The Dark Knight changing Aspect Ratio feels like a Joke (1 Viewer)

EnricoE · Nov 24, 2008

today i was able sneak peek the br of the dark knight. audio and video quality are top notch. but that wasn't my concern in the first place. my concern was the changing aspect ratio in the movie. every time the aspect ratio changes, i got a bit moved out of the movie. the imax scene do like pretty nice but they wont make much of a difference in the home theater. the film was shown in full 2.35:1 in it's theatrical run but warner opmits this version by only including the imax experience. i find this as a bad move. we don't even get an option to choose which version we wanna see and i would've preferred the full widescreen experience over the imax release version.
i know it is mr. nolan's vision but it doesn't mean it's the better one. sorry warner, no purchase from me on this. maybe if it's in a bargain bin or the full widescreen version is released on blu-ray. till then i give the br back to my friend who lent it to me for watching the film.

Ric Easton · Nov 24, 2008

i would've preferred the full widescreen experience over the imax release version.

I'm with you. I use mattes to crop out the black bars, they will be useless with this movie. I cannot understand why they could not give us both versions like with "How the West Was Won" ...we got the letterbox and smilebox versions.
Maybe I'll rent it and hope for a 2.35:1 version later.

Click to expand...

Robert Crawford · Nov 24, 2008

Joseph J.D said:
Well Enrico....I respect your opinion on the matter of changing aspect ratios.....everyone has their particular preference. However, I watched the IMAX experience (it was the only version that I was going to watch since it was Nolan's vision for the film) so I welcome this version being released.
I can't wait to purchase this on release date.....the only question that remains for me is whether to get the steelbook being released by Future Shop (In Canada), the Batpod version.....or both.

Yes, I rather have the IMAX version too.
Crawdaddy

Craig Beam · Nov 24, 2008

EnricoE said:
i know it is mr. nolan's vision but it doesn't mean it's the better one.

So other people's art should be reformatted to fit your particular preference? Since it's Mr. Nolan's movie and not yours, I'd say respecting his vision is of paramount importance, and Warner absolutely did the right thing.

Travis Brashear · Nov 24, 2008

WTF?! Respectfully, this thread feels like a joke...

TravisR · Nov 24, 2008

Craig Beam said:
Since it's Mr. Nolan's movie and not yours, I'd say respecting his vision is of paramount importance, and Warner absolutely did the right thing.

Yeah, I find it kinda odd but it is the proper presentation for the movie nonetheless.

Nick Martin · Nov 24, 2008

Joseph J.D said:
I can't wait to purchase this on release date.....the only question that remains for me is whether to get the steelbook being released by Future Shop (In Canada), the Batpod version.....or both.

I'm getting both DVD and BD steelbooks from there. Best of both worlds, I say.
I have a toy Batpod with a Batman attached to it, so getting a statue version doesn't matter to me.
I fully embrace the 2.35:1 / 1.78:1 shifting Blu-ray, and will enjoy the theatrical DVD as well.
Here's a Blu-ray review:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDRe...ht_blu-ray.htm
One thing that I am curious about though, is what AR will the IMAX scenes be on the DVD version, because the DVD has them separately on disc 2 of the set. Will it be 1.78 or the original 1.44?

Loregnum · Nov 24, 2008

Craig Beam said:
So other people's art should be reformatted to fit your particular preference? Since it's Mr. Nolan's movie and not yours, I'd say respecting his vision is of paramount importance, and Warner absolutely did the right thing.

Until of course George Lucas changes something in Star Wars (to meet his vision) or another director changes something that is in an important film and magically the directors vision doesn't matter.
The double standard some (not saying you directly but no doubt there are many who feel that way but trash Lucas for the star wars changes) have is funny to me.
I have yet to see this dark night blu-ray and I am pretty certain I won't care about the changing aspect ratio thing but it does sound like it bothers many so I fail to see why warner couldn't have thrown both versions on the disc.

Jason Seaver · Nov 24, 2008

1.78, IIRC - they're not going to make the picture narrower during those scenes.
I must admit, I wouldn't have had much of an issue if WB had left the whole thing at 2.35:1 - as much as I liked having the screen get bigger for the extended sequences at the IMAX theater, it was a bit jarring when it would open up just for an establishing shot.

Carlo_M · Nov 24, 2008

Funny, the aspect ratio change should be much less here than in the iMax screen (1.44->2.35 vs. 1.78->2.35), so hopefully the effect should be less dramatic.
That said, I saw it in iMax (for my 3rd viewing) and I was not bothered at all by the change in AR. The friend I was with, she didn't even notice it at all.

