The Top Ten Blu-ray Discs You Must Own: Part II - Page 4

I don't believe anyone could have done the series better justice then Sam Raimi as the director and the great cast and effects teams he led. The trilogy is truly a sight to watch in the Blu-ray format; the first film is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio while the subsequent two are framed in 2.40:1 and all look amazing. In almost every aspect of the movies the detail, color, and depth of image are represented in a way that needs to be seen to be believed. Sony should be commended for the care they took in these transfers and they are a high water mark for action films to emulate. Audio is presented in many ways, English: PCM 5.1 English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 and Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1; all language tracks are mixed amazingly well and sound stunning. The mixing is truly the high point of the audio, sound levels are just right, and the channel usage is bang on across the board. Any of these films are a must have on Blu-ray, but the Trilogy edition is the true star. While there are minimal extras considering the trilogy aspect, the ones they have are relevant and entertaining.

#3 - 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey is a groundbreaking masterpiece in films and is a classic sci-fi movie. The movie centers around two astronauts on a mission to Jupiter and their AI-driven computer HAL who controls the ship. The movie is complex, interesting, and a true treat to watch as the astronauts discover something is wrong with HAL and try to survive the journey. This movie is Stanley Kubrick at his best and features his signature amazing cinematography and beautifully used cinematic score.

The movie has been restored to a pristine state on Blu-ray and since it was originally filmed on 70mm in the 2.2:1 aspect ratio it is perfectly suited to this high definition format. Every color, detail, and light level is crisp and spot on. This disc is true reference grade for the movie and needs to be owned by any fan. On the audio front it is presented in uncompressed PCM as well as Dolby Digital 5.1; while it sounds amazing, the mixing is front heavy so there is not a large amount of surround exposure; regardless, this movie sounds great. Finally on the extras front the disc is loaded with documentaries, making of entries, and a great commentary by the two principle actors. All of these features are great and they add a huge amount of depth to the movie. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a true classic and thanks to the great care given to this Blu-ray package it is truly one of the Blu-rays you MUST own.

Article Author: Michael Prince

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