Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition (2 Viewers)

[smithb]

Originally Posted by RobertR
It has very much to do with being right or wrong. Changing the look of the original film is wrong. No ifs or buts. Otherwise, you can't say that pan and scan is wrong, or colorization is wrong, or bleeping out words you don't like is wrong.

Talk about taking a section of text and misrepresenting it. My statement was about representing something as fact vs. opinion and nothing else. The text you lifted "This has nothing to do with one side being right or wrong" was in reference to representing something as fact when it was really opinion. I was purposely stating that right or wrong has nothing to do with misrepresnting opinion as fact. I was not making a statement about whether the manipulations were right or wrong.

 

[smithb]

Originally Posted by RobertR
It has very much to do with being right or wrong. Changing the look of the original film is wrong. No ifs or buts. Otherwise, you can't say that pan and scan is wrong, or colorization is wrong, or bleeping out words you don't like is wrong.

As far as your statement that "changing the look of an original film is wrong. No if or buts." I will also disagree with you on that. I hate absolutes. So on a case by case basis if something can be improved upon then I'm for it. Now not everybody will agree with what is an improvement since it can be subjective in nature, and if they disagree they don't have to purchase it. For an example of another dramatic change to film, the Star Trek TOS. You may not like them either, but I think they brought new life to the series and i'm glad they did it. You can claim that was wrong as well and I can claim it was right. Guess what, it doesn't change the fact that both are opinions.

 

[Chad R]

Originally Posted by Zack Gibbs


It has nothing to do with my memory, the movie has simply never been presented that way. Another good example is The Wrath of Khan, which also had the filmmakers input. But the bluray release has had an extreme shift in hue to blue, another case of modern sensibilities altering history. Khan hasn't looked that way for the last 25 years, but it looks like that now.


Filmmakers don't always care about preserving their films as originally released, so placing your trust in them to do so is misguided. Surely we've all realized that by now.

Okay, without splitting hairs, would you at least agree that in the case of Predator, had the filmmakers been involved we would have more than likely not gotten the release we just got?

 

[Steve Christou]

Originally Posted by RobertR




It has very much to do with being right or wrong. Changing the look of the original film is wrong. No ifs or buts. Otherwise, you can't say that pan and scan is wrong, or colorization is wrong, or bleeping out words you don't like is wrong.

But it's still the same effin' film senor Roberto, just a bit brighter and clearer. Haven't you ever turned the brightness up when watching a film, or reduced the colour, sharpness? Does that make you a supporter of pan and scan? I'm sure this isn't the last release of Predator, others will appear in future with less DNR. I still have my two DVDs of the film, I might put one on during the week to compare it with this one.

 

[John Hodson]

For UK HTF'ers and those with Virgin Media, Film4 HD launches Thursday...and Predator is showing the same night at 9pm.


EDIT; Film4 HD launch has been delayed until July 20 apparently...

 

[Nelson Au]

So what is a fan to do now? I've been sitting out getting Predator in hopes of a new remastered version and when it comes out, it's been DNR'd.

I have the last DVD release box set. It sounds like getting both the old blu Ray and the new blu Ray to have an overview with the addition of the last DVD set might be one way to go, though a little crazy.

Seems that given how difficult it was to film and from what I understand, the conditions and film stock made the film elements less then ideal. But wasn't filming The African Queen as arduous? That disc looks great.

 

[Jamie E]

Originally Posted by Nelson Au

So what is a fan to do now? I've been sitting out getting Predator in hopes of a new remastered version and when it comes out, it's been DNR'd.

Get the original Blu-ray release--that's what I did. It's not as bad as everyone made it out to be. It's light years ahead of UHE, mostly because it looks like Predator--gritty and dark, not bright and sunny. For the extras, you can rent the DVD--they are almost identical.

 

[Joseph Bolus]

Nelson,

 

If you already own the 2004 DVD then you probably don't need to update.

 

HTF member Colin Jacobson recently compared the most recent DVD release to this release.

