High Definition Movie Reviews, HD-DVD and Blue Ray Disc Movie.

[Kunaak]

Format.

Television Used:

Display Format:

Disc Type:

Playback Source:


Impressions:

Image Quality:

Sound Quality:


Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?

When did you watch this movie?

How was the Movie?

Lastly, Rate it, 1 to 5.
no, 4.2.... no 3.123.

get too specific, and the review means nothing, or people want to argue with you. so be general.
but mostly, focus purely on the fact the movie is HD, thats what this post is for, whether or not the movie sucked, is secondary.





this is a simple way to get a idea, of what High Definition Movies are worth checking out, and what ones you really cant tell the difference with.

[Kunaak]

Movie - The Chronicles of Riddick - Directors Cut.

Television Used:Vizio 42 inch LCD + 2 Logitech Speakers.

Display Format:1080i

Disc Type:HD DVD.

Playback Source:Component Video and Xbox 360 HD DVD Player.
(360 doesnt seem to allow 1080P via Component Video - but does with VGA I hear)


Impressions:

Image Quality: so far, this is one of the few HD DVDs where I would say this version is clearly superior to the DVD version.
I've seen many HD-DVD's where I honestly couldnt tell the difference between previous versions of the movies that I have already seen, like they really didnt do anything to make the movie look better.... more like just put the movie on a HD disc.
This movie has a ton of CGI in it, and to put it plainly, its like someone turned up the antialiasing to 10X, and the aniostropic filtering to max.... to put it into simple PC terms. The movie just has a sheer crisp feel it, like its in super focus. The best examples of this are in the details of the Movie, like how you can see the pits of the metal, and how worn out the suits really look, how much the sweat makes a persons pores stand out, and how good the detail of the space scenes really can look.
Overall, I would say this movie is a prime example of what one would hope for, with a High Definition Movie.

Sound Quality: I am no sound buff myself, but I do enjoy good loud sounds, and good bass when something explodes, or when theres the crack of something hitting something, in a fight scene. At no point did I feel the movie was lacking in good sound effects, or feeling like something was missing from a scene.
Sound is loud when I want it to be, crisp when it should be, and never distracting when it shouldnt be.


Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?

yes, I seen this movie a few times over the years, on both DVD, and on cable tv.

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?

Visually, I'd say its a 5. Audio wise, I'd say its a 4, since I really cannot claim to be a audio fanatic, I will be conservative.

When did you watch this movie? About 2 hours ago on HD DVD.

How was the Movie?

this is a movie, I know isnt the greatest movie in the sci fi arena, and I know theres a few big inconsistencies in it, but overall, I always liked the Riddick charactor, and the idea of the "Necromongers" is a good one, as far as a villian goes.
personally, I've never like Thandie Newton as a actor, so its hard for me to really overlook her scenes in the movie, without being annoyed by her.
but, Its not your typical "invasion" movie, its not your typical hero, the scenery of the movie, is rather extreme, looking like a mixture of the "Goth" look having taken over the whole universe, or something right out of the 1920s version of "metropolis".
Overall, to be impartial, I will say this movies a 3 outta 5.
good for sci fi fan, good if you can get a copy cheap, good if you can rent it, or even just someone that may have played "The Chronicles of Riddick - Escape from Butcher Bay" a few years ago (A great game by the way)

Other Notes.

This directors cut, is far different then the normal theatrical version, with alot of background detail given as to how riddick became who he is, why the various charactors are out for each other, and much more intense "invasion" scene. this version is about 15 minutes longer then the standard version of this movie.

[Kunaak]

Movie - Troy.

Television Used: Vizio 42 inch LCD.

Display Format:1080i

Disc Type:HD-DVD

Playback Source:Xbox 360 HD DVD player, Via Component Video.


