7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The raucous, romantic and sordid tale of Sid Vicious, a member of the legendary British punk group, The Sex Pistols, and his doomed relationship with his American girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.
Starring: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, Andrew Schofield, David Hayman, Courtney LoveDrama | 100% |
Music | 29% |
Biography | 4% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Alex Cox's "Sid & Nancy" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new video interviews with director Alex Cox, cinematography Roger Deakins, and DJ and musician Don Letts. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Junk love
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alex Cox's Sid & Nancy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.
The release is sourced from a beautiful new 4K master -- it is not the same master that was used for the U.S. release of the film back in 2011 -- that offers massive improvements in all major areas that we address in our reviews. Clarity and especially depth are now simply terrific and effectively bring back the intended vibrancy that was largely lost on the previous release. The darker footage from the hotels and clubs, in particular, looks vastly superior. Fluidity is also dramatically improved, and the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to appreciate the new and very pleasing density of the current master. Furthermore, there is an entirely new range of fresh and very healthy primary colors and nuances that match the film's bold and energetic style. Grain is well exposed and resolved. There is some room for minor optimizations, mostly during a few darker segments, but your viewing experience will not be affected by compression anomalies. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or other age-related imperfections to report in our review. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I think that balance and clarity are outstanding. There is excellent depth as well. The MGM disc has a 5.1 track, but I did some direct comparisons and think that the live performances as well as the basic dialog are actually served better by the 2.0 track. Balance in particular appears to be better managed on the 2.0 track. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.
I am not convinced that Sid & Nancy is the serious classic film that it is made out to be. It gets stuck somewhere between being an authentic documentary and a punk romantic drama and the closer one examines it, the clearer it becomes that it has some very serious credibility issues. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the very reason why Johnny Rotten has openly dismissed it. On the other hand, it is hard not to agree that it is a very colorful film with a cracking soundtrack that does leave an impression. StudioCanal's Blu-ray release is sourced from a brand new master that is vastly superior to the one MGM used a few years ago. It also comes with three exclusive new video interviews. RECOMMENDED.
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