First off, let me say I was a huge fan of Tim Burton's Batman starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. I was of a fan of it then and I am a fan of it now, and to have a two-disc special edition is simply the icing on the cake. However, Batman Returns was a bit of a let down, primarily because I think Burton went too far with his styling of things and missed out on some overlooked story opportunities. Tim Burton seems to me a person that gets bored quickly, sequels don't seem to be part of his nature, which is why I think he looked for ways to make the movie more interesting for him rather than the audience. Then there are Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, both directed by Joel Schumacher, both are way off the landscape Burton designed in the first two films, and both are crap. That said, let's take a look at this set.
Beginning with the Batman DVD, which is where I am going to spend pretty much all of my time, you get a digitally remastered presentation of the film along with 5.1 or DTS audio... nuff said? This is how this movie was meant to be watched and compared to the earlier release of the film, there is no comparison. The picture is cleaned up, the audio is tight, and it is impressive on a whole. All four films come with similar treatment so expect the same on the rest of them.
In the way of special features you have a mix of old and new, but the new is really where you want to focus. On Batman and Batman Returns you get audio commentaries from Tim Burton and likewise on Batman Forever and Batman & Robin you get commentaries from Joel Schumacher. On top of that the second-disc features are also similar across the board, similar in structure that is, but not content.
The two-disc Batman DVD is where the best features are as this Anthology set offers up a brand new six-part documentary called "Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight," and of those six features, three of them are found on the Batman second disc. The documentary on a whole sticks strictly to the films in question, so don't expect any Batman Begins stuff mixed in here, although I would have liked that.
The documentary covers everything having to do with the making of these four films, covering such things as casting, costumes, sets, style, marketing and some interesting tidbits about the production. While I personally dislike the three follow-up films, this feature is interesting on all four discs. On top of that, Part 6, on the Batman & Robin disc is pretty much a documentary on how the film was a huge let-down that ends with Joel Schumacher apologizing to the fans if you can believe it. It also touches on such things as going into production too quickly, toning down the movie for a younger audience, the nipples on the Batsuit and everything else that was wrong with the picture. While the movie was crap the feature is good.
Besides trailers, hero and villain profiles and music videos the other common theme on each disc are the "Beyond Batman: Documentary Galleries," which hold all the making-of goodies you could ask for, but after watching the "Shadows of the Bat" stuff I more than had my fill. That is of course with exception to the Batman DVD of course, which also had the best videos of them all - "Scandalous," "Batdance" and "Partyman" by Prince... nuff said!
Finally, I save the best for last, the one feature that sets the Batman DVD light years ahead of the other three, the "Legends of the Dark Night: The History of Batman" featurette. This featurette covers all things Batman prior to, and into, the making of the first film. You will learn what made Batman so special for so many years as it explores the ups and downs of the comic and the pre-production up until it became a feature film.
Another little bonus on the Batman DVD is an animated storyboard look at the Robin sequence that was originally slated to take place in the first film. After watching it you will be glad it never made it into the movie, but it is interesting. Other little tidbits you will pick up if you buy all four DVDs is that Annette Bening was originally slated to play Catwoman, Kim Basinger sort of fell into the part of Vicki Vale and Joel Schumacher told Arnold Schwarzenegger that if he didn't play Ice Man he would not have made Batman & Robin - damn you Arnold! Why did you say yes?
Overall I have to suggest you don't buy this complete set, only as a means of saving money. The whole thing is not worth it. Instead just buy the Batman Special-Edition. It is the only movie that is really any good, it has the best features and I can honestly tell you it is worth the money, the entire set is not.