The Top Ten Blu-ray Discs You Must Own: Part II - Page 5

#2 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition

This two-disc Blu-ray set is the definitive homage to Steven Spielberg's classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The movie centers around an everyman who sees a UFO and explores what would happen if real people were to have an encounter of the third kind (meeting the aliens). It is a movie that explores the nature of the human race as well as our viewpoints toward others and the potential for life on other worlds. This package contains the never before on video theatrical release, the theatrical re-release special edition, and the 1997 director's cut. The movie is groundbreaking (even today), heartwarming, and a true classic, science fiction at its best.

The video presentations in these versions are equally stunning, presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The film grain from the original print is perfectly represented (thankfully they didn't digitally clean it). The color levels, blacks, and flesh tones are spot on and this release demonstrates how older films can still look amazing if handled correctly. The audio is very strong with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 versions on the discs. The sound mixing is excellent with deep bass reproduction and effective surround levels; in particular the communication scene at the end is truly wonderful to listen to. Finally we see a large amount of very high quality extras from interviews with Spielberg to an immense behind the scenes photo gallery to a documentary on the film and its impact. One of the coolest extras is the 'view from above' feature which flashes icons on screen to tell you when a scene came from an alternate version of the film. It is a neat feature that fans will love as it ties in directly with the included fold-out map that shows the differences in the versions. The film is amazing as is the presentation and extras, this is a must have for any Blu-ray owner.

#1 - Blade Runner: Complete Collector's Edition

Blade Runner is a powerful movie that speaks for itself and the fact that in the past 25 years many imitators have tried to replicate the look and tone of the picture. Blade Runner is the story of Dekkard, a specialized police officer, called a blade runner, who hunts replicants (artificial humans) who have rebelled. The hero is not perfect — he has failings and often is at a loss in a situation; he is a real person who we can all relate to and in fact the movie sheds doubts on his very humanity. The villains are not really good or evil, they are a group of people for whom time is running out and they are trying to find a way to not only stay alive but prove in fact that they are alive and deserve to live. The movie is genre-defining and now 25 years later the faux future looks almost real with giant animated billboards, congested dirty streets, and people seemingly on the edge of despair.

Article Author: Michael Prince

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