7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A quiet insurance agent/Vietnam veteran murders his young wife, his mother and a grocery delivery boy at home and then initiates an afternoon shooting rampage from atop a Los Angeles area oil refinery. When the police respond and start to close in on him, he flees and resumes his shootings at a Reseda drive-in theater where an aging horror film icon is making a final promotional appearance before retirement.
Starring: Boris Karloff, Monte Landis, Peter Bogdanovich, Frank Marshall, Elaine PartnowHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Peter Bogdanovich's "Targets" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival introduction by the director; exclusive new program with Richard Linklater; excerpts from an archival interview with Polly Platt; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Targets arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new 4K digital master was created from the 35mm original camera negative, which was scanned in 4K 16-bit on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track.
Transfer supervisors: Peter Bogdanovich, Lee Kline.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Roundabout Entertainment, Burbank, CA."
The new 4K makeover of Targets is disappointing. The entire film looks very healthy and its visuals boast the type of solid density levels that only a very high-quality modern 4K master can produce. In terms of delineation, clarity, and depth there are substantial improvements that make large areas of the film look as if they were completed a few months ago. Unfortunately, the 4K makeover promotes that kind of contemporary appearance as well. I found this very frustrating because the identity of the film is different now. In some areas, the new grade eliminates entire ranges of blues and essentially introduced a new color temperature. (The same practice can be observed on Paramount's recent 4K makeover of Secret of the Incas). Elsewhere, the same or similar ranges of blues are replaced by variations of turquoise. (The same alterations can be observed on Paramount's recent 4K makeover of Marathon Man). Other colors, like red and gray, are affected as well. Needless to say, after the adjustments it is either very difficult or quite simply impossible to recognize many of the film's unique late 1960s qualities. (While the color blue is mismanaged differently on it, Paramount's recent 4K makeover of The Italian Job accomplishes the same). All of this is very unfortunate because it is exceptionally easy to tell that the raw 4K files are outstanding and could have produced a magnificent and undoubtedly definitive presentation of the film. There are no encoding anomalies to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Reigon-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The audio is clear and easy to follow. However, in some areas there are pretty obvious dynamic fluctuations. In an archival program, Peter Bogdanovich explains that a lot of crucial footage was shot without sound and later carefully modified. I assume that virtually all of the fluctuations you may notice while viewing the film exist because of these modifications. There are no audio dropouts, background hiss, or distortions to report.
It may not be right to suggest that Edward Dmytryk's The Sniper (1952) and Irving Lerner's City of Fear (1959) could have revealed the blueprint for Peter Bogdanovich's directorial debut, Targets, but it is an indisputable fact that all three share the same cinematic genes. They are chilling modern horror films that, sadly, turned out to be prophetic as well. However, Targets was also conceived to honor one of the all-time greatest character actors, Boris Karloff, and this is what makes it unique. Criterion's Blu-ray release introduces a brand new 4K restoration of Targets, but I found the makeover unconvincing because it alters the native appearance of the film.
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