Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for the ride of your life! "Super Speedway" puts you in the driver's seat of an Indy-type race car tearing up asphalt at speeds of over 230 miles per hour. Follow the excitement and drama of championship auto racing with narrator and celebrated actor Paul Newman, and join racing star Michael Andretti and his legendary father, Mario, as they craft a state-of-the-art race car. Then, follow the pulse-pounding action of Michael's high-speed quest for victory as he pushes the limits of the new car at the PPG CART World Series.

I’ve used this film as a demo for years on DVD and it is always one of the more enjoyable IMAX presentations on disc. Not only is the subject entertaining, the footage and all out A/V experience is one of the best out there. Even if you’re not a fan of racing this is a great film on the behind the scenes action and technology that goes into the modern Indy car.

The HD presentation is strong here but not quite as sharply detailed as some of the other IMAX Blu-ray discs I’ve seen. Overall depth is excellent and dimensionality is strong but the lenses seem to take out just a small amount of fine detail giving the transfer a nice film-like look that doesn’t snap quite as much as some other IMAX presentations. It still looks considerably better than the DVD though with a total lack of ringing and compression artifacts.

The DVD was already a reference for sonic bliss and this new DTS-HD Master Audio mix steps it up a notch. I was blown away by the tactile response this track adds. Spatial design is incredible with an amazing soundstage and plenty of atmosphere and range. Deep bass extension punctuates every bump on the track and I love the pass overs during the road course sequence. The narration sounds very natural and you don’t have any issues with balance within the mix. Turn it up loud and prepare to be blown away.

Image includes a making of documentary for this IMAX feature along with some trailers for other IMAX films available right now. Some facts about the film and a trivia feature are also included.

This has always been one of my favorites on DVD and I’m overjoyed to see how good the translation to Blu-ray was. Image has done an outstanding job with the audio presentation making this a must own for fans and demo junkies alike.