films) reaching into their pockets for another buying frenzy. To my mind, Warner have lost a great opportunity to do something special here, and maybe even sell a few discs all over again. The box set provides eight hours of action for all you bat-fans out there, but don't be expecting anything else.

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      And I quote...
    "Eight hours of action for all you bat-fans out there, but disappointingly little else."
    - Gavin Turner
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Toshiba SD-2108
    • TV:
          Panasonic TC-68P90A TAU (80cm)
    • Receiver:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Amplifier:
          Yamaha RX-V795
    • Speakers:
          B&W 602
    • Centre Speaker:
          B&W CC6 S2
    • Surrounds:
          JM Lab Cobalt SR20
    • Subwoofer:
          B&W ASW-500
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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