Hawaii Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Hawaii Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 4, 2022

Longtime visitors to this site in general and readers of my reviews in particular may recall that several years ago one of the principals of a certain "designer label" went a little (a lot?) ballistic with yours truly when, due to the "Wiki" side of this site, one or more members started adding end dates for exclusive retailer listings for that label's releases based on assumptions of when a three year licensing deal would end. While it probably wasn't wise for members to assume an end date for a licensing deal based on when an item first went to market (which is what I think happened in that instance), the fact is licensing deals for various titles are rarely if ever held in perpetuity, and collectors of Blu-rays probably have at least one "niche" item that may have come out on more than one label, due to that very situation. Relevantly, in terms of the anecdote I've just shared, it looks like some previous releases from Twilight Time are now coming out via other labels, including this new label called Sandpiper Pictures.

As alluded to above, Hawaii had a Blu-ray release back in 2016 from Twilight Time. Those interested in a plot recap and my reactions to the film (it's a perhaps surprising favorite of mine) are encouraged to read my Hawaii Blu-ray review. That review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons. There's no doubt that the Twilight Time release offered better supplements, as this disc contains only a trailer.

Hawaii Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hawaii is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This is for all intents and purposes virtually identical looking to the transfer Twilight Time offered several years ago, down to and including some of the nicks and scratches I specifically pointed out in my review of that version. This offering arguably has slightly different color timings on occasion, with the Twilight Time release looking just a bit more greenish, but it's such a slight difference that I don't want anyone to think it's anything of any major import. The same deficits that I noted in my review of the Twilight Time release are still in evidence here, but by the same token, so are the positives. This is generally a nicely suffused and decently detailed offering that may not be as burnished as some fans of the film may wish, but which provides a worthwhile viewing experience. I didn't notice any compression issues, and things like grain resolution looked fine to me. As with my review of the Twilight Time disc, my "real' score here is probably down in the 3.0 to 3.5 range, depending on any individual scene.

Hawaii Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hawaii's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track on this disc struck my ears as virtually interchangeable with the DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track on the Twilight Time disc. Those interested may want to peruse the audio section of my Hawaii Blu-ray review of the Twilight Time version, as well as my entire Thoroughly Modern Millie Blu-ray review for my thoughts on Elmer Bernstein's score for this film, which I personally consider to be a (pun unavoidable) high water mark for this particular composer. As with the Twilight Time track, music, effects and dialogue are all rendered without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available (and burnt in subtitles accompany some brief dialogue in Hawaiian).

Hawaii Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 3:04)

Hawaii Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It looks like the Twilight Time version of Hawaii is going for some pretty steep prices at the usual online emporia, so unless you're willing to shell out considerable dough and want this film in your collection, this new release from Sandpiper Pictures is probably the way to go. Technical merits are virtually identical to the Twilight Time release, though this disc has no supplements other than the trailer. With caveats noted, Recommended.