NOTE: This review is of the full, one-hour version of the film available on the disc for The Dark Knight Rises, not the half-hour version shown on television.
If you've ever wanted to know anything about Batman's Batmobile, then this probably isn't the documentary for you. However, if you've ever wanted to know EVERYTHING about Batman's Batmobile, then this is most certainly the place to go. Despite being billed on the disc menu as a short feature, The Batmobile is a full hour long and goes into great depth on every version of the Batmobile, drawing from the comics, various cartoons, the 1940s film serial, 1960s television series, the four films released from 1989-1997, & of course, the three films in The Dark Knight Trilogy. To this end, all sorts of figures make appearances, including film directors Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher & Christopher Nolan; various actors, including Batmen Adam West & Christian Bale along with former Robin Chris O'Donnel; special effects experts; stunt drivers; & comics creators. The finale involves five physical Batmobile vehicles, all from different Batman reimaginings, side-by-side for the first time in history, & it is surprisingly emotional.
I will say that I was caught off-guard several times by the length of this feature, having clicked it on expecting, well, the short feature advertised, & one drawback of how comprehensive it is, is that there are parts that might be made redundant if you've seen other Batmobile-related features, such as The Batmobile Revealed (from the Batman: The Movie disc), Beyond Batman: Building the Batmobile (from the Batman disc), Beyond Batman: Maximum Overdrive - The Vehicles of Batman & Robin (from the Batman & Robin disc), & Batman: The Tumbler (from the Batman Begins disc). Still, that minor drawback doesn't mean that this film deserves any less praise for being the only totally comprehensive look at the complete history of the Batmobile, & only makes those other featurettes obsolete.
