There is one title that stands legions above all others this week with our Movie Fanatic Blu-Ray/DVD preview. The Dark Knight Rises premieres as the final chapter in the Christopher Nolan trilogy comes home with a bevy of extras that are sure to marvel huge and small fans alike. The Oscar buzzing Beasts of the Southern Wild arrives on home video in hopes of gathering even more attention for its award season run. And a Pixar-Disney classic, Finding Nemo, lands on Blu-Ray in ways we've never seen.
The Dark Knight Rises: It's a happy day for Batman fans, but there is also a tad of sorrow because now that The Dark Knight Rises is out on Blu-Ray Combo Pack, DVD and for download, we will never see Christian Bale don the bat suit ever again. With the extras-heavy release of the film, fans of DC Comics' Caped Crusader can keep themselves occupied for weeks to come with all there is to go through.
First up, for those who have an iPad or iPhone 5, the second screen app that's available to synch with the Blu-Ray is simply astounding. For more, check out our exclusive The Dark Knight Rises Blu-Ray report. For the rest of us without a second screen, the Blu-Ray and DVD extras astound and take you further into the creative genius that is Nolan. Movie Fanatic treasured the documentary The Batmobile, which looks at the five major automobiles that our hero has used over the years.
Then, there's the Nolan-supervised documentary series Ending the Knight. That is highlighted by a look at the making of the film's prologue where Bane escapes from an airplane in mid-flight and what will prove to be an iconic scene, the destruction of the Gotham stadium during a football game.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: With our Beasts of the Southern Wild review, Movie Fanatic immediately put this little film at the top of our list for 2012. The movie is all but guaranteed a spot among the Oscar Best Picture contenders and its arrival on DVD and Blu-Ray is a splendid opportunity to witness the magic of the film at home. The work follows a father and his little eight-year-old daughter as they navigate an area of south Louisiana, post-Katrina. They are extremely poor, but full of pride.
So, when another monster storm comes at them, do they heed the government's warnings to evacuate? You'll have to witness the film to see how these people who inhabit an area they call The Bathtub will steal your heart.
As for extras, oftentimes the "making of" docs feel like they're simply mailing it in. Not so with The Making of Beasts of the Southern Wild... it is electric and is priceless in how everyone on this project shared in the deep will to make the best picture they could and how they succeeded. And you do not want to miss the little girl at the heart of the story and her audio commentary, the sure to be nominated for Best Actress Quvenzhane Wallis, along with her onscreen father, Dwight Henry.
Finding Nemo: The Disney-Pixar Oscar-winning classic lands on high definition Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray 3D and digital platforms today and it allows fans to bring home the best picture and sound on earth that follows the story of little lost Nemo, the paternal prince that is Marlin, his forgetful friend Dory (the astounding Ellen DeGeneres) and of course the cast of characters that have become iconic -- like those sharks who don't eat other fish!
This is the first time that Finding Nemo has been available in such high definition and the undersea adventure has never looked or sounded so incredible. The second highest-grossing Pixar film in history shows why it's so popular by simply watching it in the majesty of a hi-def underwater world. Among the extras that stand out are the 3D HD Aquarium feature which is exactly as it sounds and pretty awesome at that. Also available is the Knick Knack short film that aired with the theatrical release and a don't miss is the deleted scene, Alt Opening.
