Scarface Blu-ray Review - Page 2

I finally received "Scarface" (with a slightly 'dinged' steel case; oh well) and with a 55" LED display, I am impressed with the PQ. There are issues, no doubt, but the good far outweighs the bad IMO.

 

While I agree that the source material is likely not from a new source, this is way better than the 2-disc DVD edition from a couple years ago. Colors are nice and rich, there's a layer of grain that doesn't appear artificial (it changes based on the light conditions), and there is a lot more detail than I have ever seen before and I've seen Scarface a lot.

 

DNR appears to be light, if used at all. Some might mistake the "wet" appearance of some actors in direct light to be DNR, but the detail in those shots doesn't make that possible. It's probably a condition of a very hot work environment. EE is there, however, especially in the first 30 minutes or so. Some details like clothing and objects "pop" a little too much and there is a slight "ringing" around some border areas in the beginning especially. Also, there are times when only a certain area of the frame will shift out of focus even when not panning and I attribute this directly to the source material.

 

There's also a slight "noisiness" to parts I find hard to describe. Maybe a slight "digital" appearance that I am attributing to the film's running length plus extras on one disc. This is a 3 hour movie, after all.   

 

While I take no issue with the review, I feel that Scarface is getting an unwarranted slamming in some circles. The 7.1 DTS MA track is fantastic. Nice and clear with good separation. Apart from a complete restoration, this is about as good as this film will likely ever get. Rest assured that this is no "Out of Africa." Universal messed up big time with that one, but I am not displeased with Scarface. If it were me, I'd push it to 3/3.5 out of 5, maybe higher if I got the humidor.  

 

Oh, the port of the "F Bomb" counter and "Bullet" tracker is a great addition for a party...............................    

Yes, to me, it seemed a lot of the outdoor scenes looked more consistent; some (not all) of the darker scenes often looked softer and more natural (despite some black crushing). I will be watching this movie again either this weekend or next and I'll take a closer look. I kind of wish I would have gone to the recent theatrical viewing to get a better idea of the how the scenes and overall movie is supposed to look. As you said, I too don't believe this is a new transfer as most new transfers are 4K and there is really no need to increase sharpness and further processing. This release just didn't have the organic "look" of a new scan, however, I was still pretty happy with it and it looks so much better than the DVD. Realistically, this will probably be the best it will ever look on BD and 1080p as I cannot imagine Universal ever doing a true restoration to it.

Overall pleased with the release although I would also say it's been unfortunately processed for a digital (not waxy) sheen. Nonetheless, good outweighs the bad IMHO and viewed on my 92in FP set-up it was quite a good experience.

But it did not look like film; rather some reasonable facsimile thereof. And this might be a deal-breaker for some. I saw a "new" film print with the remixed soundtrack 3 years ago, and while the black crush was (and always was) there, grain was also visible.

On the Blu-ray, the grain appears to have been mitigated somewhat - perhaps not with a heavy, Patton-like hand, but fiddled with nonetheless and sharpened, creating an electronic look. I would probably rate it a 3 or 3.5 out of 5. If one has some additional sharpening or noise-reduction settings on their TVs, this may compound the digital look. As has been said in this thread, I still feel the good outweighs the bad overall. On my Panny 42in plasma with THX setting and the larger screen, I thought it looked pretty good...but different than the theatrical look I saw fairly recently...

The audio mixes are both very flawed. As a purist, I prefer the 2.0 orig Dolby Surround mix, but if one ignores the ridiculous delay and levels on the new re-mix, there are some interesting things going on there as well. They did seem to have access to the multitrack stems (and of course introduced new sounds), so it was interesting to hear it. Will probably stick with the flat and dull orig mix in any case for future viewings...

I can also confirm that the Panny DMP-BDT100 with latest firmware also freezes up during the Lopez begging scene, right where Tony says, "Manolo, shoot this piece of shit." The steelbook was purchased at Best Buy on release date.

I would have not noticed this had I not read some posts online with folks having probs with Samsung players, as my go-to player for my FP set-up is the Oppo BDP-95 and it plays the disc without a hitch. Also, tested on my PS3 with latest firmware and no probs there as well. So hopefully Panny, Samsung, et al are working on a firmware update.

So frustrating that disc compatibility/firmware issues are still around in 2011. Unless this is a pressing error and some players are able to barrel thru it. I did notice seeking/reading sounds emanating from the Panny during this scene. Sounded like the player was trying to traverse a bad layer change.
Edited by Felix Martinez - 9/14/11 at 11:08am