8.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The story of an 18-year-old marine recruit named Private Joker - from his carnage-and-machismo boot camp to his climactic involvement in the heavy fighting in Hue during the 1968 Tet Offensive.
Starring: Matthew Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Dorian HarewoodDrama | 100% |
War | 46% |
History | 37% |
Melodrama | 27% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
You’re so ugly you could be a modern art masterpiece!
Ugly? This movie is anything but. Sure, on the surface it's very ugly. The language, the nonstop
torturous physical training, and the war can be and often is ugly and disgusting. Stanley Kubrick's
Full Metal Jacket is
such a beautifully crafted movie, however, that it really is a modern art masterpiece of film.
Platoon may have
walked away with the Oscars, but Full Metal Jacket is, bar none, the definitive Vietnam War
movie.
I'm not joking.
This presentation of Full Metal Jacket is extraordinary. I've never seen this film in
anything but a
4:3 presentation (which is the way Kubrick intended his films to be shown on home video), but
the
new, 1080p theatrical wide 1.85:1 version looks so much more natural. As today's home theater
systems are able to more closely replicate the theatrical experience, presenting this disc in its
theatrical aspect ratio rather than the home video 4:3 version is not a decision I am disappointed
with.
I don't have the old Blu-ray edition to compare this to, but from what I
understand
it's not a good looking transfer. Even without a direct comparison to the old Blu-ray, I have seen
this film countless times on VHS and DVD. This is the best I have ever seen it, bar none. This is
a
very lifelike image. I didn't notice any noise except in a few darker scenes, and even that was
miniscule. There are no noticeable specs or dirt on the print. The image is sharp and clear and
there is no edge enhancement to be seen. I'm simply ecstatic to have this film looking this good
on
Blu-ray. This is not a picture that will "pop" off your screen, but the source is in such good shape
and is so crystal clear, that this is certainly a joy to behold for a longtime fan of this movie. You
won't find Full Metal Jacket looking better anywhere else.
This is a good sounding track. Warner Brothers presents Full Metal Jacket with a 5.1 PCM uncompressed track along with the old standby, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track. There is not a lot of active surround sound during the first half of the film, but it certainly works well. Echos inside the barracks sound great. Bass heavy militaristic marching music sounds wonderful, as if it is being played by a live band in your living room. It is crisp and clean. Once the action switches to Vietnam, surrounds get much more active in the action sequences. Explosions and gunfire fill the room, immersing the viewer in the fighting. The "industrial," bass heavy, bearer-of-dread score for the combat and intense Parris Island scenes mixed in with popular music from the era for the more relaxed scenes works remarkably well in this film.
There are two primary supplements on this disc: a documentary and a feature commentary track
with Adam Baldwin
(Animal Mother), Vincent D'onofrio (Private Pyle), Lee Ermey (Gunnery Sergeant Hartman), and
Screenwriter/Author Jay Cocks. This commentary track is rather incongruous. Each participant
recorded
alone
and it never really flows. There is some good information here, but I must admit I was
disappointed
by the flow. Vincent D'Onofrio is the best participant of the bunch. He hangs around even after
his
character is no longer in the movie. He offers impressive insights into acting and the doors this
film
opened for him as an actor, the mind of Kubrick and his approach to the making of the film, and
reaction to the film and his character from family, friends, critics, and the public at large.
Full Metal Jacket: Between Good and Evil (480p, 30:49) is a look into Stanley Kubrick
and
his film. This feature delves into the inspiration for the film (namely the book Short
Timers
by Gustav Hasford) and the effect of other Vietnam movies (namely Apocalypse Now)
coming out as Kubrick was deciding to
make the film. The casting of Matthew Modine, Vincent D'onofrio,
and Lee Ermey is discussed at leangth. Vincent D'onofrio is genuinely grateful to Kubrick and this
role, crediting him
with
advancing his film career. Also discussed is filming in East London, and the challenge of making
London look like Hue City in Vietnam, and an alternate ending that was discussed but never
filmed. This is a solid documentary and is not to be missed by fans of this film.
Finally, Warner Brothers has included a theatrical trailer for this film, presented in 480p.
The debate will always rage as to which film is the best of the Vietnam war movies, but my money remains on Full Metal Jacket. Stanley Kubrick's phenomenal direction on top of several unforgettable characters make this a must see and a must own. This Blu-ray release is a remarkable upgrade from any version I have ever seen both visually and sonically. I wish there was more in the way of supplements, but what we get is good. This disc gets my highest recommendation.
1987
1987
Special Edition with Collectible Booklet & Senitype
1987
1987
1987
1987
1987
1987
Final Cut | 40th Anniversary Edition
1979
2008
1978
1986
1975
1957
1998
1964
1967
1980
1957
9 rota | Collector's Edition
2005
Includes Silent cut in SD
1930
1975
2008
2008
1964
2006
2005
1962