Impressions:

Image Quality: this really wasnt a movie that blew me away in any real sense, as far as showing off the capabilities of HD DVD, and I think I can say why.
The director of photography of this Movie seems to have chosen alot of long lenses for this movie, cause alot of the shots in this movie have alot of shallow depth of field to the shots, or a very shot focusing plane. either by direct effect of the long lenses used, and wide apetures. so the majority of the shots, are blurred on purpose.
while this is great for a overall photographic effect, of making only what you want people to focus on, the center of attention, visually, this isnt really gonna do much to make High Definition really shine.
Now there are a few beautiful scene of the movie, but they are more or less only cause the location itself is amazing, like the crystal clear waters of greece and such.
But sadly, I would not say this is the movie thats really gonna blow you away, as far as visual quality goes. its good. but nothing drastic here.

Sound Quality: The sound is where this movie seems to truely shine. The sound people of this movie did a excellent job in every aspect, from sound effects, to dialog, to the music, and the choices of the tempo of the music in each scene.
This is a great movie, if you want to immerse yourself, with a nice high quality surround sound system, and feel the sounds of the battles.



Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?

Yes, I saw this one on DVD a few years ago, and parts of it on cable, but never the whole thing.

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?

thats kinda hard to say really, see, theres nothing wrong with the movie per say, just, its really not the movie thats gonna blow you away with the detail of High Definition movies.
but on the other hand, the sound, and sound quality of the movie, are pretty exceptional. I'd say its a 4.

When did you watch this movie?

Just got done with it a few minutes ago.

How was the Movie?

Well, thats a tricky one. see, overall, I feel like the story is filled with idiots, and people ignoring logic, and good advice, choosing instead to stick thier head in the sand, and hope "the gods" make things all better.
at every moment the king of Troy is given good advice that would have saved the people of his rule, he ignored it completly, and went on superstition, and dumb logic.
at every moment hector had a good way to save his people, he too ignored logic, and instead gambled his whole city, hoping some how, he could make everything better... and really, only doomed them all from the beginning.
and Paris... I can't even start on that charactor.
all in all, every major charactor in Troy seemed ignorant, and hell bent on destroying themself, to defend a man, that stole another mans wife.
the saving grace of this movie, is the fact that brad pitt makes the charactor of Achilles, a memorable, and interesting charactor.
if it werent for brad pitt, I honestly dont think this movie would have made it.
its a great movie, a truely epic movie, that almost anyone can enjoy.
but it straddles so close to idiotic, in how much the charactors of troy chose to ignore all logic, that you just wanna say "dude what the hell are you doing man, just send her back... let this war be done..." or "look, if your brothers gotta die, to save 30,000 of your own people, then too bad, I am sorry, but I can't sympathize with you, with so many other lives are at stake".
overall, its a great movie, but can be alittle frustrating to watch if you think about it too much, watching so many, so ignorantly walk right to thier doom.
I give it a 4 outta 5.

[Kunaak]

Movie - Lost in Translation.

Television Used:Vizio 42 inch LCD 1080P Version.

Display Format:1080i (limit of 360HD over component cables)

Disc Type:HD-DVD

Playback Source: Xbox 360 HD DVD player.


Impressions:

Image Quality:at first I wasnt too impressed, this movie has a great deal of very dark and very light shades in alot of scenes, so my normal color settings werent good enough, as it was producing a annoying blue fog, over the edge of anything really dark, like his suit.
after 10 minutes tweaking it, I found, alittle less contrast, and up the brightness alittle should do the trick if you have the same issue.
first movie I had that happen in...

once past all that, the movie itself is rather beautiful. maybe its just the background is Tokyo, maybe its just cause I like scarlett johanson and am alittle bias.
But I cannot say this is a movie thats top grade HD material.
its good, but not spectacular.

Sound Quality:my impression of the sound is alittle mixed.
at first, I thought the sound was very dull... like just lacking in basic ambient noises... like sounds of the city.
then later, the sound seemed almost overpowering, like too loud. going from very somber scenes, to very loud ones in just a few seconds.
but I honestly had no complaint either way.
nothing stood out as amazing, but nothing was terrible either.


Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?

Yes, a few years ago on DVD, but I have little to no memory of it.

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?

It's HD, its definatly noticably better then a typical DVD, but nothing thats gonna wow you from a tech standpoint.
a 2 outta 5.

When did you watch this movie?

yesterday night.

How was the Movie?

This is hard to be objective with, see on one hand, I loved the story... I mean, it clearly gives a feeling of two very lost people, finding some small amount of happyness in each others company, and such...
and theres a great deal of details in the story that arent exactly obvious, until you think about them... like the first time he slept in all his time in japan... was when they were talking on the bed.
same with her.
look into scenes like that, and you will find alot of subtle twists to the story.
sometimes its funny. sometimes its strange.
sometimes alittle sad, like when you can almost feel how empty thier lives are. him with the wife that is so use to him... that she really doesnt seem to love him, but more, need him for the money, and "father figure", not so much for love, or want to be with him.
her, with the successful husband, and being half way around the world, alone... and worse yet, having no one to talk to at home shown by her phone calls that end cause they basically ignored her.
it really makes me wonder, if all this happend to sophia copolla (the writer).

but all in all, while I personally like the story alot, I am very aware, that it can seem like it drags on, and theres no happy ending, no big love scene, no dramatic romeo and juliet moments.
so its more of a pure story driven movie...
which is a very hard sell these days, in a world where 100 million dollar movies are all anyone really wants to see, or movies with julia roberts falling in love again, or that british guy that got caught with the hooker.

while I personally love this movie, I will be unbias, and just say its a 3 outta 5, since I know, most people will find it kinda long to watch, and slow paced.

[NickS]

Television Used: Samsung 46" DLP HLS4676S

Sound: Onkyo TX-SR674 w/ Definitive Tech BP-10's up front, Def. Tech Bipolar Surrounds, Def. Tech Center Channel & Paradigm PS-1200 Sub

Display Format:720p

Disc Type: HD-DVD

Playback Source: Toshiba A-20 --> HDMI --> Onkyo TX-SR674 --> HDMI --> TV

Impressions:

Image Quality: If you've seen it in the movies, you surely noticed there was an artificial grain added. No, this doesn't take away from the movie at all, it actually enhances the feel of war and death. The movie overall looked amazing; the slow motion scenes during battle were, to be blunt, kick ass. You could literally see the sweat on their faces during these parts. This is how HD is supposed to be. Some may think the movie is a bit dark, but it's not. If your TV is properly calibrated you'll be able to see everything with immense detail.

Sound Quality: Wow. Just wow. Don't even bother watching this movie if you don't have a good multi-channel setup. The bass and surround effects in this movie will rock your world (and your house). It's extremely crisp, and when Leonidas screams SPARTAAAAAAAAAA and when the army chants, you want to chant with them.

Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD? Nope

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect? Visually a 4 just because the movie has a relatively linear color scheme (dark red, black, etc). Sound wise, definitely a 5/5. It is just awesome, it borderline gets your adrenaline going.

When did you watch this movie? About a week ago.

How was the Movie?

5/5. Some may say it's a guys kind of movie, but there is romance in it too so your girlfriend/wife/SO will enjoy it as well.

[Kunaak]

Movie Planet Earth.

I am gonna keep this one simple.

all the same hardware as before. HDDVD. 1080i.

Unbelievably beautiful.
easily the most beautiful example of true High Definition as it was natively filmed in HD (Not Converted) and the photography of the entire series is top knotch.

to put it bluntly, its the most incredibly beautiful example of what HD can look like. worth every second.
rent it or buy it, either way, its worth seeing.

its a documentry series, so if you dont like that, well, its not worth your time. but if you do like documentries, get this.

trust me, its worth it.

5 outta 5.

