Land of the Dead Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Land of the Dead Blu-ray Movie Review

My colleague Marty Liebman reviewed the first American high-def release of George A. Romero's Land of the Dead nearly ten years ago. To read Marty's analysis of the film and Universal Studios' BD, please click here.

Land of the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shout! has rolled out an expansive two-disc Collector's Edition of Land of the Dead, with bells and whistles both old and new. Universal released the uncut/unrated version nearly a decade ago and Shout! has put it on disc two here. New to Blu-ray is the high-def debut of the theatrical cut on disc one. Inexplicably, Universal released this R-rated version in the US on DVD in only the ratio of 1.33:1! By contrast, the movie was presented in its native CinemaScope in both France and Holland on SD discs. The theatrical version appears in a ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on the MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Both cuts sport average video bitrates of 35000 kbps while the total bitrates range from 43-47 Mbps for the full discs. Shout! has made new 2K scans from both prints' interpositives. Recall that the '08 Universal employed the VC-1 codec (18993 kbps) on a BD-25. That disc's transfer was a rehash of the 2006 HD-DVD and was noticeably sharper and clearer than the hazy DVD. Authoring and compression are technically superior on each of Shout!'s discs.

A fairly thick layer of grain is sustained throughout the picture. For the opening main titles, Romero and cinematographer Miroslaw Baszak either employed a filter or did some tinkering with the color timing in post to give the image a blue/gray palette. See screenshot #2 above and #20 of a most iconic shot of a female zombie. Facial complexions vary based on the time of day and the light sources. The 2.40:1 presentation remains stable and consistent throughout sans any jittering or telecine wobbles. I think that both transfers look rather similar to the 2008 BD. There are some white speckles and dirt that crop up on the Shout! For a 2005 production, these shouldn't be there in the first place unless Unviersal/Shout was working from a moderately worn theatrical print and didn't want to expunge any of the grain.

There are a dozen scene selections available for each cut.

Land of the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

On the theatrical cut, Shout has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (4254 kbps, 24-bit) and a downsampled DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo track (2055 kbps, 24-bit). Likewise, on the uncut version, there is both a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround (4185 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo downconversion (2066 kbps, 24-bit). The 5.1 mixes are the obvious and preferable listening options. Fidelity is outstanding. Dialogue has clear pitches and cadences. The treble levels are flawless and the lossless mixes really bring out some thunderous roars during the explosions. The bikers' engines sound raw and crisp. Range is deeply resonant and practically unlimited in acoustical scope. This is a highly satisfying presentation and demo worthy.

Shout! has incorporated optional English SDH for both cuts.

Land of the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

DISC ONE: Theatrical Cut (1:32:54, 1080p)

• NEW Cholo's Reckoning - An Interview with Actor John Leguizamo (15:37, 1080p)

• NEW Charlie's Story – An Interview with Actor Robert Joy (15:09, 1080p)

• NEW The Pillsbury Factor – An Interview with Actor Pedro Miguel Arce (17:29, 1080p) -

• NEW Four of the Apocalypse – An Interview with Actors Eugene Clark, Jennifer Baxter, Boyd Banks, and Jasmin Geljo (18:50, 1080p)

• Dream of the Dead: The Director's Cut with Optional Commentary by Director Roy Frumkes (24:40, 1080i) -

• Deleted Footage from Dream of the Dead (18:03, 1080i)

• Deleted Scenes (2:55, 1080p)

• Photo Gallery (9:12, 1080p)

• Theatrical Trailer (1:45, 1080p)

• NEW Audio Commentary With Zombie Performers Matt Blazi, Glena Chao, Michael Felsher, and Rob Mayr

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director George A. Romero, Producer Peter Grunwald, and Editor Michael Doherty

• Undead Again: The Making of Land of the Dead (12:56, 1080p)

• Bringing the Dead to Life (9:31, 1080p)

• Scenes of Carnage (1:42, 1080p)

• Zombie Effects: From Green Screen to Finished Scene (3:18, 1080p)

• Scream Test – CGI Test (1:05, 1080p)

• Bringing the Storyboards to Life (7:54, 1080p)

• A Day with the Living Dead hosted by John Leguizamo (7:34, 1080p)

• When Shaun Met George (12:59, 1080p)

Land of the Dead Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Land of the Dead has a little something of everything to satisfy all fans of zombie cinema. I believe it was a gross overstatement on Universal's marketing department, however, to anoint it as Romero's "ultimate zombie masterpiece" in the trailers for this created way too high expectations. Nonetheless, I particularly appreciate how Romero changed up the scenes and filming locales while interweaving several subplots within the larger milieu. Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, and of course Dennis Hopper make this essential viewing for genre aficionados. Shout! Factory has rounded up all of Universal's bonus features (sans the U-Control function) and added four sets of new interviews as well as recorded a new audio commentary on the unrated version. I still think that the transfer needs some more work and my fingers are crossed for a 4K scan one day. It's a treat that we have both cuts and a host of extras. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.