The Blu-ray Files #009

The Godfather – I was very excited to watch this great classic in pristine blu-ray quality and to see it the best it could look.  I was… underwhelmed.  High definition didn’t seem to be all that high at times.  Usually the close-up shots were fine, but the wide shots didn’t have a lot of definition or clear detail.  The Godfather relies a lot on shadow and darkness which meant that excellent black levels were needed.   I wouldn’t say they were excellent, still quite good but not as good as they could have been.   Don’t get me wrong, this still looks great, but after seeing such amazing transfers of other great older films, like Planet of the apes, Psycho and Alien, I was left slightly disappointed.

–

The Godfather Part 2 – The Godfather 2 has much the same problems as the first film’s blu-ray, though overall its a much nicer transfer.  The close-up shots simply look great here, but there’s still some lack of definiton in the wide shots.  This is a little disappointing with scenes involving the Sicilian landscape, but oh well.  Black levels are better here also, which is important for a film of such a dark fabric.  I must say that as much as I liked the packaging of the DVD box set, which still excels the new blu-ray packages, it is nice to own these separately without having the 3rd film forced on me as well.

–

Minority Report – Now here is a blu-ray transfer which really delivers, starting right away with the awesome holographic cover.  Images in the film are sharp and clear and fit this cold, calculating future world very well.  The colour palate of Minority Report is dominated by a blue tinge which is really brought out well here.  The various technologies like the holographic monitors and advertisements work brilliantly in high definition, and the sound effects such as the eye scanners and the futuristic cars are as sharp as a knife.  Great release.