Okay, so most of you saw this movie some time ago and you've probably already decided whether to buy this disc or not. All you are really interested in is if the disc looks good, right? Certainly there's no need to start another debate on the relative merits of the three films in this series (since 'Batman Forever' is easily the best of the bunch), so here's the short and the sweet of it....
The 1.85:1 matted transfer of 'Batman Forever' is excellent. The extremes between light and shadow are rendered about as well as one can expect from NTSC video. Colors are bright and vivid with little or no bleeding, even in the most garish, neon-lit scenes. Sharpness and detail are very good. The worst I can find in the video is the slightest bit of video noise in a few scenes. If your monitor is adjusted properly this will not be a problem, but a little too much sharpness and it will be fairly noticable.
The soundtrack is what has become standard action movie mayhem. Loud and raucous with effects sounds racing from one speaker to another. Through this cacophony, dialog remains solidly centered and clearly intelligable. I did not get to see 'Batman Forever' in a theatre that offered one of the discrete digital formats, but I can say this disc easily bests the analog Dolby presentation I did see. In addition to the standard digital stereo tracks, this disc also offers Dolby AC-3.
'Batman Forever' runs 122 minutes and the disc contains 39 chapters. Unfortunately, Warner has elected not to include a trailer. The movie is presented on three sides with side three in CAV. The side break from 1 to 2 is well placed but the platter break is somewhat abrupt. List price is $39.95.
One final note. Some films survive the transition from the big screen to video better than others, sometimes even playing better in the home than in the theatre. Usually, though, the big action films, like 'Batman Forever', lose much of their impact on the small screen. I was pleased to find that I actually enjoyed this film more on disc than I did in the theatre. I suppose this is subjective and others may feel differently, but for my money, 'Batman Forever' is a first rate "popcorn picture" and an even better laser disc.
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