6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Sean Connery stars as the dynamic 007, on the trail of a diamond smuggler who leads him on a nerve-shattering chase through Amsterdam, Los Angeles and eventually, glittery Las Vegas.
Starring: Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray (I), Lana Wood, Jimmy DeanAction | 100% |
Adventure | 96% |
Thriller | 74% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital Mono (Original)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French: DTS 5.1
German: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The gadgets. The guns. The girls. The exotic locales and sexy cars. The white-knuckle action sequences. The suave flirting and cheeky double entendres. He's been played by six actors—Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig—but there's only one Bond, James Bond. Every man wants to be him, and every woman wants to be with him. (Some men too, I'm sure.) He's the epitome of super-spy cool, and for fifty years now—fifty years!—he's been an indelible part of our pop-culture consciousness. In terms of universal recognition, Bond is right up there with Mickey Mouse and Darth Vader and Superman. Everyone knows his name, knows he likes his martinis "shaken, not stirred," and knows his favorite pistol is the compact Walther PPK. You're probably even humming or whistling the iconic 007 theme song to yourself right now, and if you aren't, I guarantee it'll worm its way into your brain sometime in the next five minutes. Instantly, more like. Admit it, it's playing on a loop in your head right now. Bond isn't just a franchise, it's a revered institution. Yes, there have been a few duds along the way, but over the span of twenty-two films—soon to be twenty-three, with the upcoming Skyfall—the series has defined the international espionage sub-genre, all the while reflecting the cultural and political changes of its times. Sure, in one sense, these are just action movies—popcorn entertainments— but for their fans, these films are the height of cinematic escapism.
Like's it's new-to-Blu-ray predecessors, You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever looks fantastic in high definition, with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer restored by Lowry Digital. I'd even say these late '60s, early '70s Bond films look better than the Brosnan-era ones. (Especially the heavily DNR'd GoldenEye.) Diamonds' print is practically spotless, and the image seems entirely natural and faithful to its 35mm source, with no heavy noise reduction or visible edge enhancement. The anamorphic lensing yields a picture that's often terrifically sharp—the screen shots give don't quite do it justice—and compared side-by-side to the DVD, the level of clarity is greatly improved, with finer detail in facial features, closeups of props, and clothing textures. The sunny desert color scheme is handled beautifully too, with clean blues and well-saturated sand, balanced skin tones and spot-on contrast. Finally, sitting on a dual-layer disc, the film is free of compression issues. You really couldn't ask for more.
Along with the other vintage films in the series—made before multi-channel soundscapes were the norm—the original audio elements of Diamonds Are Forever have been lightly expanded into a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The results are satisfying, giving the film a newly immersive quality that especially heightens the action sequences. Diamonds isn't quite as engaging, audio-wise, as some of its predecessors, with most of the output still anchored up front, but the rear channels are used occasionally for ambience and effects. A helicopter moving between channels. Circus clamor. Insect sounds in the desert. You the idea. The 5.1 mix has the biggest effect on composer John Barry's score, which now fills all speakers when it swells and surges, and the innuendo-laced title song, sung by Shirley Bassey, who was brought back after Goldfinger. Dialogue is consistently clear and easy to understand, and the disc includes several dub and subtitle options; see above for details.
MI6 Commentary: David Nailer guides us through a patchwork track consisting of interviews with director Guy
Hamilton and various members of the cast and crew.
Declassified: MI6 Vault
Taking the series in a kooky turn after the comparatively moribund On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Sean Connery's Diamonds Are Forever is one of the kitschiest franchise entries, with waka-waka innuendo galore and some ridiculous chase sequences. (A getaway on a lunar buggy? Bond tooling around on a tiny three-wheeler?) It's no top-tier Bond film, but it's plenty of fun. And it looks devilishly good on Blu-ray too, with a new high definition transfer that's a more-than- solid upgrade from the old DVD release. The film is available in the Bond 50 set, but you can currently find the standalone release at Walmart as a timed exclusive. Recommended!
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