This is what he had to say:

 

"

2004 SE DVD? Audio was similar, as I didn’t think this disc’s lossless track did much to surpass its predecessor’s DTS mix.

Visuals were a different issue. The DVD came with the often heavy grain that was always a part ofPredator. It also had source flaws and a few other issues. The Blu-ray eliminated the grain but also took away definition and made the movie look like some sort of hi-def video production. While the DVD suffered from print problems and the format’s limitations, I’d still prefer to watch it because it actually looked like Predator.

 

Here's the link to the full review:

 

http://www.dvdmg.com/predatorbr.shtml

 

The general consensus seems to be that the first Blu-ray release looked more like film, but was limited by MPEG-2 compression issues and source flaws. It also lacked any of the supplements that were present on the last DVD release.

 

So it's a tough call either way.

 

I purchased this disc, and it left me in tears: It was obvious that a new HD master was struck for this release (the source flaws were gone); and compression issues were mostly minimal. If they had just eased up a bit on the DNR it would have been a perfect release. *sigh* But due to all the DNR it looks more like "video" than "film" when viewed on my front projection system. As the Bard stated "It Is to Weep ..."

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Jamie.

 

It's really funny to look at the Amazon reviews of the older Blu Ray, calling it a horrible dark transfer and lauding the brightness and beauty of the new Hunter Edition! That should tell you something!

 



 

Hey Joseph! Just saw that you posted just as I was replying. Thanks for the additional review info. I'll have a look at Colin's site.

 

It's a shame as you saw, they went a little too far with the DNR on this new release. I think I'll get he old disc first while I can. Maybe they'll do another HD release later.

 

[Nelson Au]

FYI, I got my copy of the original blu ray from Amazon, and it was $11.00!

 

[Konstantinos]

I came across this photo and I'm already dreaming a bluray that looks like this (a bit more saturated perhaps and with a gamma correction)!
2017 - 30th anniversary!
Will this be the year at last?

 

[John Sparks]

Another scrubbed clean edition...I'm in!

 

[Konstantinos]

Another scrubbed clean edition...I'm in!

Huh?
You're referring to this photo?
Did you see the full size of it?
It does have grain, although due to the jpeg high compression it doesn't look too good.
But it's evident that this doesn't resemble the UHE DNR, nor it resembles the first "dirty" edition.

 

[John Sparks]

Yes!

 

[OliverK]

I guess that Predator is just quite grainy so there will never be some kind of ultimate "clean" edition unless it is DNR'd to a significant degree.
Still I am sure that it can look both more detailed and less noisy than the first Blu-ray version that just happened to come from an old master.

 

[Konstantinos]

We're in the middle of the year, and no word or rumour about an anniversary release with a new transfer..

I wonder if I should just give up after all these years and buy the 2008 Bluray.

 

[Dave H]

I think it will inevitably come out on UHD BD as Predator has obviously been a good catalog seller for years, but I just hope Fox does the right thing with it this time. My guess is the timing of the release will have to coincide with a new movie/tie-in (i.e, next Predator movie set for Feb 9th, 2018).

 

[Brent Reid]

You can bet your sweet patootie that if the next installment of Predator is a hit, Fox will obligingly issue a super-duper new release of the original that will fix all the flaws of the old discs... And, it being Fox, will introduce a whole new set of problems.

And we, being the devotees we are, will buy and watch it, while complaining all the time!

 

[dpippel]

Or, Fox will simply repackage what they're currently selling, sell it again in a different set of clothes, and call it good.

 

[OliverK]

I think it will inevitably come out on UHD BD as Predator has obviously been a good catalog seller for years, but I just hope Fox does the right thing with it this time. My guess is the timing of the release will have to coincide with a new movie/tie-in (i.e, next Predator movie set for Feb 9th, 2018).

Who needs a grainy low resolution production as a UHD / HDR release. For the time being I will hold on to the first Blu-ray that does an at least acceptable job of capturing the look of the theatrical presentations.