6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Knightriders is the story of a troupe of motorcyclists who are members of a traveling Renaissance Faire. They move from town to town staging full medieval jousting tournaments with combatants in suits of armor, wielding lances, battle-axes, maces and broadswords. The spectacle of this magnificent pageant soon garners national attention much to the dismay of the current king of this Camelot.
Starring: Ed Harris, Tom Savini, Gary Lahti, Amy Ingersoll, Patricia TallmanAdventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.84:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
George A. Romero's "Knightriders" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer and TV spots; audio commentary with George A. Romero, Tom Savini, actor John Amplas, and Christine Romero; and video interviews with actors Ed Harris, Tom Savini, and Patricia Tallman. The release also arrives with a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring: "The Knights of King George" by Brad Stevens; "Swashbuckling Symphony: An Interview with Donald Rubinstein" conducted by Calum Waddell; and "Knight After Night With George Romero" by Dan Yakir. Also included is a reversible cover with original poster art. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The wounded King
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, George A. Romero's Knightriders arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.
There are no traces of excessive denoising corrections. Edge-enhancement is also not a serious issue of concern. Color reproduction is also very good - there is a good range of warm but very natural blues, greens, reds, browns, and grays.
Needless to say, the film has a very solid and very pleasing organic look. When blown through a digital projector, depth and especially fluidity are certainly some of the best I've seen on older films in Arrow Video's catalog. Close-ups in particular are often quite wonderful (see screencapture #4). There is no edge flicker. Also, there are no large damage marks, debris, cuts, or stains (I only noticed a couple of extremely small flecks). Lastly, there are no serious compression anomalies to report in this review. To sum it all up, this is a very solid organic presentation of Knightriders which is guaranteed to please fans of the film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The lossless track is excellent. It has a very good range of nuanced dynamics that effectively enhance the many action sequences throughout the film. Donald Rubinstein's score also gets a strong boost. The dialog is exceptionally clean, stable, and always easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
If you are a fan of George A. Romero's work but have never before seen Knightriders, my advice is to find a way to rent it first. I think that one has to be in a certain state of mind to enjoy it. If you have already seen the film and like it, place your orders with confidence - Knightriders looks beautiful in high-definition. As usual, Arrow Video have also included a wealth of supplemental features as well as a very elegant 36-page illustrated booklet.
1984
Black Label 039 | Limited Edition
1982
1985
2018
1982
Limited Edition
1986
1990
1983
1980
1981
Flesh and Blood / Eureka Classics
1985
2005
1974
2010
2019
2016
2014
2012
Remastered
1973
Black Label 009
1977