Review of “Batman: Year One – Commemorative Edition” DVD

DVD Review!

Batman: Year One - Commemorative Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) [4K UHD] DVD cover

 

“Batman: Year One – Commemorative Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) [4K UHD]” Review by Suzanne 11/1/21

I watched and reviewed this movie back in 2011 when it first came out.. It’s a really great Batman movie – better than most of the live action films. It has a great cast. Back then, we had no idea that Ben McKenzie, who voices Bruce/Batman in this movie, was about to take on the role of Commissioner Gordon in “Gotham” three years later! He does a great job, along with the fabulous Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”, “Your Honor”) as Gordon, The talented Eliza Dushku (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Doll House,” etc.) as Selina/Catwoman, the late Alex Rocco (“Magic City’), who’s perfectly cast as Falcone,  and Katee Sackhoff (“The Flash,” “Longmire”) who has a fairly small part as Detective Essen. Too bad they don’t make more Batman movies with this cast and these writers, or even a series. It’s certainly not the Batman I grew up with. Commissioner Gordon is full of angst and fighting spirit. He’s also really buff and works out a lot. He’s almost a superhero himself. There’s a very exciting scene towards the end, involving a baby that will keep you on the edge of your seat for sure.  The artwork is fantastic, of course, and even the end credits are pretty nifty.

This new set has two disks and a code. You can watch it in 4K Ultra HD if you have one of those type of players and TVs; or on regular Blu-ray as I did; or use the code to watch it online. No matter how you watch it, you should love it. If you’ve already seen it, it’s worth watching a second time. The DVDs were remastered for these new technologies. The picture quality is great.  You can see more details below, including the many special features. There are new ones that they’ve made; it’s not just the same old features that were on the previous DVD from 2011.  Enjoy it and give it to your teen or older Batman fan at the holidays.

Buy this DVD

MORE INFORMATION:

BATMAN: YEAR ONE

COMMEMORATIVE EDITION

THE DARK KNIGHT ORIGIN STORY REMASTERED FOR

4K ULTRA HD™ BLU-RAY COMBO PACK & DIGITAL ON 11/9/21

BURBANK, CA, (September 13, 2021) – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the DC Universe Movies release Batman: Year One with a fully-remastered version of the film and a newly-created bonus feature, Reinventing Gordon. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the PG-13 rated film arrives on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (USA $33.99 SRP; Canada $39.99 SRP) and Digital starting November 9, 2021.

Originally released on Blu-ray and DVD in 2011, Batman: Year One is based on the landmark 1987 DC titles from 12-time Eisner Award winner and Eisner Award Hall of Fame member Frank Miller and illustrator David Mazzucchelli. The film depicts young Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City in his first attempts to fight injustice as a costumed Super Hero. The playboy billionaire chooses the guise of a giant bat to combat crime, creates an early bond with a young Lieutenant James Gordon (who is already battling corruption from inside the police department), inadvertently plays a role in the birth of Catwoman, and helps to bring down a crooked political system that infests Gotham City.

Six-time Emmy® Award winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Trumbo, Your Honor) and Gotham star Ben McKenzie (Southland, The O.C.) lead a star-studded cast as Lieutenant James Gordon and Bruce Wayne/Batman, respectively. Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) provides the voice of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Katee Sackhoff (The Mandalorian, Battlestar Galactica) gives voice to Detective Sarah Essen, and the late Alex Rocco (The Godfather) is the voice of crime lord Carmine Falcone. Additional voices/characters include the late Jon Polito as Commissioner Loeb, Jeff Bennett as Alfred, Grey Griffin as Barbara Gordon & Vicki Vale, Robin Atkin Downes as Harvey Dent, Keith Ferguson as Jefferson Skeevers, Fred Tatasciore as Detective Flass, Stephen Root as Brendon, Liliana Mumy as Holly and Nick Jameson as Merkel.

Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Voltron: Legendary Defender) and Sam Liu (Batman: Soul of the Dragon, Superman: Red Son) co-directed Batman: Year One from a script penned by Academy Award® nominee Tab Murphy (Gorillas in the Mist, Disney’s Tarzan). Animation legend Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) is executive producer of Batman: Year One. Other executive producers are Sam Register, Michael Uslan, and the late Benjamin Melniker.

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in 4K with HDR, a Blu-ray disc featuring the film in hi-definition, and a digital version of the movie.

Get a sneak peek at the new special feature, Reinventing Gordon, at DC FanDome, the ultimate global fan experience, returns on Saturday, October 16 at 10 a.m. PDT, with an all-new, epic streaming event. The free virtual event will once again welcome fans from around the world to immerse themselves in the DC Multiverse at DCFanDome.com and celebrate the stars and creators of their favorite feature films, live-action and animated television series, games, comics, home entertainment releases and more. DC FanDome 2021 will also be available on TwitchYouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, giving fans more ways to watch the events unfolding in DC FanDome’s Hall of Heroes.

