ADDITION: Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray October 2017: The Universal is the best - it is significantly more technically robust, darker, more texture. A film like 21 Grams made with some intense styles producing heavy film textures and saturation does not translate as well to SD as it does to Blu-ray. Some of the most notable improvements are in maintaining the grain structure, the adeptness of DP Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography and the color saturation. Now, it is not always grainy as scene tempos alter - but the visuals present a more gritty appearance than, more typically for hi-def, pristinely smooth.

Audio, as compared with the 8-year old Alliance, is the same - a robust DTS-HD Master in 5.1 surround (24-bit).  The impressive score by Argentine musician Gustavo Santaolalla (Amores Perros, Wild Tales, Brokeback Mountain, Biutiful) sounds wonderful in the lossless. The Universal has optional subtitles (see sample below) and is Region FREE.

The Universal Blu-ray has an extra - the 20 minute, 2004, making of entitled 21 Grams : In Fragments - it has Benicio Del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sean Penn, Rodrigo Prieto, Naomi Watts and others.

Amazing film - some of the most impacting performances I recall seeing in many years. 21 Grams is a masterpiece and this Universal Blu-ray is being given away at the current price - don't hesitate!    

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NOTE (Feb 2009): Distribution 101 (who took their sweet time delivering my German Blu-ray of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) - have this available on Amazon.com with a 'usually ships in 9 days' caveat. It is the exact same package/disc as the Canadian edition through Amazon.ca (which does deliver to the States - usually immediately) is significantly cheaper - without even taking into account the low Canadian dollar - which would make it even a better buy (around $10 savings).

 The DVD shows noise and it's obvious that the new, brighter, Blu-ray definitely improves digitally in the visual appearance of the film - detail, depth and color (skin tones) seem far more true. Thankfully, I don't see DNR, edge enhancement or other digital manipulations to augment the image quality on the Alliance Blu-ray. Like the other Canadian Blu-rays this is single-layered with a modest bitrate but improves over its DVD counterpart in the usual areas with more depth and overall tightness.

Audio-wise the DVD's DTS was strong in supporting Gustavo Santaolalla's score with notable bass response - and seemed competent with the mostly, if at time intense, dialogue driven film.  Bottom line though, the Blu-ray is superior. In a strange twist the DVD offers subtitles while the hi-def disc offers none. 

The supplement section for both are totally vacant - not even a trailer.

All that the Alliance Blu-ray can boast is a healthy superiority in the AV department. Enough of a reason to indulge in my opinion. While I'm a fan of commentaries and extras I don't mind a substantial visual and aural improvement at this lower, valued price. NOTE: at the writing of this review $17.95 CAD = $14.32 USD!    

Gary W. Tooze