A Few Words About A few words about...™ Lethal Weapon Collection -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

When the original Lethal Weapon, as directed by Richard Donner, from a screenplay by Shane Black, hit the screens in 1987, it was unique.

An incredibly fast-paced buddy picture, that was at once, great fun, loud, and exciting, all mixed with a good bit of lunacy.

As the series progressed, budgets followed suit, moving from a reported 15 to 140 million dollars.

This new Blu-ray set from WB will undoubtedly add more income to the series' coffers.

Beautifully packaged -- I love simplicity, with 4 films plus a bonus disc in a case just a third or so thicker than a standard single disc case. That case fits neatly inside an attractive well-made shell.

I'm aware that while some people are all about packaging, cover design and the like, others will want to know what the Blu-rays look like in projection.

In a word, "terrific."

Color, density, shadow detail -- all the good stuff -- is there, and proper. Grain is reduced just a bit, possibly from an IP source as opposed to original negatives. The final result appears as it might on screen in projection, with the grain just taking on a slightly more velvety texture.

Audio is on par with image, and in its uncompressed form, does a terrific job.

One of the more interesting attributes of the Lethal Weapon series is that the characters and story lines weren't diluted as it went from film to film. The lunacy and destruction kept pace as budgets grew, and the series reached maturity, over its 12 year run.

The series is a great ride. Don't expect Shakespeare. Do expect some of the greatest buddy pictures ever to destroy greater Los Angeles.

While the first two LW films have been out on Blu-ray, the latter two are new to the format. At $55, which is roughly $13 per film at street price, they're also a great deal, with the bonus disc, which is also a Blu-ray (not a DVD), thrown in for extra measure.

Highly Recommended.

RAH

Yep, it's a great looking set, it's been out for over 18 months in the UK. The price dipped as low as £12-13 for a short time last year & I'd think a lot of alert Americans imported it then (it's exactly the same set). The first two films are the best (my favorite is the second), but once I've seen the first I usually go through the whole set. The forth one takes a knocking, but I think it's very enjoyable & the cool evil Jet Li is the best baddie in the whole series.

I imported it too. Ended up being a bit under $30 shipped and that's almost half off what they're charging in the US for it.

I think the first two films are great, the third is watchable and the fourth film has a great opening sequence but then goes downhill fast, i felt the fourth film had too much of a relaxed attitude, almost like everyone was now too familiar with each other and the edge had gone from the series, sure you had the stunts and the action set pieces but it lacked an edge that the original two and to a lesser extent the third film had, i also intensely dislike the end title song of the fourth film.

Can i ask if this is the same boxset available in the UK as that one is pretty cheap right now. ?

FoxyMulder said:

I think the first two films are great, the third is watchable and the fourth film has a great opening sequence but then goes downhill fast, i felt the fourth film had too much of a relaxed attitude, almost like everyone was now too familiar with each other and the edge had gone from the series, sure you had the stunts and the action set pieces but it lacked an edge that the original two and to a lesser extent the third film had, i also intensely dislike the end title song of the fourth film.
Can i ask if this is the same boxset available in the UK as that one is pretty cheap right now. ?

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Just to show how different we all are, I loved the song at the end of LW4, I bought the Clapton album of the same name, Pilgrim. And the boxes are...the same, & not nearly as cheap in the UK as it was last year.

Quick aside: does anyone else think the screenwriters must've been on a "Jaws" kick when they wrote the "LW3" script? Not only is the "wound comparison foreplay" scene between Riggs and Cole a rip-off of the Quint/Hooper bit on the "Orca", but also the sequence in which Murtaugh encounters the mother at the kid's funeral and she slaps him seems like a copy of the Mrs. Kintner/Chief Brody scene...