DVD Review HTF REVIEW: House of Flying Daggers (RECOMMENDED) (1 Viewer)

[TheLongshot]

I had gone over to David Boulet's place and compared my R0 copy with the Miramax copy, and there wasn't much of a difference. Neither copy was ideal, and the Miramax wasn't nearly as horrible as people made out.

Jason

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Honestly, I disagree with almost every word of that IGN review. I don't know the author, but if he truly believes that this transfer is worse than Hero's, then I can only assume that his equipment is broken. For one thing, there is no "pixellation" -- for example, check out the end of the Peony Pavilion sequence, where Leo and Mei fall in the pool. The splashing water looks very natural. That scene does look very bright, but I believe that it was lit that way, not that it's an inaccurate transfer. Some scenes are bright, and others are not. It seems to me that this is the intended look. And his comments on the audio track, where he states that there are no environmental effects, are simply incorrect. He complains that the audio is "bassy and overbearing" in a scene where DOZENS OF DRUMS are being played in a circle that surrounds the action! It's not even clear whether he's describing the Mandarin or English track. And he even seems to miss the point of the story. (Not to mention the fact that his one-line plot synopsis gets two basic facts wrong!)


I absolutely disagree.

 

[Rich Malloy]

When the Starmax edition first came out, someone posted a bunch of screengrabs that looked every bit as contrasty/blown-out as the first Edko release. Turns out, his equipment wasn't set correctly, and the Starmax video transfer is now considered the best of the bunch (but Edko 2-disc/3-disc has the better audio and subs...)

I'm sticking with my Edko 2-disc, as it seems a bit sharper than the R1 and the audio is fantastic, but there's some occasional artifacting. Hopefully, we'll get an uncut Superbit someday!

(And, speaking of "Hero", now that the Japanese transfer has been re-released in an affordable 1-disc package, I'd recommend that one over any of the others. Better than Edko, Miramax, GDFace, all of 'em.)

 

[Brian_cyberbri]

Thanks. I'll have to look for it. I've been wanting to get a copy of it for some time.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Ah! Don't know how I missed that, considering he has "IGN Reviewer" in his sig line. :b

Andy, nothing personal intended in my rant back there -- just getting into some spirited debate.

 

[Andy Patrizio]

No worries Aaron. Compared with what I have to put up with, you're not even mild.

I've got a Yamaha S2300 deck and Toshiba 52HM84 TV with Monster component cables. This stuff is hardly junk. I tuned the set with Digital Video Essentials, double checked it, the works. I don't know what to tell you...

I know the set and deck are fine because I watched Closer a while back and it was stunning, and last night I watched Blade Trinity, which was also off the charts (New Line can do no wrong). So it can't be hardware.

I wonder if I got a turkey of a disc?

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Hm, I suppose that's possible. I'll take another look over the weekend.

I got my Closer screener about a week after release date, so I haven't watched it yet, but I'll do a comparison. (My wife has been bugging me to watch it, anyway. )

 

[Citizen87645]

Are you guys offically married now or are you getting some practice in?

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Oh yes, we got married a few months ago. I keep meaning to post some photos. . .

 

[TonyD]

i think daggers looks soft on my tv.
probably because of some EE.

i lked the way Hero loked on my tv.

the shots of the edko version look fantastic at beaver.
i know you cant truly judge over the net on shots but looks tons much better.
makes me think about getting a better region free player.
i still have one of those old apexes from years ago with the secret loophole menu.

 

[Brian_cyberbri]

EE will make the picture sharper on smaller TVs, and just look bad on larger displays if it stands out.

The shots of the EDKO 2-disc version look tons better than the shots of the R1 version on DVD Beaver? Personally I could barely tell a difference - Edko 2-disc being slightly sharper, with the Starmax version being slightly sharper than the Edko 2-disc. Well, the Edko 2-disc has a full bitrate DTS track that supposedly sounds amazing (can't wait to get my copy).

If your TV has VGA, DVI, component, etc., you can always set up an HTPC to run DVDs. I have AnyDVD installed on my HTPC, which gets rid of region coding and makes it so I can skip through the previes and other locked stuff on DVDs. There's a ton of options for HTPC use (I use Zoom Player with video codecs and ffdshow, others use Theater Tek, or specialized integrated front ends, etc.), and you can get a better picture than most DVD players with enough trial and error, if you're up to the job.

 

[Nathan_W]

It has? Anyone know where I can get one? I've been looking for that also.

Thanks!

 

[Jeffrey Nelson]

The main factor for me here is that the R1 DVD is CUT, and the Edko release is UNCUT. The decision is clear: EDKO wins.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Follow this link for the Japanese "HERO" 1-disc release (with 500-Yen off coupon if you're a first-time Amazon.jp purchaser):
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/...396838-2735438

 

[DaViD Boulet]

I'd love to see this film (loved Hero) and now have to do a bit of research to figure out which DVD to buy... ;-) Having a multi-region/format player sometimes makes things harder!

Thanks for the review!

dave

 

[TonyD]

i have seen some flickering too.
first noticable about 35 minutes in when she is bathing in a small hole and he is watching her. as he is sneaking away i see thetrees and brush fkickering and vibrating or something.

also the scene just before that when the 4 people who were chasing them get up the entire scene is very yellow. was it supposed to be so yellow?

btw the english voice actors are just abysmal.
and the chi track has a much fuller sound then the english track.

 

[Greg Robinson]

Is HoFD similar to Hero in the way the fight scenes are filmed? That is to say, often unrealistic, defying all laws of physics and putting art above all else? Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Hero. But after a while, I longed for a real-time, realistic fight. I think you can have a beautiful film and still have kick*ss, real-time fight sequences.

Looking forward to at least a rental...

 

[Ron Boster]

It's been my understanding that the Japanese version does not have english subs for the 2 disc....is it different on the one disc version (includes english subs)?

Ron

 

[Kain_C]

I haven't seen HoFD, but I assume so since it was directed by the same guy who did Hero. And going from the looks of the trailers. But that's fine with me. Nothing wrong with a good helping of fantasy.

Isn't this type of film called Wu Xia? Someone help me on that please.

 

[Donnie Eldridge]

While the fighting is similar to Hero in style, this is not an action movie. Comparatively speaking the fight scenes are much shorter and there being fewer of them. This movie is not another Hero.