7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Lenny Nero sells dreams and hustles nightmares, dealing in real-life experiences through a new technology that makes every sensation immediate. But on the eve of the new millennium, Lenny and his street-savvy friend and conscience, Mace, are suddenly caught in a deadly fantasy of conspiracy, murder and betrayal--plunging them into the bleak heart of the nightworld he has always inhabited.
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Michael WincottThriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German, German SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Kathryn Bigelow's "Strange Days" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Kinowelt Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include trailers; cast and crew interviews; featurettes; deleted scenes; production notes; and more. In English, with optional German and German SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The issue isn't whether you are paranoid, Lenny. The issue is whether you are paranoid enough.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Kinowelt Home Entertainment.
This Blu-ray release of Strange Days represents a massive upgrade in quality over the old R1 SDVD release of the film, which 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment produced in 2004 - which should not be surprising because the SDVD release was non-anamorphic and one of the most problematic in the major's catalog. Detail ranges from good to very good, with practically all of the close-ups conveying details and textures that are impossible to spot on the SDVD. Clarity is also notably better, particularly when Lenny and Mace enter the shady clubs and later on expensive hotels. The footage with the street riots/celebrations also conveys pleasing fluidity. With the exception of the "wire trips", colors are vibrant and rich.
Some mild noise corrections have been applied, but the integrity of the image is intact. In fact, because of the hand-held camera movement and restricted light (practically the entire film takes place at night), in motion the effects from the corrections are virtually impossible to spot unless one knows exactly where and when to look for them. On the other hand, there are no traces of serious secondary sharpening. Finally, the high-definition transfer is free of large specks, scratches, debris, and cuts. All in all, anyone who has seen the R1 SDVD release of Strange Days will be enormously pleased with the film's transition to Blu-ray. (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 are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Kinowelt Home Entertainment have provided optional German and German SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.
Note: Apparently, there were some issues with early copies of Strange Days, where the left and right channels were reversed. However, the German distributors have addressed the issue, and I am happy to report that my disc is perfect.
As far as I am concerned, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is a good enough reason to strongly recommend purchasing the Blu-ray. There are a number of sequences in the film that simply have to be experienced - such as the one where Skunk Anansie are seen performing live - in order to grasp how massive the gap in quality between the lossy track from the SDVD and the loseless track from the Blu-ray is. Balance is also a lot more convincing, especially during the outdoor sequences. For the record, there are no problematic pops, cracks, or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days is a truly original and visionary film, one of the very best to be produced during the early 90s. Unfortunately, it was not treated with much respect when it arrived on SDVD in North America (it remained one of the few early 20th Century Fox films that never received anamorphic treatment) and currently it is only available on Blu-ray in Germany. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Kinowelt Home Entertainment, represents massive upgrade in quality over the old R1 SDVD release. It also contains plenty of interesting supplemental features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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