Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Russell is U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp; Kilmer is the outrageous Doc Holliday. Together, they team up to lay down the law in a notorious showdown with ruthless outlaws at the O.K. Corral. With an all-star cast that also includes Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Dana Delany, Jason Priestley, Michael Biehn and Hollywood icon Charlton Heston, this Wild West epic will transport you back in time and land you smack dab in the center of the crossfire.

Easily one of my favorite westerns of all time. Russell did a tremendous job of bringing the old west to a more mainstream feel Hollywood film. Kilmer is also at his best here turning in one of the most memorable performances of his career. This was one of the most disappointing DVD releases ever with horrible picture problems but this new Blu-ray goes a long way to remedy the issues. If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s a must see.

The DVD releases of this film are horrible. There was some of the worst ringing and edge enhancement that the format ever had on display throughout. This transfer is a night and day difference, but it has some issues of its own; mainly consistency. Some of the scenes look as though they were shot yesterday using state of the art digital cameras. Others look like the print has some wear and tear and contrast falls flat along with the sense of dimension. It seems like the toughest situations are in the dimly lit saloon sequences. Some close ups also reveal what looks like some high frequency boosting resulting in a slightly over processed look. Overall the trouble spots are minor and infrequent though. The soundtrack holds up well but lacks the dynamic range of the better soundtracks of today. The score is good though with nice presence and imaging is pretty solid throughout.

Extras include a look at the production along with some storyboards and trailers. This is a far cry from the supplements including in the previous Vista Series release so I wouldn’t be surprised if this hits shelves again later down the line in a more featured edition.

Rarely does Hollywood put out a more enjoyable piece of western popcorn. This Blu-ray is a nice step up from the rather horrible DVD making it a must own for fans of the film.