Bob_L · Nov 24, 2008

The director's vision? Don't be silly.

The "director's vision" was to have a more or less standard widescreen theatrical image switch to a 52-foot-high 1.44:1 image; not to switch from 2.35 to 1.78 on a 60-inch LCD screen.

Home theater is a different medium, kids.

And, frankly, the way the IMAX footage was used in the film, it felt more like a business arrangement between Warner and IMAX than an aesthetic decision. For example, the second-unit aerial shots were cool in IMAX--the resolution was remarkable--but didn't add one damned thing to the film.

Paul Arnette · Nov 24, 2008

Shifting aspect ratios won't keep me from purchasing this disc; however how many times exactly does the ratio switch? I was under the impression that only the Joker's introduction was filmed in IMAX, which would mean only one shift. Is that not the case?

Bob_L · Nov 24, 2008

Actually, Paul, the aspect ratio switched MANY times in the IMAX theatrical print. Sometimes for just a few seconds of an establishing shot.

Mike Williams · Nov 24, 2008

Approximately 20 minutes of the film was shot in IMAX, which I believe is about 6 scenes, some extended, some as short as an establishing shot.

cafink · Nov 24, 2008

Craig Beam said:
So other people's art should be reformatted to fit your particular preference? Since it's Mr. Nolan's movie and not yours, I'd say respecting his vision is of paramount importance, and Warner absolutely did the right thing.

Mr. Nolan didn't seem to have any problem with it being reformatted for display on tens of thousands of non-Imax movie theater screens around the country. There's more then enough room on the Blu-ray disc to include both versions. Why not satisfy everyone?

Edwin-S · Nov 24, 2008

This switches from 2.35:1 to 1.78:1? I thought the shots in IMAX would switch to 1.44:1, therefore requiring pillarboxing. If it switches to 1.78:1 wouldn't this be a third version that was never theatrically shown? In other words, none of the theatrically shown versions are being released on BD.
People can go on and on about director's vision, but this film was released in a 2.35:1 format for non-IMAX presentation and Nolan wasn't complaining about it, so why isn't it being included on the BD release? I only saw the 2.35:1 version and was fine with it. Why are they releasing this movie with a reformatting that is neither Nolan's "vision" nor the proper 2.35:1 non-IMAX theatrical release?

Michel_Hafner · Nov 24, 2008

Aspect ratio change or not, some of the Beaver shots show annoying sharpening halos. Especially this one:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews43/the dark knight blu-ray bale ledger/large1/dark knight blu-ray3.jpg

Travis Brashear · Nov 24, 2008

Edwin-S said:
People can go on and on about director's vision, but this film was released in a 2.35:1 format for non-IMAX presentation and Nolan wasn't complaining about it, so why isn't it being included on the BD release? I only saw the 2.35:1 version and was fine with it. Why are they releasing this movie with a reformatting that is neither Nolan's "vision" nor the proper 2.35:1 non-IMAX theatrical release?

Guys, you do realize the Blu-ray's formatting was specifically at Nolan's request, right? He may have "settled" for 2.35:1-in-total for most theaters but what he "wants" is shifting aspect ratios. In fact, he fell so in love with the IMAX process, he's hoping to film his future creations fully in that format, cost allowing...

Patrick McCart · Nov 24, 2008

It's getting an IMAX re-release in January, which is the only way to see this properly. Part of the IMAX experience is the complete immersion in the image. This is impossible on even the best HD systems.

Edwin-S · Nov 24, 2008

Travis Brashear said:
Guys, you do realize the Blu-ray's formatting was specifically at Nolan's request, right? He may have "settled" for 2.35:1-in-total for most theaters but what he "wants" is shifting aspect ratios. In fact, he fell so in love with the IMAX process, he's hoping to film his future creations fully in that format, cost allowing...

Except we're not getting the IMAX process with this director approved version. So what you are telling me is that Nolan has now approved a third reframing of his "vision". We are getting neither the original IMAX presentation nor the standard theatrical version, but a version that the director has approved because he likes shifting aspect ratios. So much for director's vision. His vision is whatever is expedient.
If he wanted shifting aspect ratios then he should have made sure that what was presented in IMAX is presented on BD. If people had to put up with pillarboxing then too bad. The BD should also have the standard theatrical version for people who don't want to watch the IMAX version. Regardless of the director's approval, what the BD shouldn't have, as the only option, is some half-assed non-theatrical version where the horizontal black bars disappear at times.

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