8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes.
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne HathawayAction | 100% |
Adventure | 94% |
Sci-Fi | 75% |
Comic book | 58% |
Epic | 44% |
Thriller | 38% |
Crime | 27% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1, 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
Turkish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish=Latin & Castillian; English DD=narrative descriptive; Japanese dub hidden. BDInfo
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Released in 2012, The Dark Knight Rises concluded Nolan's Batman trilogy and was probably its
most divisive chapter. After Batman Begins
surprised with its fresh take and The
Dark Knight
dazzled with the blazing originality of its lead villain, Rises premiered to such heated fan
expectations that it was virtually certain to disappoint at least part of the audience. For some, like
my former colleague Kenneth Brown, who reviewed the film's original Blu-ray release, Rises
deepens and improves on subsequent viewings. For others, including me, the film's flaws only
become more glaring. But regardless of one's ultimate assessment, there's no denying that Nolan
and his team concluded their Batman saga in high style, effectively circling back to their morally
ambiguous account of the characters' origins and gathering up the many plot strands left dangling
in the first two installments into a tidy bundle. In a cinematic world where proficient narrative
construction is fast becoming a lost art, that's an achievement worthy of respect.
Rises' translation to UHD is probably the least striking of the three Dark Knight 4K
remasters, simply because its standard Blu-ray is more recent and the 1080p disc's presentation
did not prompt the same outcries about revisionist color timing, edge halos and other videophile
issues. (Ken's Blu-ray review discusses these
points at greater length.) Still, there are undeniable
improvements visible in this new version, which, like every other film in the Christopher Nolan Collection, has been newly scanned at 4K, then color corrected
and HDR graded under the director's supervision. As noted in previous reviews, the
simultaneous release in 4K of every feature film that Nolan has made in the previous twelve
years reflects the director's conviction that UHD is the definitive home video technology of our
era and the best way for his films to be seen outside of theatrical venues. In support of that
conviction, Nolan has personally overseen every aspect of these releases, from the element selection down to the packaging.
Rarely has the notion of "director approved" been more apt or more literally true.
In addition to its single release, Rises is also available in the three-film Dark Knight Trilogy 4K,
as well as the aforementioned Christopher
Nolan Collection.
(Note: Screenshots accompanying this review are 1080p captures from the standard Blu-ray.
Additional captures can be found here.)
All of the virtues that Ken Brown's review of the
standard Blu-ray catalogued are on vibrant
display in Warner's 2160p, HEVC/H.265-encoded UHD disc of The Dark Knight Rises. To
borrow some of Ken's apt description: Cinematographer Wally Pfister's wind-swept Gotham
palette is rich, satisfying and evocative. Warm hues adorn the decadent homes of the city's elite,
dusty desert colors blanket Bruce Wayne's stint in prison, and crisp white snow falls on a captive
Gotham. Skintones are mostly natural, except in scenes where the light would typically render
them unusual (e.g., the Batcave), and the occasional orange tones that Ken noted have
disappeared. Black levels are as deep as on the Blu-ray, if not deeper, and as we have seen before
on UHD, the ability of HDR to achieve even finer delineation of blacks should eliminate any
complaints about so-called "crush" or loss of shadow detail. In general, the detail that Ken called
"nothing short of extraordinary" on the Blu-ray is even more so on the UHD, with sharp and
natural edges and (at least to my eye) no sign of the ringing that Ken spotted intermittently in
1080p.
Like all of Nolan's films beginning with the The Dark Knight, Rises is presented in a shifting
aspect ratio of 1.78:1 for scenes filmed in IMAX and 2.40:1 for non-IMAX sequences, and, as
one would expect, the superior resolution of the IMAX photography receives the most noticeable
benefits of 4K presentation. But the entire film benefits from the sense—now a familiar one
among collectors of UHD remasters from fresh 4K scans—that a layer of grime has been wiped
away from the image, revealing heretofore unseen fine detail and conferring a vibrant immediacy
beyond even the best that 1080p and Rec. 709 are able to offer. However one may feel about
Rises' ranking among Batman films, its UHD treatment rates with the format's best.
(Note: The original version of this review incorrectly stated that this UHD was derived from the camera negative. That assertion was
based on incorrect information supplied by Warner Brothers. It has now been confirmed from multiple sources that the 4K/HDR master was derived
from an interpositive, at Christopher Nolan's express instruction and contrary to Warner's standard policy, which provides that 4K scans should utilize
the existing element with the greatest resolution. We regret the error; the scores for Video and 4K have been adjusted.)
The UHD disc contains the same muscular DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack heard on the Blu-ray.
The UHD disc has no extras. The included pair of standard Blu-ray discs are identical to the 2012 release and contain the same extras listed in Ken's review.
Whether one shares my former colleague's opinion that the third chapter of Nolan's Dark Knight
Trilogy "delivers on all fronts" or feels, as I
do, that the film's weird mixture of apocalypse, dystopia and hero's journey often teeters on the brink of self-parody, there's no question that The
Dark Knight Rises supplies an effective finale to one of the most original comic book film franchises the century has
seen so far. As good as the Blu-ray was, the UHD is better and is highly recommended.
with Justice League Movie Money
2012
2012
Movie-Only Edition
2012
Limited Edition of 1000 | with Batman, Catwoman, and Bane Figurines
2012
2012
2012
Limited Edition Bat Cowl Packaging
2012
Lenticular Cover
2012
Combo Pack / Bonus Content / Dark Knight Reborn
2012
2012
2008
2005
2013
2003
2015
2020
2008
2004
Cinematic Universe Edition
2014
2018
2020
Theatrical & Extended Cut
2016
Super Duper $@%!#& Cut
2018
Cinematic Universe Edition
2011
2015
2013
2010
2010
2015
Cinematic Universe Edition
2012