Over the years, Hollywood has portrayed war in different ways. John Wayne appealed to our patriotism, and Oliver Stone exposed its seedier aspects, but Steven Spielberg recreated it with every horrific detail intact. The Oscar-winning director places you in the middle of the action as our young men storm Omaha beach.

This is the fourth movie to receive Paramount's Sapphire Series treatment, and the results are spectacular. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is essentially a 169-minute demo, and the cinematography has never looked better.

Omaha beach

• Chapter 2, 00:04:36
• Frequency response, dynamic range, surround envelopment
• Prepare for a 23-minute demo as we meet Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his band of brothers approaching Omaha beach. Listen to the sound of the surf fill the room before the scene shifts to the perspective of the attacking Allied forces. As the assault craft motor toward their destination, you can feel the pounding of the waves, and before you know it, all hell breaks loose.

The wrong Ryan

• Chapter 8, 01:01:33
• Detail, depth
• As Miller breaks the bad news to the wrong Ryan, relish the fabulous detail in the image. Notice the texture of Miller's helmet, the stubble on this face, and the pile of debris in the background.

Relaxation time

• Chapter 9, 01:05:39
• Surround envelopment, atmosphere
• As Miller and Horvath (Tom Sizemore) are talking in the abandoned church, listen to the echoes of their voices and the artillery blasts in the distance—it's like you're sitting in the first pew eavesdropping on them.

Release Date: May 4, 2010
Studio: Paramount

Movie: 9/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 10/10