A Few Words About A few words about...™ Planet of the Apes -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Keith Paynter]

Love this movie. Thanks, RAH!

 

[Will_B]

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I know many agree with you, but I just never thought budget made a film. With BATTLE, what it lacks in scope it most certainly makes up for with heart and feeling, getting very developed characterizations and a message out there - especially in the longer unedited version, where the mutants also get into the act of trying to preserve life at the end.

 

[DeeF]

Anybody have problems with these disks?

Both my players have sound sync problems, and menu problems.

 

[Bryan^H]

What are your menu problems?

My sound dropped out for a second on the first film, but since I have watched that scene a couple more times and the problem did not repeat.

 

[Dave Mack]

Ron, what do you think of the new, (actually original) "Conquest"...?

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I've only watched the new version of CONQUEST so far and had no synch issues... I have also watched most of the extras from each disc, with no troubles.

But I did have a problem getting the CONQUEST menu to come on the screen the first few times. Had to try all sorts of things to get to that screen.

 

[GregK]

I just checked out the Blu-Ray version ala Blockbuster, and must say it it's a nice step up from the previous DVD.

The 5.1 audio mix is interesting to observe. Fox originally released POTA in theaters with mono sound, and while there were rumors of a few stereo prints in some of the bigger cities, this has never been confirmed. If it ever was released in stereo, the odds are those tracks are long gone.

When Fox first released POTA letterboxed on laserdisc, they hired Chace to spruce things up. The Chace mix had slightly directional audio on a few occasions and the music had a somewhat "spacious" spread. In the late 1990's when Fox released the first non-anamorphic DVD (with spoiler art for a cover) Fox yet again remixed POTA, this time for 5.1. For the anamorphic 35th Anniversary Edition, Fox remixed the audio yet again for 5.1, this time using true stereo music tracks. For the Blu-Ray version, the 5.1 DTS tracks uses yet another (!) 5.1 mix. To these ears, it sounds closer to the old non-anamorphic version than it does the 35th Anniversary version. If you want to do a rough comparison of the two mixes (minus dialog) listen to music sections in DTS-MA, then switch to the French Dolby 5.1 track, which retains the same 5.1 spread as the English 35th Anniversary edition.

Of course the best aspect of the Blu-Ray version is the original mono mix is finally included, as it's been missing for .. well.. anybody remember pan-n-scan VHS?

 

[cafink]

The mono track was included on the old non-anamorphic DVD, wasn't it? Granted, it's great to finally have it paired with a superior video presentation, but it has been available on DVD for those who wanted it.

 

[RickER]

Will B, interesting imdb search on the lack of a moon
for PotA. Also interesting that the astronauts cant see the stars at night, cause if they couldthey would surly see some familiar constellations.

 

[GregK]

It's never been on a region one DVD until now.

 

[cafink]

So what was on the original DVD's English 2.0 track? Was it just a down-mix of the 5.1 remix?

 

[Will_B]

RickER, I think if I were to do POTA today (and I were a filmmaker), I'd adjust the spin of the Earth so that the eastern seaboard was perpetually in a daylight/twilight/daylight cycle, never entering into full night, or at least not for months. The explanation would be that the nuclear war tilted the Earth off its axis. And yep, probably would have to add a part where the moon was also nuked, and I'd have it still there, but its features would be obscured by a perpetual dust cloud that hangs around it. I wouldn't go so far as to eliminate the moon, because chances are the Earth wouldn't work if the moon was not there. Or possibly just have had it spin around so that the relatively unfamiliar dark side pf the moon was facing the Earth.

I like this idea. There could even be humans on the dark side of the Earth (where it is a dawn/night/dawn cycle), but they have to venture into the illuminated side (the ape side) for food since plants don't grow well without strong light, which is when and why the apes catch them.

Someone besides Tim Burton needs to do these movies again.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

The Tim Burton movie was garbage. I would love to see POTA
redone again one day by someone else.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I hated the Tim Burton movie. I'd waited something like 30 years for a new APES film, and then they handed us that crap.

I have always felt the problem was that the studio doesn't really know what kind of story to do, and what to do with the franchise in general. What I would love is a sixth film to the original series, but at the same time it can be a movie which stands on its own for newbies who may not have seen the original 5 films before.

 

[DavidPla]

Well, Fox did screw Burton over with the film. I think he's been quoted as saying they made him want to jump out of a window.

Besides, it's better than Battle for the Planet of the Apes

 

[GregK]

Yep. A Dolby Surround mixdown. Fox did this with all of their DVDs in the beginning.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

That Burton abomination made ME want to jump out a window.
His film makes BATTLE look like CITIZEN KANE.

 

[RickER]

If only we could of had the Arnie, James Cameron take of PotA back in the late 80s, early 90s. Oh well.

Will B, i thought of that cartoon Thundarr when you were talking about a "different looking moon", for the future. Dunno if you ever saw that one.

 

[DavidPla]

Oh, come on. They are BOTH bad films but at least the Burton film has Rick Backer's incredible make up and a great Danny Elfman score. Battle has nostalgia and that's about it.