The visceral appeal of The Dark Knight Trilogy on Blu Ray grabs me on two levels. One as a former literature major, I'm stunned by the psychology of Batman and how it plays out in the canon of literature and in these films. And two as a would-be artist and designer my appreciation for director Christopher Nolan's ability to translate the Dark Knight's psychology into stunning visuals on film is almost beyond measure.
The Art of Batman
As a designer, artist, and filmmaker, I'm constantly questioning how I can communicate an idea to my viewers without using many words. Therefore, I spend a lot of time looking at how other artists create believable worlds that communicate something about the appearance of a story's characters, physical environments, or psychological elements. Art forms like film and illustration must communicate so much about a culture through visual means, which I'm finding is not always an easy thing to do, but worthwhile if you want to be a good artist.
That being the case, when I discovered the books The Art of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight: Featuring Production Art and Full Shooting Script I purchased them right away so that I could more fully gain insight into how the conceptual designers created the world of the Dark Knight: The art of Batman has come a long way since Bob Kane first drew him in 1939. I'm happy to say that the new Dark Knight Rises DVD/ Blu Ray trilogy pack brings this visual brilliance to life beautifully. These resources gave me more insights into how the storyboards for the film's pre-production translated into moving pictures on screen.
And now as a designer, who is learning about how to create mobile apps as part of my growing designer's toolbox, I was especially thrilled with the IOS component of the Blu-ray pack. It gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Dark Knight trilogy, and on a more personal note, gave me some ideas about how filmmakers and artists can use apps to extend their reach and to tell the story in a different medium. It might even rate as one of the best new apps for iPhone and Samsung this week!
The Dark Knight Rises app features digital schematics, storyboards, and information about film locations. The Blu-ray version includes bonus material that's not available to those watching the movie without it.
How a Fight Scene Shows the Psychology of Batman
As well, I was impressed with how Christian Bale as Batman created the psychology of the character through not only his words, but his physicality. In the film, one of the most important scenes is the Bane versus Batman fight scene, which is included in the extras in The Dark Knight Trilogy Blu-ray pack.
It's the first time that the Dark Knight has come up against someone stronger than he is. In terms of the psychology of the character the scene plays a crucial role in showing—instead of telling—what he is up against. Batman must not only face his strongest foe to date, but he must face down his own shadow self and the inner demons that this incident brings up.
Writer and filmmaker, Kevin Smith once said that the Dark Knight is one of the great and most enduring characters in the canon of literature. Christopher Nolan's ability to bring the Batman comic books to life in a new and original way is one of the true treats of this collection. It has been said that the Dark Knight Trilogy will go down in history as one of the great film trilogies as The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars have.
Given what I've seen not only as a budding artist and designer, but as a fan as well, I'd say I couldn't agree more. I'm giving the Blu-ray pack five out of five stars.
To see the fight scene between Bane and Batman and to learn more about the books about the art of Batman that I spoke of in this review, go to my website.
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