Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: BLACK HAWK DOWN (VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) (1 Viewer)

[Ben_Williams]

 

[Dave_P.]

Thanks for the review. This was one of the titles that made my decision to go Blu-Ray.

 

[chuckamuck]

Thanks for the great review, Ben.

I picked this title up earlier in the week and have been too swamped with work to look at it yet. Planning to enjoy the amazing PQ/AQ this weekend!

 

[James St]

Is that the European release date? I bought mine at Best Buy early last week. Though the Circuit City I tried buying from wouldn't allow the sale because it was in the system as a 1/16/2007 release.

 

[Dave_P.]

Must be. The U.S. release was on 11/7 which is when I got mine.

 

[Grant H]

Wow, this review is so stunning I may snatch this title up some day, even though I've never even seen the movie. I've read a lot of glowing reviews of this release now.

I'm not a big fan of war movies, but it sounds like it's great filmmaking.

And it's really good to see excellent releases from Sony, after they got us all worried at launch.

 

[Ben_Williams]

That's my mistake. It was actually released on November 14th. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Ed St. Clair]

Ben,
I don't know how (cause I haven't seen it! :-0) you can say;
"Sony has turned in what is quite possibly the finest high definition transfer yet released on either next generation format".
When, you also say;
"Don't get me wrong, this is not a particularly colorful film, nor is it glossy and polished. It is dirty, dark and shot with heavy use of filters".
However, I have absolutely no argument against your saying;
"However, it is a PERFECT representation of how this film is supposed to look".
And would also completely buy into your;
"VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED".
No, I'm not one of those people that want BHD to look like football in HD! ;-)
Just the accepted look of this film w/the heavy use of filters, as is the artist intent, would not lead me to believe this title would;
"Everything you would expect from a perfect transfer is here: stunning black levels, superlative shadow details, smooth and noise free grain and phenomenal color accuracy".
I fully understand your statement;
"Bringing the cinema experience home means being able to view a film exactly the way the director and cinematographer intended. This Blu-Ray transfer of Black Hawk Down accomplishes that feat with flying colors".
Just, haven't other HD Discs titles accomplished this as well (w/o filters, etc...)?
Thanks.
And thanks for the review!
GREAT film & GREAT HD Disc release!

(No, I'm not against Blu-ray or BHD.)
[I thought as good as the movie was, the doc from the History Channel on the multi disc set, was worth the price of admission alone. I also own the Superbit (DTS, you know! ;-) )]

EDit:
To clarify where I'm coming from; from personal experience would put Kung Fu Hustle for live action & Home on the Range for CGI, both seen on the demo disc (I know the titles have yet to be released) at the top of my list. And from reading reviews; Corpse Bride, Ice Age: The Meltdown, & for another stylized film Kingdom of Heaven would be at the top of my list. Hope that give a better reference to what I'm hearing/seeing would be the best from BD on HD disc.

 

[Ben_Williams]

Hey Ed,

I guess the best way to address all of your questions as succinctly as possible is to simply ask the question:

How accurate to the film master is the Blu-Ray of Black Hawk Down?

The answer is: Perfectly.

I saw BHD theatrically on 4 occasions and have viewed it on DVD a multitude of times. It is safe to say that I am a definite fan of the film. As a former film student, its visual style left a lasting impression on me, so I am in the unique position of practically knowing every frame of the film. With that said, BHD had a massive impact on me as an upgrade from DVD to BD. It is so close to what I saw in the cinema that it is, for all intents and purposes, identical. For that reason alone it is reference video. All too many reviewers criticize a film for a reliance on video processing and telecine manipulation. When it is done as expertly and as profoundly as in BHD, I can't criticize the film in any way. Yes, the colors are muted for the majority of the movie, but when they need to be, they are vivid and profound. This Blu Ray perfectly represents this movie. That's enough for me!

I hope you have the chance to view it for yourself and to form your own opinion!

Thanks for your comments!

 

[EricW]

this and Kingdom of Heaven DC are the 2 BR-exclusive films that will make me eventually get Blue-Ray if it weren't for the fact that the PS3 had so few quality launch titles (if any) i'd have it already.

 

[Ed St. Clair]

And thanks for yours!
Didn't know how to ask w/o coming off like I was trying to slam you.
Great of you, to take the post with understanding.
I totally get the transfer thing. I do expect the transfer to look STUNING!!!
Just thought other sources could/would show off HD Disc "better" (whatever that means! ;-) ).

Looking forward to you reviewing the BV classics!!!
Thanks again!

With the way Miami Vice looked in the theater, I predict a hail storm against that HD Disc transfer! ;-)

Again, I have no problem w/the way BD "looks"!!!
Gritty, you are there, feel!

 

[Chris S]

Wow that's one positive review. I was going to pass on this as I bought the 3 (or was it 4?) disc SD-DVD set. May have to pick this up if I see it on sale. Thanks!

 

[Jordan_E]

This might very well be my first official Blu Ray purchase.

 

[JeremySt]

There is now a PS3 in my house, and Black Hawk Down has the honor of being my first Blu Ray disc, along with Superman Returns. I watched a little BHD down last night. Wow.

 

[Neil Joseph]

You know what? I never saw this film. I had it in my hands so many times. On a scale of 1-10, just how violent is it if I also consider Saving Private Ryan to be about an 8-9 out of 10? Also, how good is the film. Using the same movie as a reference, Saving PR would be an 8/10 at least for me.

 

[EricW]

this is a great film. i had my apprehensions before seeing it as it was a Bruckheimer, but i think it's a great, accurate depiction of ~modern~ warfare. i think many soldiers would agree.

 

[BrianShort]

Neil: I'd put the violence level one notch below SPR. There are definitely some bloody/gory scenes, but not as many as SPR. I'd say the combat is a little bit less intense than SPR too. As far as the movie, I like BHD quite a bit more than SPR. SPR kind of drags for me for most of the middle section if the movie. BHD kept my attention the whole way through.

 

[Edwin-S]

It has been a while since I saw the film. As I remember it, the violence is similar: both movies have some gory action. However, the violence in SPR is more sporadic. The violence in BHD, when it starts, is more continuous with fewer "breather" scenes.

Both films do a good job of depicting war action. However, SPR does a better job of allowing one to know the characters better. Their loss, when it occurs, has more impact. BHD doesn't really allow one to really get to know characters. It is more focussed on showing how the men involved go about attempting to survive the mission, rather than how they feel about the mission. At least, that is how I remember it.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Thanks. Next time, I will pick it up for good. Thanks for the review too.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Neil,
This is an excellent film. I've read the book the film is based on and I thought the film did the book great justice. I finally watched the BRD recently, it was a great film experience while sitting in the comforts of my HT.




Crawdaddy