Does anyone buy DVDs just for the movie? (1 Viewer)

[ChrisClearman]

I know I've bought some DVDs MAINLY for the Audio or Video qualities, etc. but I've seen many posts on here where someone ask, "Should I buy movie X?" and I always find it funny that the response is never "yes, if you enjoy the film" but rather "yes, it's got a great anamorphic transfer and a a superb DTS track" or the opposite "no, it's got a grainy 1.85:1 and no extras".

 

[Carl Johnson]

I don't buy discs looking for the best transfer or the most features, that stuff is just icing on the cake. One of my favorite and most watched titles is Scarface which is often criticized for having the worst transfer in the history of DVD. On the other hand Phantom Menace, which has reference quality picture and sound is sitting under a layer of dust at least a year thick because I don't think that it's a very good movie.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

On the other hand Phantom Menace, which has reference quality picture and sound

Here we go again :rolleyes

 

[StevenJ]

I do indeed. VHS is done and over with. To hell with HDVHS or whatever the hell it's called. The only reason I buy VHS is because I can't get them on DVD. I'm a big fan of 80s slasher films and am looking hard for them.

Other than that, I buy them for the movies. Most of the time.

 

[ChuckDeLa]

I've seen many posts on here where someone ask, "Should I buy movie X?" and I always find it funny that the response is never "yes, if you enjoy the film"

Well, that's kind of a given. I assume if someone is to the point where he's considering a purchase, he's already made up his mind about the movie and wants to know about the DVD, unless he specifically states that he hasn't seen it.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I would suspect the reason that most responses deal with the technical merits of the disc is due to the fact that it is simply easier to be more objective about those aspects of the title in question.

It is much more difficult to assess whether or not another individual is going to enjoy a film without some knowledge of their preferences, and even then it is hardly an exact science. You can certainly state your opinions of the film in question, but that in and of itself isn't a guarantee that someone else will enjoy the same title.

Also many queries about DVDs are about the technical aspects of the DVD, given that the soliciter of opinions has already established that they enjoy the film, or that they might ( by simply expressing an interest in the title ) but wish to verify the film's transfer or supplements, prior to making a purchase.

- Walter.

 

[Carl Johnson]

Forgive me Jeff I missed that conversation the first time. Which opinion was wrong, the quality of the transfer or the quality of the film?

 

[Adam Horak]

Forgive me Jeff I missed that conversation the first time. Which opinion was wrong, the quality of the transfer or the quality of the film?

The quality of the transfer. I can still see ghostly outlines of all the characters wherever I look. I think the EE has burned into my retinas.

 

[Matt Stone]

Yes, it's got some wicked bad EE that I couldn't detect on my old 27" Wega, but is all too evident on my new 53" Panny.

I agree with Chuck, in that if you are asking you're probably already familiar with the movie. Otherwise the post would probably be in the movies forum, and be more something like "Hey...is this a good movie?"

 

[Tony-B]

Of course!! I usually base all my DVD purchases off of how I like the movie. I also buy a lot of things blindly, and I have not bought a single DVD that I have not liked. If I have two movies that I want, and can't decide between, I usually go for the one that has the better audio, video, and extras.

 

[Paul E. Fox II]

I ALWAYS buy the DVD for the MOVIE itself. If I get some cool extras, then so be it.

The MOVIE is the reason to buy the DVD not the other way around...

 

[AndrewA]

Movie first. OAR second (why would I buy a movie that I love/like when it's been butchered?).

Past those two, I can almost suffer through a less than stellar transfer or video or audio. If it fails either of the two, I'll pass on the purchase.

It's all about the movie.

 

[JonZ]

The movie & OAR is the most important thing. I dont need a Matrix transfer and 5.1 for everything, but if your spending $25 on a DVD the disc shouldnt look like a VHS copy thrown onto a DVD. A good example would be Scarface.

Usually I could care less about extras. A good making of and some deleted scenes usualy makes me happy.I dont care about 3 commentary, photo galleries and so on.

 

[Angelo.M]

I buy only on the basis of the movie.

 

[Simon Massey]

I only buy on the basis of whether I like the film, but I wont buy it if it isnt OAR. Everything else is just a nice bonus.

 

[george kaplan]

I have NEVER bought a dvd simply because it was reference quality audio or video. I always buy for the movie. However, I do insist on OAR, uncut, and at least decent (read: not Madacy) quality of the transfer.

As far as upgrading, no matter how fantastic the extras are, I will only upgrade if the picture is improved in quality or is a director's cut (or has new deleted scenes included).

 

[Sean Campbell]

Always for the movie ( in OAR whenever possible ). I'm not going to leave my favourite film on the shelf just because it doesn't feature that infamous outtake with the supporting actress picking her nose. And no amount of special features can ever make a bad movie worth watching. Many of my favourite DVDs have hardly any special features at all. ( Threads, RAN, The Secret of NIMH, Picnic At Hanging rock, Kwaidan... the list goes on )

 

[Michael Hall]

I buy DVDs solely for the movies themselves (but they have to be in their OAR), and the extra material is just that: extra. I also stick to buying films that I really like, or in certain cases, that I'm pretty sure I'll like due to my liking past work by the director (an example of this would be the Criterion "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", which I had never seen until I got the disc; needless to say I was not disappointed).

 

[Andy_MT]

no, just for the transfer.

 

[Steve_Knutzen]

I've seen many posts on here where someone ask, "Should I buy movie X?" and I always find it funny that the response is never "yes, if you enjoy the film" but rather "yes, it's got a great anamorphic transfer and a a superb DTS track" or the opposite "no, it's got a grainy 1.85:1 and no extras".

Well I think that it depends in what forum you ask the question in. If you ask in 'Software', you tend to get answers relating to the disc itself. If you ask in 'Movies' you'll get answers about the actual movie.