Oh God, he's going to go on about blu-ray again isn't he ? He's going to froth on about image quality and pixels and in the process he's going to sound like the saddest little nerd outside of a White Dwarf clearance sale. Well, I was going to until I just saw that previous sentence, now I feel embarrassed. And there are some features of blu-ray that aren't so good, namely the price, the cost of the equipment needed to watch it and the fact that many transfers onto the format are rubbishy cash-ins. There's also the prospect that you'll be tempted to re-buy certain films that you've already bought several times before, just to see them in high def, and the latest 'ultimate, must have, blah blah' special edition. There's something dishonest about releasing blu-ray films in a basic version, and then 18 months later re-releasing a special edition which contains the elements that should have been present on the original. When film companies do this sort of stuff they can't bleat when people choose to download their product instead. Serves them right I say.
But some releases get it right first time, and don't try to con the consumer. The Bond blu-ray discs are superb, with fabulous image transfers and stacks of extras in HD. While they may well be released again, anyone having bought these versions won't feel hard done by. I have only one, 'From Russia With Love' and can tell you that it's the best HD transfer I've ever seen, and this from a film that is now 46 years old. It also kills the lie that older films can't be transferred too well, and that's why they're so awful. Further to this, the new Wizard of Oz blu-ray is supposedly phenomenal and that movie is no less than 70 years old. One may ask why then that the recent release of 'Gladiator' (9 years old) was so poor. In a word, laziness. And it's that type of thing that kills off new formats, pisses off consumers and leads to a backlash. So, when something decent does come along, it's only right that it should get the credit it deserves and should be bought by the bucket load.
2 comments:
Waiting for The Long Good Friday on BR to drop through the letterbox. Will let you know if it's any cop, but Harold Shand in HD was a must have for me.
Btw, even if the video transfer is a bit disappointing, i think they undersell the fun you can have with even an average disc and a surround sound system. Casino Royale opening titles anyone..?
'Someone's having a go at me...'.
CR is a great disc, and all the Bond titles are wonderful, but I do get fed up when I see a great film treated poorly. Having said that yes, the sound is normally great. And it's that aspect above all others that makes home entertainment great, which as you say is a factor rarely mentioned.
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