Blu-ray Review: James Bond on Blu-ray - Page 2

The DTS lossless audio sounds great most of the time, but does have an annoying problem in that the dialogue track is much quieter than any other track. Consequently, I was frequently turning the volume up in order to hear the dialogue and then back down so I didn’t hurt my eardrums when the Bond theme would kick in.

Special Features:

As mentioned earlier, there are no new special features on any of these discs. Most of the material on here is strictly diehard-only as you have to wade through plenty of grainy video to watch the ‘60s-produced documentaries. The Incredible World of James Bond TV special originally produced for NBC in 1965 is definitely the highlight here for viewers willing to put in the time.

Live and Let Die (1973)

The Film:

Live and Let Die gets a bad rap for its blaxploitation style and the heavy emphasis on the voodoo elements of the story. It also probably has one of the worst deaths for the main villain ever in a Bond movie, but I rather enjoy Roger Moore’s first outing as Bond.

The film’s best sequence comes in Louisiana Bayou country with a spectacularly entertaining boat chase. The appearance of Clifton James as the hick Sheriff Pepper trying to apprehend the bad guys is over-the-top and yet manages to be funny through its ridiculousness.

In the later films, Moore wasn’t always the best Bond, but he was definitely a great casting choice initially. He looks and acts the part perfectly. Jane Seymour doesn’t leave a huge impression in one of her first film roles, but she’s adequate enough. Plus, the theme song by Paul McCartney & Wings has to be one of the best Bond songs ever. It all adds up to an underrated Bond adventure.

The Blu-ray Disc:

Similarly to Thunderball, Live and Let Die doesn’t display any remarkable picture characteristics that set it apart from the DVD release. It is a darker film, both thematically and visually, and the blacks look deep and rich, but this picture isn’t going to blow anyone away.

Unfortunately, the sound mix has a similar problem to the Thunderball disc. It’s too bad there is such disparity between sound mixes, as the soft dialogue will either force you to keep your finger on the volume control or employ subtitles – neither an ideal situation.

Special Features:

There is nothing remarkable on the special features front, although it is interesting to hear different people talk about the casting of Roger Moore on several of the featurettes. The highlight is a short segment from the ‘60s British TV show Mainly Millicent in which Moore plays James Bond in what is apparently meant to be kind of a parody on the character.

Article Author: Dusty Somers

Dusty Somers hails from Seattle, and is a journalism student at the University of Oklahoma. He enjoys spending time and watching films with his wife, and looks forward to their imminent return to the great Northwest.

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