Batman: Year One – Special Features

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital

  • Featurette – Reinventing Gordon (New) – An examination of the history of James Gordon through comics, animation, and feature films.
  • Featurette – Conversations with DC Comics – The Batman creative team at DC discusses the personal influence of Batman: Year One on their careers. Batman producer Michael Uslan leads the chat amongst well-known writers, editors, and artists of Batman lore, focusing on the darker, realistic interpretation of Batman’s origins by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli.
  • Audio Commentary – Featuring co-producer Alan Burnett, co-director Sam Liu, DC creative director Mike Carlin and casting/dialogue director Andrea Romano.
  • Featurette – Heart of Vengeance: Returning Batman to His Roots – “The Dark Knight Returns” provided the denouement of Batman’s life. Frank Miller’s next seminal work would provide his near-mythic origin in “Batman: Year One.” This documentary spotlights the contemporary genius of Miller and the audience that was poised to appreciate the depths of his work.
  • DC Showcase – Catwoman (2011 Animated Short) – The felonious feline’s adventure takes her through the seedy streets of Gotham City. Eliza Dushku reprises her Batman: Year One role as the voice of Catwoman. The short is directed by Lauren Montgomery (Batman: Year One) from a script by Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series).
  • DC Universe Movies Flashback
    • Batman: Soul of the Dragon
    • Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One
    • Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two

ABOUT MOVIES ANYWHERE

Movies Anywhere is a digital movie platform that enables movie fans to discover, access, and watch their favorite digital movies in one place. Movies Anywhere brings together a library of nearly 7,500 digital movies from Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film, The Walt Disney Studios (including Disney, Pixar, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm), Universal Pictures (including DreamWorks and Illumination Entertainment) and Warner Bros., and will continue to expand the consumer experience as more content providers, digital retailers and platforms are added. By connecting participating digital retailers that include Amazon Prime Video, the Apple TV app, FandangoNOW, Google Play and Vudu, movie fans can now bring together their digital movie collections (whether purchased or redeemed) in one place and enjoy them from the comfort of their living rooms, and across multiple devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire devices; Android devices and Android TV; Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch; Chromecast; Roku® devices; and popular browsers. Movie fans can also redeem digital codes found in eligible Blu-ray and DVD disc packages from participating studios and enjoy them through Movies Anywhere. Movies Anywhere – your movies, together at last.

ABOUT DIGITAL

Digital movies or TV episodes allow fans to watch a digital version of their movie or TV show anywhere, on their favorite devices. Digital movies or TV episodes are included with the purchase of specially marked Blu-ray discs. With digital, consumers are able to instantly stream and download movies and TV shows to TVs, computers, tablets, and smartphones through retail services. For more information on compatible devices and services, go to wb.com/digitalmoviefaq. Consult a digital retailer for details and requirements and for a list of digital-compatible devices.

BASICS

PRODUCT                                                                  SRP

4K + Blu-ray + Digital                                      $33.99 USA, $39.99 Canada

Blu-ray Languages: English, French, German, Spanish

Blu-ray Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish

Running Time: 64 minutes

Rated PG-13 for violence and some sexual material

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc.:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s physical and digital distribution businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees.

ABOUT DC

DC, a WarnerMedia Company, creates iconic characters, enduring stories, and immersive experiences that inspire and entertain audiences of every generation around the world and is one of the world’s largest publishers of comics and graphic novels. As a creative division, DC is charged with strategically integrating its stories and characters across film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, interactive games, DC UNIVERSE INFINITE digital subscription service and community engagement portal. For more information visit dccomics.com and dcuniverseinfinite.com.

Batman Year One © 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. BATMAN and all related characters and elements TM & © DC.

About Warner Bros. Animation

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA’s current series include Animaniacs for Hulu, Green Eggs and Ham and Wings of Fire for Netflix, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Batman: Caped Crusader, Batwheels, Gremlins: Secrets of the MogwaiHarley Quinn, Jellystone!, Little Ellen, Looney Tunes Cartoons, My Adventures with Superman, Tiny Toons Looniversity, Tom and Jerry in New York, Velma and Young Justice for HBO Max, DC Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, ThunderCats Roar for Cartoon Network,  Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who?, The Tom and Jerry Show and Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs! for Boomerang. WBA is also in production on a series of animated longform movie specials for ACME Night, WarnerMedia Kids & Family’s family programming block on Cartoon Network and HBO Max. Programs include Did I Do that to the Holidays? A Steve Urkel Story, Merry Little Batman, and an Untitled Looney Tunes Cartoons movie.  The studio is currently in production with New Line Cinema on the upcoming original anime feature film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.  WBA’s full-length theatrical film, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, was released in summer 2018. As home to the iconic animated characters from the DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces highly successful animated films — including the DC Universe Movies — for DVD, Blu-ray® and digital media. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards®, 40 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children’s Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 21 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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"Batman: Year One" key art