Blu-ray Review Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Mark Booth]

Better PQ on the new Blu-ray and more picture information on both sides. But, the AR looks to be the same. Was the first Blu-ray stretched to fit 2.35:1?

It's not just more information on the sides, more information on the top and bottom too. The older (2012) Blu-ray image was CROPPED all around.


Mark

 

[Mark Booth]

Okay, I've pulled three screen shots from the 2015 Blu-ray that correspond with the 2012 Blu-ray screenshots from the Blu-ray.com review of the older disc. Two of the scenes are off by about a single frame, but I think everyone will agree that it's close enough for government work.

This time I saved my screenshots as lossless TIFFs. But, unfortunately, the screen shot comparison website does not accept TIFFs. So I converted them (in Photoshop with ZERO editing or enhancement) to PNGs. They are still pretty big files, so the screenshot comparisons take a bit of time to load.

Also, since these were done on a Mac, the image is slightly darker (lower contrast) and a slightly different color space (to my eyes, slightly more blue) than what I'm seeing on my big HDTV. It's just one of the stupid and annoying idiosyncrasies of the Mac.

Again, there are three different scenes here (#1, #2 and #3). After the images are loaded, you move your mouse cursor over the image to compare screen shots.

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/116122/picture:0


The 2015 restoration is heads and shoulders above the 2012 release! In motion, it is quite stunning for a film that is almost as old as me!

Mark

 

[Mark Booth]

Here are some random screen shots taken from the 2015 Blu-ray (4K restoration). These were also saved as lossless TIFFs and converted to PNGs in Photoshop. They are large files (about 2MB each).

Again, done on a Mac so color and contrast are slightly different than what I see on my HDTV with standalone Blu-ray player.

Mark

 

[Mark-P]

The first 2 links you posted are now broken and I am unable to see those comparisons. This link works and darn you! now I can't be happy with my old Blu-ray anymore knowing this vastly superior version exists. I guess I have no choice but to double-dip.

Okay, I've pulled three screen shots from the 2015 Blu-ray that correspond with the 2012 Blu-ray screenshots from the Blu-ray.com review of the older disc. Two of the scenes are off by about a single frame, but I think everyone will agree that it's close enough for government work.

This time I saved my screenshots as lossless TIFFs. But, unfortunately, the screen shot comparison website does not accept TIFFs. So I converted them (in Photoshop with ZERO editing or enhancement) to PNGs. They are still pretty big files, so the screenshot comparisons take a bit of time to load.

Also, since these were done on a Mac, the image is slightly darker (lower contrast) and a slightly different color space (to my eyes, slightly more blue) than what I'm seeing on my big HDTV. It's just one of the stupid and annoying idiosyncrasies of the Mac.

Again, there are three different scenes here (#1, #2 and #3). After the images are loaded, you move your mouse cursor over the image to compare screen shots.

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/116122/picture:0


The 2015 restoration is heads and shoulders above the 2012 release! In motion, it is quite stunning for a film that is almost as old as me!

Mark

 

[Mark Booth]

The first 2 links you posted are now broken and I am unable to see those comparisons. This link works and darn you! now I can't be happy with my old Blu-ray anymore knowing this vastly superior version exists. I guess I have no choice but to double-dip.

For the first two screenshot comparison links (now not working because I deleted them), I had used a screenshot capture method that used heavy JPG compression and that resulted in lots of pixelation in darker areas of the image. I didn't want people to think that was how the Blu-ray looked, so when people pointed out the pixelation to me, I decided to delete the first attempts and start over.


Mark

 

[RolandL]

The first 2 links you posted are now broken and I am unable to see those comparisons. This link works and darn you! now I can't be happy with my old Blu-ray anymore knowing this vastly superior version exists. I guess I have no choice but to double-dip.

When I heard that a new 4K version was coming out, I sold my old Blu-ray on eBay for more than I paid for it. You should be able to sell your old copy also and get your money back.

 

[RolandL]

It's not just more information on the sides, more information on the top and bottom too. The older (2012) Blu-ray image was CROPPED all around.


Mark

That's why the AR looks the same.

 

[Mark Booth]

Well, I do believe the 2012 release was slightly stretched a bit (left and right, making people look slight fatter). Either that, or the current 2015 release isn't stretching them enough. There's clearly some minor bit of difference in the framing that goes beyond the rather significant cropping.


Mark

 

[ChromeJob]

Someone mentioned that the trailer on this new release isn't CinemaScope ... Not sure it was in the first place. It's 16:9 here, nor 4:3. Could someone with both the last release and this one post screenshots of the opening and closing of the trailer?


What I came here to say was ... WOW. I thought I might have to crank the volume down to see how my new Hsu VTF-2 sounds. Huh-uh. No need. From the first overture over the main titles, the organ(s) rumble and roar including down under the 160Hz or so my crossover's set to. As much as the test CD Hsu Research included with the sub, this BD release is really exercising the sub. It's some gorgeous Bernard Herrmann music.... One of his many great scores.


As far as 4K clarity ... I'm sure the matte painting of the sunset on Mount Doom, or whatever it's called looks better, but just caught the matte painting of Alec wandering lost (while the rest of the party escape a subterranean flood) crossing the bridge that collapses on him. The vista of twinkling/glittering rock in the matte painting's got to look better in this master.

 

[ChromeJob]

Playing through on isolated music, I noticed that Herrmann had a different song for the closing (not the jubilant students, "Here's to the professor of ge-O-lo-GY...!"). I like Herrmann's better.

Julie Firgo comments in the liner notes that this was the closing song in the UK version.

 

[Mike Boone]

This was the review I was waiting for, Matt.

Thank you. So pleased to hear that the film
looks and sounds terrific on Blu-ray.

Looking forward to receiving my copy. This
is a film that I plan to reserve a special day
to watch.

Ron, maybe it's somewhat strange that I'm now responding to a comment that you made about the Journey To The Center of the Earth Blu-ray, almost 4 years ago, on May 3rd 2012. But just as you mentioned that you would reserve a day to view this beautiful looking disc, I've set aside part of this coming Sunday afternoon (Feb. 28 2016) to introduce my wife to this entertaining adventure film that was one of my favorites as a kid. Watched the first 5 to 10 minutes of the Blu-ray, the other night, and as soon as I saw the scene with the marching band, including a vivid display of well saturated red, I knew that Nina and I will be in for a great presentation of a really fun film in our theater room. And isn't fun, as well as learning about movies that are new to us, what our home theater hobby is, or should be, all about, anyway?