‘Batman: Year One’ Commemorative Edition 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – One Of DC’s Best Gets Dazzling Upgrade

The movie critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Ben Belcher. 

In 1987 DC Comics released a revamped origin for one of its most iconic characters. Hot on the heels of Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, Batman was enjoying a bit of a rebirth. That darker and grittier version of Batman spoke to audiences and gave a very different view of the hero since the fun, but campy, 1966 TV show. 

Batman: Year One is Frank Miller’s retelling of the first year of Bruce Wayne’s career as the caped crusader. We see how Bruce became the legendary Batman. How he met Gordon and forged a long-lasting friendship. The early days of Harvey Dent as the D.A. Meeting the one and only Selina Kyle. We see a lot of what made the Dark Knight who he would one day be.

In 2011 WB released their animated adaptation. It was fantastic then, and it is still fantastic now. There are so many moments from this that I still quote 10 years later.

“I have the means. The skill… But something is missing… I’ll have to wait… I’ll have to wait.”

What many DC animated features fail to capture is Batman’s inner monologue. In the comics Batman walks us through the events of his stories in an almost film noir style commentary. Here though, Bruce and Gordon both get to voice their inner thoughts and it adds everything to the weight of the story. 

Batman: Year One follows Bruce as he returns to Gotham after his many years abroad as he attempts to become the creature of the night, and we also follow James Gordon as he and his family first move to Gotham City. Bruce starts off going out in various disguises and we learn how and why he uses the tactics that he does. He slowly builds up to the Bat-suit and becomes the Batman as he tries to take down the mob. Gordon is hired as a new detective, but doesn’t want to be another dirty cop in a sea of dirty cops. He slowly takes down the corruption from the inside with the help of Batman and Harvey Dent. Selina Kyle and her young protégé live in squalor, as hookers, until she decides to start stealing from the rich and powerful to escape a life of horrors.

The side-characters are incredible as well. Commissioner Loeb and his obsession with candy and dolls was a perfect juxtaposition for his powerful role. Det. Flass is one of those characters that you love to hate, and watching him get his comeuppance was beautiful. Falcone is a hilariously comic mobster down to his accent and the opulent marbled palace he lives in. 

The film absolutely capitalizes on the 80’s aspect of the original story and it works perfectly for Batman’s first year. Seeing Batman scale rooftops with aging fire escapes and billboards for Betamax tapes just works. Batman fits here, and especially for his first outings, I can’t think of a better time period to have set this in. Everything is rendered with a grime and age to it that lends itself perfectly to what’s happening. Whether Bruce is summoning a host of bats and fleeing on a motorcycle or Gordon is driving through the snowy outskirts of town, you’re in for a visual treat. 

The voice acting here is nothing short of magical as well. Bryan Cranston’s James Gordon is PERFECT. I can’t understand how he hasn’t been asked to play the character again. Fingers are crossed and breath is bated. Ben McKenzie does a really solid young Bruce, but he shines as Batman. He’s genuinely terrifying in several scenes. “None of you are safe…” Shivers down my spine every time. It’s also a little funny knowing he would go on to become Gordon in Gotham. Eliza Dushku does an amazing Selina Kyle. I could watch 100 animated Catwoman movies with her as the lead. The way she and Liliana Mumy play off each other’s characters was really genuine.

If you haven’t seen or read this most amazing of Batman stories, I cannot recommend it enough.

Video Quality

Batman: Year One comes to 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a 2160p transfer that is incredibly bold with an amazing amount of depth. This disc provides some substantial improvements over the Blu-Ray in almost all areas including more vivid, natural colors, deeper black levels and the elimination of any digital artifacting. While this does have splashes of color when appropriate, this is a Batman film which does lend itself to a darker, shadowy color palette. This universe is less vibrant than films from other DCAU characters, but visits to the red-light district and a fancy gala event makes for a colorful time. This presentation handles the subtle gradients of the artwork in a way that is just excellent. This disc provides excellent line detail and more distinct shading, which gives the characters greater definition. 

The use of HDR yields some very pleasing enhancements to the dynamic colors on display such as in the costumes or explosions, and the disc provides much deeper black levels for a cleaner viewing experience free of black crush. The Blu-Ray artificially boosted some of the darker moments, but the 4K disc makes things a bit more darker and in line with the original source material as intended. The Blu-Ray had numerous problems that most probably believed would never be corrected, but the good folks at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment have saved the day with this one. Let’s only hope they afford the same treatment to other releases around this time which never received a 4K release. 

Audio Quality

This release boasts the same DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track as the previous Blu-Ray release, but it is a terrific track that really digs deep and impresses during this action-heavy film. There is an immense amount of activity in the low-end which will cause your subwoofer to get a thorough workout throughout this presentation. Dialogue is often accompanied by a lively score from Christopher Drake or all manner of sound effects, but all of the information comes through clearly without getting muddied. The track engages all of the channels with panning effects and sounds of hand-to-hand combat and a few environmental flourishes that really transports you to the middle of the action. There are no obvious sync issues or other anomalies present. Warner Bros. has delivered an incredibly strong track that showcases the impressive sound design of their DCAU films. 

Special Features

  • Audio Commentary: Voice Director Andrea Romano, DC Animation creative director Mike Carlin, co-producer Alan Burnett, and co-director Sam Liu provide a solid commentary track in which they discuss nearly every aspect of production including shaping the story down to a manageable runtime, the performances, the animation style, their interpretations of the material and more. They are not afraid to bring up some valid criticism of their work which makes for a more interesting track. 
  • Reinventing Gordon: A new 22-minute featurette which takes a look at the character of Jim Gordon from his early role as a throwaway character to how he has been reinvented to be one of the most complex characters in the DC library. There are some great insights from Year One producer Michael Uslan, The Long Halloween writer Jeph Loeb, Batman writer James Tynion IV, DC Comics’ Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee, Year One original writer Frank Miller and more. It is about time that Gordon got the spotlight he deserves which makes this a great addition. 
  • Conversations With DC Comics: A nearly 40-minute featurette in which former DC Comics editor Dennis O’Neil, producer Michael Uslan, DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio and DC Comics writer Scott Snyder gather to candidly discuss the work of Frank Miller, the adaption of Year One, Batman and his relation to popular culture, the world that Batman resides in and much more that DC fans will not want to pass up. 
  • Heart Of Vengeance: A nearly 24-minute featurette in which Burnett, Carlin, O’Neil, Uslan, writer and former DC editor Len Wein and others discuss how Batman was originally portrayed in comics, the evolution from campy to the “Dark Knight” interpretation, the place of realism in his stories, iconic arcs, and so much more that is invaluable as a comic book fan. 
  • DC Showcase Presents Catwoman: A 15-minute short written by Dan DiDio which provides a nice showcase for the titular figure outside of a gratuitous amount of pole dancing. There is some excellent action in here that provides a good amount of thrills. 
  • A Preview Of Batman: Soul Of The Dragon: A twelve-minute featurette which takes you inside the previously-released Batman: Soul Of The Dragon. 

 

Final Thoughts

Batman: Year One is one of the strongest adaptations that DC’s animated division has given us. Not only does it capture the visual style and thematic weight of the original story, but it features some of the best vocal performances these characters have received, especially in the case of Bryan Cranston. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has newly released this on 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a magnificent A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features. If you are a fan of this version of this story, this is an immense improvement on the old disc in nearly every respect and you owe it to yourself to own it on the best format possible. Highly Recommended 

Batman: Year One – Commemorative Edition is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Digital. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

 

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