Searing 'Dark Knight' deserves more on DVD

"The Dark Knight" (two-disc special edition) - If you're one of the few people left on Earth who haven't yet seen "The Dark Knight," a word of warning: It ain't "Iron Man."

Both are great comic-book films, but the similarities stop there. "Iron Man" delivers old-fashioned superhero swashbuckling in a high-tech package. "The Dark Knight" runs down a much darker alley, wrapping its thrills around a story that roils with pain, fear and rage. In fact, it has more in common with something like David Fincher's "Zodiac" than it does other summer popcorn fare.

I loved every minute of it.

The basic plot of "The Dark Knight" is Comic Book 101: Batman must fight the Joker, who has been hired by Gotham City's crime families to kill the Caped Crusader. Gotham police Lt. Jim Gordon and crusading district attorney Harvey Dent assist Batman in his latest battle.

From this setup, writer-director Christopher Nolan (who co-wrote the script with his brother, John) fashions a terrifically exciting thriller that's also a haunting - sometimes disturbing - study of evil and morality.

The key to the film is the Joker, who bears no resemblance here to the cartoonish clown we've seen in other Batman stories. The late Heath Ledger turns the character into a grotesque monster hellbent on blackening the soul of everyone who tries to be a force for good. Ledger's Joker steals, tortures and kills without ever losing the smile from his scarred face. It's a frightening, mesmerizing performance, and I predict it will win the Oscar in a landslide.

Of course, Ledger's performance would be just a stand-alone curiosity were it not part of such an exquisitely crafted film. Thrilling and dark, "The Dark Knight" is one of the year's best.

The film, which earned nearly $1 billion worldwide and became the subject of endless conversations on comic-geek message boards and around office water coolers everywhere, arrives on a two-disc DVD this week that's surely the most anticipated release of the year. Unfortunately, the final results disappoint.

Instead of the overstuffed special edition you'd expect for such a successful film, the meager supplements included here range from interesting to useless. The best extras are a short look at how composer Hans Zimmer developed the Joker's theme and a few scenes as they were shot for the IMAX presentation. There's also a look at Batman's suit and weaponry, a few trailers and six episodes of the Gotham City news show featured in the film.

That's it? Where's the director or cast commentary? The in-depth making-of documentary? The tribute to Ledger's performance? The deleted scenes? The comments from Batman experts? The look at the movie's unique viral marketing campaign? This edition is so underwhelming that I wouldn't be surprised to see a beefier edition show up down the road. In the meantime, I'd suggest saving a few pennies by picking up the one-disc version that's also available. (PG-13; Warner Home Video, $34.99)

"Horton Hears a Who" - This computer-animated adaptation of the beloved Dr. Seuss tale doesn't capture the wit or magic of Dr. Seuss' unique world, but it might be diverting enough for youngsters. (Still, I'd suggest "Wall-E" instead.) The DVD comes loaded with plenty of supplements that explore the making of the film. The two-disc set comes with a downloadable copy of the movie. (G; Fox, $34.99)