[s7e9h3n]

A little OT, but just want to add - as an owner of both the MS HD-DVD player and a Toshiba stand-alone HDDVD player - there's no doubt in my mind that hands down the HW decoding of the Toshiba absolutely blows away Microsoft's use of software decoding with their player. While the image from the MS unit is still quite good, the Toshiba's is brilliant.....

I own all the movies above and agree with the reviewers...Kunaak hits the nail right on the head re: Planet Earth :up:

[Movieman]

A little OT, but just want to add - as an owner of both the MS HD-DVD player and a Toshiba stand-alone HDDVD player - there's no doubt in my mind that hands down the HW decoding of the Toshiba absolutely blows away Microsoft's use of software decoding with their player. While the image from the MS unit is still quite good, the Toshiba's is brilliant.....

I own all the movies above and agree with the reviewers...Kunaak hits the nail right on the head re: Planet Earth :up:

Toshiba has always made top equipment IMO..not the frills but the guts

[aCKs3r]

I when I get back home I will try to through up a few blu-ray reviews but for the time being I always go to http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/reviews.php

[itznfb]

I'm posting my experience for Troy in relation to Kunaak's HD-DVD version.

Television Used: Samsung LN-T4665F

Display Format: 1080p

Disc Type: Blu-ray

Playback Source: PS3 via HDMI

Impressions: unlike Kunaak's impression, this actually blew me away. in every aspect of the HD sense. i actually went into this viewing experience with very low expectations for some reason but was more than pleasantly surprised. it felt like i was there throughout the movie.

Image Quality: image quality was amazing. crystal clear, dark blacks, bright accurate colors, amazingly sharp.

Sound Quality: great HD experience. its sound quality like this that makes Blu-ray worth it.


Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?
yes... i actually was playing the standard DVD on an oppo DVD player about 30 seconds behind the Blu-ray version on my 2nd hdmi connection. this is where i really felt the difference of the Blu-ray version. it really was amazing.

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?
5/5

When did you watch this movie?
about 2 weeks ago

How was the Movie?
well... it's a great movie. very entertaining. but very disappointing on accuracy of the story. it doesn't follow the actual myths at all. whereas a movie like 300 was equally entertaining AND followed not only the myths from the battle, but also incorporated a lot the facts that we know about it.

[[XC] leviathan18]

Movie:Iron Man

Television Used: dell 2407fpw

Display Format: 1080p

Disc Type: Blu-ray

Playback Source: computer

Impressions:
god the desert parts looks amazin, the making of the armor and when you see it in the hot rod red it look stunning is one of the best movies to get for HD show off

Sound Quality: excelente sound quality


Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?
yes i have it in dvd and the difference is huge

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?
5/5

When did you watch this movie?
yesterday

How was the Movie?
a nice summer flick i saw it in theaters and i wanted to have it in my personal media, a nice fun movie to watch a sunday night.

[Kallenator]

If you have trouble seeing clear difference between a BD and a DVD on a medium sized LCD screen you are nothing but sane, the awesomeness so to speak does not excel before at least 70" on a decent 1080p projector.

Another thing which should be mentioned, if you haven't calibrated your screen then you are in for a treat. It's pretty much mandatory and is neither hard nor very time consuming.
I recommend this BD for the task, it explains test patterns and how to use them. This exist for HD-DVD, BD and DVD.
http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/3475913/Digital-Video-Essentials-HD-Basics/Product.html

As for checking out if a BD or a HD-DVD has good enough quality to worth the HD mark, check out:

www.blu-ray.com
www.highdefdigest.com

[coyotetu]

If you have trouble seeing clear difference between a BD and a DVD on a medium sized LCD screen you are nothing but sane, the awesomeness so to speak does not excel before at least 70" on a decent 1080p projector.
That is more a function of viewing distance than anything else.

A good reference:
http://www.gadgetell.com/images/2007/03/resolution_chart.png

[Kallenator]

That is more a function of viewing distance than anything else.

