H D - S E N S E IA view on Hi-def discs by Gary W. Tooze |
Introduction: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 7500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
it, but film will always be my first love and I list my
favorites on the old YMdb site now accessible
HERE.
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The Final Countdown [Blu-ray]
(Don Taylor, 1980)
Review by Gary Tooze
Studio: Video: Blue Underground
Discs: Region: FREE Feature Runtime: 1:42:37 Chapters: 24 Feature film disc size: 32.0 Gig One dual-layered Blu-ray Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: November 4th, 2008
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p
Audio:
Supplements:
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Starring the Jolly Roger
(31:14)
Product Description: The time is now. The place is aboard the U.S.S. Nimitz, America's mightiest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier on maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, a freak electrical storm engulfs the ship and triggers the impossible: The Nimitz is hurtled back in time to December 6, 1941, mere hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. As the enemy fleet speeds towards Hawaii, the warship's Captain (Kirk Douglas), a Defense Department expert (Martin Sheen), a maverick Air Wing Commander (James Farentino) and a desperate Senator in the Roosevelt administration (Charles Durning) must choose between the unthinkable. Do they allow the Japanese to complete their murderous invasion or launch a massive counter-strike that will forever change the course of history?
The Film: In the late 1970's one of Kirk Douglas' sons, Peter Vincent Douglas, began his career as a producer with a project based on a fantastic scenario; what if one of America's contemporary nuclear-powered aircraft carriers was catapulted back in time via a freak electrical storm and appeared in the Pacific Ocean just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? His producer credits would go on to include Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), and Fletch (1985), but what sets The Final Countdown (1980) aside from those popular films is a complicity between the Hollywood dream factory and the U.S. military to create a work that would entertain the masses and also act as a recruiting tool for the Navy.
Excerpt from TCM located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc. The Blu-ray starts out pretty weak. The first 12 minutes it looks like a standard DVD transfer but after that it improves significantly. Colors have some life and detail is a notch better than what you might expect from a 28-year old film. The image even shows some decent depth and contrast is fairly strong with decent black levels. Background noise exists but it is limited and we are offered good grain. The image is fairly smooth and blemish-free. Technically it is dual-layered with the feature size being a healthy 32.0 Gig. I don't see evidence of DNR or edge enhancements. In fact I'd have to say the encoded image is fairly flawless once the film gets going. I have no strong complaints. I' have no doubt that this is as good as The Final Countdown will ever look for your home theater. The Blu-ray image gives us no reason whatsoever to complain. Hopefully, the screen captures below will give you an idea of what it will look like on your system. It's pretty healthy - bordering on impressive.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
Extras:
Bottom line:
Gary Tooze October 28th, 2008
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