Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Batman: Year One 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 7, 2021

Warner Bros. has re-released their animated adaptation of Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery's Batman: Year One on 4K UHD to coincide with the film's 10th anniversary. Based on the celebrated original comics written by Frank Miller with artwork by David Mazzucchelli, this brisk 64-minute production is faithful and well-made with solid voice work by Brian Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku, and more. The 2011 Blu-ray was later re-issued in 2015 as a handsome Deluxe Digibook Edition and, while this new 4K release scales back on the packaging bells and whistles, its terrific new 2160p transfer offers a solid visual upgrade and a new featurette explores the main character James Gordon.

For a complete film synopsis, read our review of the 2011 Blu-ray written by Kenneth Brown. Please note that I've scored the film slightly higher; while I don't consider this to be a perfect adaptation and still prefer the source material, I've always felt this was one of the studio's better efforts of a fan-favorite book... or maybe the slight boost is due to my appreciation of the new 2160p transfer which, for reasons outlined below, helps this film more closely resemble David Mazzucchelli's distinctive artwork as it originally appeared in Batman #404–407 back in 1987.

Batman: Year One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although its 2160p transfer is technically an upscale, this brand-new 4K presentation of Year One offers a substantially better viewing experience than the original Blu-ray. First and foremost, disc compression is vastly improved in direct comparison to that earlier release: although the Blu-ray was hardly packed to the gills with total content (roughly 3.5 hours, and a mixture of HD and SD material), the movie-only 4K disc is dual-layered (66GB) and thus runs at a much higher bit rate than its predecessor. Fine detail, black levels, and shadows are better resolved with a much smoother and less processed appearance overall. Additionally, several low-lit scenes that appeared artificially boosted on the Blu-ray are now suitably darker but still very "readable", thanks to both its better-handled contrast and well-placed use of HDR10 color enhancement. Colors stand out cleanly against black and other dim backgrounds, which now more closely resemble the original book's ultra-moody appearance bolstered by David Mazzucchelli's particular art style; one that's defined more by colors and compositions than bold outlines. Likewise, the film's more vivid sequences -- such as those taking place in Gotham's red-light district, the fiery warehouse where Batman is nearly killed by invading police forces, and the memorable gala event where Carmine Falcone and his wealthy guests are confronted -- offer greater color depth and saturation with no bleeding. Overall, this more refined palette serves up a potent mixture of bold and subtle improvements that, in my opinion, make Year One a more impactful and effective adaptation.

All things considered (and considering the limitations of its limited-budget 2K source material, which still suffers from trace amounts of banding), this is a fine improvement and I sincerely hope other prominent DCAU Batman films from this era (Under the Red Hood, The Dark Knight Returns ) get the same treatment, and soon.

That said, there's still plenty of room on the 4K disc so it's a shame that the animated companion short Catwoman -- still included on the Blu-ray as a bonus feature -- wasn't given a bump to 4K as well.

Speaking of the included Blu-ray, it features a brand-new menu interface and different bonus features (see below), but still has the same transfer as seen on the 2011 release. This is far from a terrible presentation -- as evidenced by these screenshots sourced from the Blu-ray disc -- but banding and compression artifacts run rampant at times, so I'd imagine that a fresh new 1080p transfer might have sweetened the pot for non-4K fans of the film.

Batman: Year One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both the included 4K and Blu-ray discs feature the same terrific DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix as heard on the 2011 Blu-ray, so please read that review for a full evaluation of the audio. While I'd have loved to hear a reworked Dolby Atmos mix just for fun, what we get here is still very impressive so it's pretty tough to complain.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the main feature and all applicable extras.

Batman: Year One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a standard dual-hubbed keepcase with painterly new cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption slip. The extras listed below are all found on the Blu-ray disc; they're slightly different than those found on the 2011 release and thus have been separated into different categories.

New to this release:

• Reinventing Gordon (21:58, above) - This all new featurette traces the history and growth of Jim Gordon from his early "filler" appearances to the more fleshed-out character seen in modern films, comics, and other media, thanks to to stories like Year One. Plenty of first and second-hand participants are on hand to offer their comments including Year One producer Michael Uslan, The Long Halloween writer Jeph Loeb, Batman writer James Tynion IV, DC Comics' Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee, and Year One original writer Frank Miller, . We also get lots of stills and clips of various Batman iterations from Golden, Silver, Bronze Age, and modern comics to the wildly popular 1960s TV show, Tim Burton's 1989 film, the landmark animated series, and much more.

• Previews - Three "first look" featurettes promoting recent DCAU productions. These are not exclusive to this release (and aren't all that related either) but may appeal to fans of the main feature.

• Batman: Soul of the Dragon (11:56)
• Batman: The Long Halloween, Part I (10:29)
• Batman: The Long Halloween, Part II (9:10)

Returning from the original Blu-ray, and detailed in our previous review:

• Audio Commentary - With voice director Andrea Romano, DC Animation creative director Mike Carlin, co-producer Alan Burnett, and co-director Sam Liu. (Oddly enough, only Burnett is credited on the menu.)

• Heart of Vengeance: Returning Batman to His Roots (23:25)

• Conversations with DC Comics: Featuring the 2011 Batman Creative Team (39:27)

• DC Showcase Presents "Catwoman" (14:50)

NOTE: A few extras are missing from the original Blu-ray. These include:

• Batman: Year One, Chapter One Digital Comic

• Sneak Peeks for Justice League: Doom, All-Star Superman, and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.

• Bruce Timm Top Picks: Classic Batman Episodes - Two classic Catwoman-themed episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures.

Batman: Year One 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery's Batman: Year One is a pretty faithful animated adaptation of great source material; in this case, an influential four-issue run by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli back in 1987. Briskly paced at just 64 minutes, it's a relatively fat-free production that features a solid voice cast while leaving out very little of consequence. First released on Blu-ray in 2011, Warner Bros. celebrates its 10th anniversary with a welcome 4K UHD release that serves up a great new transfer with tasteful HDR10+ color enhancement that gives the film a more refined appearance and more closely resembles the original books. One new featurette is also included. While a separate Blu-ray edition is not available, this one's a no-brainer if you're a fan equipped for 4K. Firmly Recommended.