A good reference:


I agree, but there is something overwhelming about watching a movie projected on a big screen than on an LCD. At equivalent viewing distances. I am probably just a bit spoiled here so nvm :p

[coyotetu]

I agree, but there is something overwhelming about watching a movie projected on a big screen than on an LCD. At equivalent viewing distances. I am probably just a bit spoiled here so nvm :p

To that, I'd say you'd be welcome to take a look at my Pioneer KRP-500M plasma (proportional viewing distance, that is) and maybe you'd see the appeal. Not possible though, obviously.

For my situation, I'm pretty much right on the "full benefit of 1080p is apparent" line. I adapt my situation to my desired equipment, I'm always a bit perplexed at people with 12', 14', even 20' viewing distances, just doesn't lend itself to any other tech than front projection, which just isn't for me.

Edit: Apologies for the OT.

[Kallenator]

To that, I'd say you'd be welcome to take a look at my Pioneer KRP-500M plasma (proportional viewing distance, that is) and maybe you'd see the appeal. Not possible though, obviously.

For my situation, I'm pretty much right on the "full benefit of 1080p is apparent" line. I adapt my situation to my desired equipment, I'm always a bit perplexed at people with 12', 14', even 20' viewing distances, just doesn't lend itself to any other tech than front projection, which just isn't for me.

Edit: Apologies for the OT.

Indeed, sorry about the OT, last comment.

I would love to watch a movie on that screen, such amazing color accuracy and excellent black level ;)
Pioneer Plasma screens are legendary.

[Renemity73]

We bought about 2 1/2 week an LG Blue Ray/HD DVD player from Future Shop at pretty full price at 699.00. Now that HD DVD are probably on their way out, should I return the player and get something else at what seems to be at a lower price on just a Blue Ray player?
I would appreciate your input on this delima.

Thanks
Bernard
Ottawa

[Donnie27]

Toshiba has always made top equipment IMO..not the frills but the guts

QFT!
LOL! Edit, Movie Wall-E

Format.
Blue Ray

Television Used:
Toshiba REGZA Cinema Series 46XV645U 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV

Display Format:
1080P

Disc Type:
Blue Ray

Playback Source:
LG BD 370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player via HDMI 1.3a to a Pioneer VSX-819H receiver-->Monster DIYer Speakers + Sony 200W center. WALL-E using True HD with great affect.

Impressions:
I Love it!!!!!!!

Image Quality:
5 with TV set to Game mode. Makes Animated movies look better to us.

Sound Quality:
5 Using DTS Master Audio in 5.1 mode.

Other Info.
5, I rented and liked it so much to test out the system. I went back and bought the Blue Ray Disc later for myself.

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?
5

When did you watch this movie?
2 weeks ago on BD and 4 weeks on DVD.

How was the Movie?
Sweet!! Something for My wife, 6 year old and I enjoyed!

Lastly, Rate it, 1 to 5.
5

Sound did it for me almost as much as the movie I liked. Had to have friends with better system verify that sweeping sounds weren't a placebo or etc...One with a system twice the cost of mine was shocked, in a good way!

Also, BEWARE! Avoid older movies on Blue RAY!!!!!!!!! Both Top Gun and Men In Black 1 looked NO different on Blue Ray than their DVD counterparts. If Top Gun didn't win an Oscar for Sound they were Robbed!!!!! Still one of the best Dolby Digital jobs I've ever heard.

[Donnie27]

http://i488.photobucket.com/albums/rr245/Donnie27_photos/NewGrills.jpg

The above system!

[Kallenator]

Format.
Blu-ray

Television Used:
Sony HW10
Adeo 90" Greyvision (16:9)

Display Format:
1080p

Disc Type:
Blu-ray

Playback Source:
Sony BDP-S550

Impressions:

Image Quality:
Absolutely Sublime!

Sound Quality:
Almost Excellent, good sound mix, delightful and powerful base, but I missed just a little more surround action.

Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?
Nop.

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?
9/10, Reference Image quality and probably reference sound in an Home cinema with better surround.

When did you watch this movie?
Today.

How was the Movie?
Buy it! You can't go wrong here on any level. It's funny as hell, great dialog and lot's of Sci-fi references for us geeks ^^


Another remark I want to add, the PS3 has really gotten a Video upgrade with the Slim version, it now looks just as excellent as the BDP-S550. And the sound can be extracted via bit stream, so if you have hardware to decode it then that is solved to! ;)

[Donnie27]

Format.
Blu-ray


Monsters vs Aliens


+1

I love the sound on my system and it gets a 9 (tech-wise).

[Kallenator]

Format.
Blu-ray

Television Used:
JVC HD1
Dreamscreen 92" (16:9)

Display Format:
1080p

Disc Type:
Blu-ray

Playback Source:
Panasonic DMP-BD35

Impressions:

Image Quality:
Excellent, it delivers a slight yellowish picture, not unlike the one in "The Bank Job", filmed on 35 mm with a perfect amount of smooth grain.

Sound Quality:
This is no action movie so the soundtrack is not that "impressive", however what it delivers it delivers with great depth and quality. As you might have guessed there is a lot of old music in this movie and it sounds amazing!

Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?
Nop.

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?
8/10, A very pretty picture although not technically top notch, the sound is just great for what kind of movie this is, it delivers perfectly.

When did you watch this movie?
Today.

How was the Movie?
It's a feel-good movie, hands down, but not entirely of the normal sort. It's filled with great dialog, funny/awkward cheese and amusing personality's, from a good handful of great actors. I give this movie a strong 8 out of 10.

[Kallenator]

Format.
Blu-ray

Television Used:
JVC HD1
Dreamscreen 92" (16:9)

Display Format:
1080p

Disc Type:
Blu-ray

Playback Source:
Panasonic DMP-BD35

Impressions:

Image Quality:
Oh my, its stunning! We are talking reference!

Sound Quality:
Again, reference! Excellently mixed, good surround action and plenty earth shaking base!

Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD?
Nop.

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect?
Among the best I have ever seen. 10/10*

When did you watch this movie?
Today.

How was the Movie?
I am no Star Trek fan, and I have seen little of both the series and the older movies. However what I have seen I have had a tendency to like and the case was no different with this movie. I find it very entertaining and surprisingly satisfactorily on a nerdy point of view. I give this a firm and tall 8 out of 10!

*There was some minor errors in the picture. Very trivial though so not enough to give it one less grade.

[BigDK]

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Television Used: Pioneer PDP-LX5090

Display Format: 1080P 24FPS 36Bit

Disc Type:BD

Playback Source: Pioneer BDP-LX71


Impressions: Enjoyable film, gets better as it goes along

Image Quality: Perfect, very deep clear colours 9/10

Sound Quality: Impressive 8/10 5.1 Surround system


Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD? No

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect? 9/10

When did you watch this movie? Feb 2010

How was the Movie? Wasn't sure it was going to be my sort of thing, got it for the kids, but we all enjoyed it.
It was a clever film, with good humour and stunning picture, and impressive sound.

[BigDK]

It’s a Wonderful Life

Television Used: Pioneer PDP-LX5090

Display Format: 1080P 24 FPS 36 Bit

Disc Type: Blu-Ray

Playback Source: Pioneer BDP-LX71


Impressions: Excellent film, made better by quality reworking for BD

Image Quality: Excellent, clear and detailed

Sound Quality: Clear and crisp


Other Info.

Have you seen this movie before on DVD or some other form of Non HD? Yes DVD

How do you rate this movie, on a purely technical aspect? Excellent in this format, makes the film far more enjoyable, audio is now perfect.

When did you watch this movie? Dec 2009

How was the Movie? Brilliantly done, very charming, a timeless classic