ADDITION: Lionsgate Blu-ray - January 17': Firstly, I assumed that the transfer for the UK, French and German Blu-rays - released in the summer of 2016 - were the same - and they usually are for the US - Studio Canal licensed - edition but having different packaging bells and whistles (ex. the Lionsgate does not have a CD). I'm not so sure now as there are definite issues with this 1080P transfer on the Lionsgate. It is cited as a 'limited collector's edition'. The aspect ratio has some differences - the Lionsgate is either horizontally stretched (because it is, also, cropped?) or the Criterion and - also OOP - Optimum are horizontally squeezed. And there are other things - the Lionsgate is softer and shows artifacts - I also see evidence of DNR (Bowie's forehead in the 2nd set of captures.) The technical Lionsgate transfer does not utilize the full space of the Blu-ray disc (only 33 of a potential 50 Gig) and, hence, the bitrate is very low - also affecting the image quality. Skin tones are cooler but I found too many anomalies in the HD video appearance. Not good.

Lionsgate go 24-bit DTS-HD Master for the audio and it sounds solid enough to me. I didn't do a direct test but assume I wouldn't be able to tell much, if any, differences between it and the linear PCM tracks of the other two Blu-rays unless I donated some significant time. The Lionsgate offers optional English or Spanish subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is region 'A'-locked.

The extras are quite extensive but the video quality is, also, noticeably poor. There are over 2 3/4 hour's worth of interviews with Sam Taylor-Johnson. producer Michael Deele, Candy Clark, Paul Mayersberg, costume designer May Routh, photographer David James, cinematographer Tony Richmond and director Nicolas Roeg. A few are cited as 'new' but most can be found on previous digital editions. There is also an 8-minute extract from David Bowie inter view on French TV in 1977 and the 16-minute featurette on “The Lost Soundtracks” featuring interviews with Paul Buckmaster and author Chris Campion. Lastly, is a trailer and the package has two DVDs - one with the feature film and a second duplicating the Blu-ray supplements. Part of the packaging includes 5 artcards, an original press book, a 66-page liner notes booklet with essay/photos etc. (it's nice!) and a new theatrical quad 4 poster - obviously, folded.  The box, itself, is VHS-sized but the Blu-ray case inside is of normal dimensions but does hold 3 discs.

So, there you have it - a few new extras but limitations in the image. Region 'A'-locked audiences seem to be left with few options - although, perhaps, another reason to go region FREE. I'm going to say 'pass' on this Lionsgate Blu-ray release. 

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ADDITION: Optimum Blu-ray - January 15': I lean to the Optimum over the, now very out-of-print, Criterion 1080P transfer despite the US HD release being more robust. The colors and black levels are marginally deeper and richer than the CC. The UK edition's skin tones are cooler and I like the way it appears in-motion. Differences may be marginal depending on the system but I was keen on the Optimum's presentation.

No difference at all in the audio - like Criterion a linear PCM at 2304 kbps. It also has optional English subtitles and their disc is region 'B'-locked.

Supplements include well over 2 hours of interviews (Roeg , cinematographer Tony Richmond, writer Paul Mayersberg and actress Candy Clark - plus 4 minutes of audio only with author Walter Tevis) including input in the 25-minute 'Watching the Alien Documentary'. There is also a trailer.

This is a very strong release and priced well - it's a fabulous alternative to the OOP Criterion and we can absolutely endorse.

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ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray - December 08': Utilizing the same high definition master as the standard DVD from 2005 this Blu-ray rendering, using MPEG-4 AVC, to 1080P gives dramatic improvement in both detail and colors. Skin tones lose their orange hue and everything is visually tighter and crisper. Large vista shots in the New Mexican desert still show some noise but overall the image shows vast superiority over its DVD counterpart. The larger the system this is viewed on the more noticeable the improvement. The feature takes up almost 38 Gig of space on this dual-layered Blu-ray disc with a whopping bitrate of 36 mp/s (the DVD had less than 7.0). For a 30-year old film there are some amazingly impressive visuals on this Blu-ray. For image quality I think this is well worth the upgrade from SD.

We go LPCM for the audio - still 2.0 channel - and it sounded very clean and consistent and I didn't notice any demonstrative superiority over the older DVD. the Anchor Bay boasts a 5.1 mix. Criterion still offer optional English subtitles.

Extras seem duplicated (see below description) keeping the interesting commentary but we do lose the 160-page Tevis novel and keep the 20-page liner notes booklet. In my viewing notes I didn't find any extras in high-definition but will look again later tonight.