Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Blue Thunder Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 21, 2017

John Badham's "Blue Thunder" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival featurettes; and audio commentary by director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The helicopter

Roy Scheider is Frank Murphy, a psychotic Vietnam vet who gets a chance to test a brand new helicopter that can be used as the ultimate surveillance machine. The sophisticated equipment on board of the helicopter can ‘see’ and ‘hear’ anyone and everything because it can capture images and record sounds even when they are hidden behind the thick walls of residential and government buildings. For the owners of the helicopter the world would be like an open book that they could browse through whenever they wish to do so.

While flying the helicopter over LA Frank and his younger partner (Danny Stern, Friends, Lovers, & Lunatics) witness the murder of a prominent councilwoman during a rape attempt, but later on they accidentally discover that the entire event was actually staged by powerful people working for the government. When Frank decides to expose them, his life suddenly spins out of control.

There are a couple of things that make John Badham’s action thriller Blue Thunder special. The first is the fact that it accurately predicted that in the not so distant future the U.S. government will have the equipment to surveil everyone without being held responsible for its actions. The legal structures to prevent this type of activity would still be in place, but the technology would become so advanced that it would be too easy for shadow figures with agendas to bypass them. The U.S. government now has such equipment and the only difference between the film’s reality and our reality is that instead of using a helicopter the current shadow figures can utilize all sorts of different powerful satellites, silent drones, and untraceable supercomputers.

The action sequences are also superbly executed. This film is one of the last that Hollywood produced in the early ‘80s without the use of fancy computerized effects and a lot of the visuals are pretty incredible even by contemporary standards. The fancy helicopter Frank operates is real as well and even the craziest footage at the end was done without advanced simulation. (In the archival audio commentary that is included on the disc Badham and editor Frank Morriss also reveal that they were offered live ammunition to use for some of the action sequences, but they immediately refused because there were already plenty of concerns about the type of work that was being done).

Aside from the incredible action footage the film does not have much else to offer, but the cast is certainly not to blame. Warren Oates and Malcolm McDowell also join the fun, though both are past their prime. (Sadly, Oates passed away about a month after shooting of the film ended).

Bedham worked with cinematographer John Alonzo, who is probably best known now for lensing Chinatown and Scarface.

Blue Thunder Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Badham's Blue Thunder arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Via Vision Entertainment.

Blue Thunder was released on Blu-ray by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2009 and this Australian release is sourced from the same master that was used for the North American release. I like it a lot and think that it is one of the best masters that Sony used early into the high-definition format's life cycle.

Depth remains enormously pleasing throughout the entire film. Despite the fact that portions of the film are shot with restricted lighting and could be quite dark, clarity is also terrific. I did not see any issues with shadow definition collapsing and creating distracting anomalies, though I sense that a few spots could look better. The color scheme is lovely -- the primaries are stable and there are nice and healthy nuances. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is excellent. There are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, torn frames, or other age-related imperfections to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Blue Thunder Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. However, you have to use your remote control to access them as they do not appear on the main menu. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The lossless track handles the film's elaborate action sequences incredibly well. Depth and clarity are outstanding while separation is about as good as one can expect it to be for a film of this age and caliber. Also, I would like to specifically mention that there are some surround effects that really make quite a difference during the shootouts. The dialog is always stable, clean, and easy to follow.

Blue Thunder Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer - original U.S. theatrical trailer for Blue Thunder. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• 1983 Promotional Featurette - this archival promotional featurette has clips from interviews with dierctor John Badham, star Roy Scheider, and other cast members. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Ride with the Angles: Making Blue Thunder - this archival featurette takes a closer look at the production history of Blue Thunder, the casting choices its creators made, and the shooting of some of the more technically challenging sequences from the film. Included in it are clips from numerous interviews with cast and crew members. In English, not subtitled. (45 min).

• "The Special" - Building Blue Thunder - this archival featurette focuses on the construction of the Blue Thunder helicopter that is seen in the film. Director John Badham and other tech crew members discuss in great detail some of the obstacles that they had to overcome to have the helicopter look as they wanted it. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary features director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman and it has appeared on previous releases of Blue Thunder. It is a very technical commentary full of detailed information about the shooting of specific sequences in LA, the use of light and shadow (shooting at night was quite challenging at the time), the performances by some of the cast members, etc.

Blue Thunder Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Badham's Blue Thunder is one of the best and most authentic action thrillers from the early '80s. Its story is rather predictable, but the action footage more than makes up for any flaws that the film might have. I've lost count of how many times I purchased the film on various formats, but predictably the Blu-ray offers the best technical presentation. This Australian release of Blue Thunder is sourced from Sony's excellent master and has all of the supplemental features that are included on the North American release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.