Top 10 Movies I Want To See in Blu-ray: Part I

As wonderful as Blu-ray might be for us Blu-ray fans, there’s still room for improvement. Among these is the addition of certain titles that would literally blow us away from our couches. I’ll be detailing my Top 10 in this 3-part blog.

10. Indiana Jones Trilogy

These movies were a boyhood favourite for me. So much so that when they arrived on DVD in November 2003, I snapped mine up with no delay. So here’s hoping we won’t have to wait too long for the inevitable Blu-ray release, perhaps with the 4th movie as part of a box set in November/December 2008.

THX did a marvelous job of restoring and cleaning up the 15-20-year-old movies for DVD release. I’m sure they will do sterling work for the BD release. Almost every shot was pure eye candy, from the South American rainforests to the deserts of Egypt.

And what about the audio? My main concern is that these movies were released by Paramount, a studio not known for using hi-def audio on their Blu-rays and HD-DVDs. I hope we can expect more than DD5.1. This was okay for SD-DVD, but BD deserves something better. John William’s iconic score in Dolby Tru-HD or PCM is what these movies deserve.

Being produced by George Lucas/THX and directed by Steven Spielberg, perhaps they can influence how these movies look and sound. I hope we can have loads of added features because we all know that there are tons of stuff out there waiting to be seen by avid fans, hopefully all in high definition, as well. Come on, Paramount. Surprise us!

9. Jurassic Part Trilogy

If there was a movie that brought out the awe and wonder in all of us, it was Jurassic Park. I still remember the moment of awe and the feeling of ‘how did they do that’ when we first see the herd of dinosaurs grazing as if it were yesterday. The scene where the T-rex is chasing our heroes in their Jeep had me on the edge of my seat.

The two sequels, though not appreciated as much as the original, were still fun to watch. I truly believe that these 3 movies will shine in Blu-ray. And knowing director Steven Spielberg’s love of all things Blu-ray, as well as being the man who introduced the world to the delights of dts, we’ll see a super looking trio of movies truly worth the long wait.

Let’s hope that these movies get the best there is – dts HDMA 7.1. It would be rude not to. The roar of the T-rex and the blood-chilling screams of the Velociraptors, all in HD glory. These movies deserve a sound as overwhelmingly awesome as the visuals of the island’s jungles.

Here’s hoping the Universal realise the importance of these landmark movies and treat them with the love and attention they deserve, i.e. all the extras from the DVDs and more.

8. Men In Black (M.I.B.)

It’s hard to believe it’s been over 10 years since agents Jay and Kay hit the screens and whooped alien arse, helping make M.I.B. become an intergalactic hit. In 2000, it was released on DVD, which was an instance bestseller. The superb picture, sound, and out-of-this-world special features kept it in demand.

Well, June 17 sees the Blu-ray release of the sci-fi dazzler. This film will look spellbinding in HD with the ink black skies and suits, as will the various alien species. I believe this will be pure demo material, and seeing how star Will Smith and executive producer Steven Spielberg are such huge Blu-ray fans, I know Sony will pull out all the stops for this inter-planetary beauty.

Audio should be mindblowing, too, with Dolby Tru-HD. I can’t wait to hear the noisy cricket blasting away or the space ship crashing towards the end of the movie – they will have to scrape me off the ceiling.

Little is known of the special features, but this is believed to be a profile 1.1 disc, so expect interactivee trivia games, P.I.P. commentaries, etc. I also hope they put all the fantastic extras that were contained in the 2-disc Limited Edition set such as the scene editing workshops, deconstructions, and animation studies using angles, and the various featurettes, maybe even in HD. Let’s hope so. June 17 can’t come fast enough, hopefully in a 2-movie set with Men In Black II.

UPDATE: It’s just been announced that almost all the added features from the Limited Edition set WILL be making their way to this BD. Great news, M.I.B. fans!

7. King Kong – Director’s Cut

When this movie was released theatrically, many people complained about its length and slow-ish buildup, but I loved it – even more so when the director’s cut was released on DVD. So it’s with no surprise that I am placing this in my Top 10. It’s been available on HD-DVD for some time now, but only in the theatrical cut, so I am hoping that Universal (where are you?) will sort themselves out and release the director’s cut on this movie.

Whilst the colours are fairly washed out, skintones were realistic. I always felt it had a mystical feel about it. I really am looking forward to seeing this movie in Blu-ray, as are very many HD enthusiasts. Hopefully, director Peter Jackson will get involved in its release and will do the movie the justice it deserves. I can’t wait to see the entire Kong vs the T-rex battle in hi-def.

Sonically, I hope Universal goes the whole hog on this title and give us a decent lossless soundtrack deserving of this movie – Dolby Tru-HD or PCM. It would be a real travesty to give this movie just Dolby Digital 5.1. Come on guys, make the effort!

Also, I hope that Universal gives us all the extras that were available on the previous DVDs, as it was clearly a labour of love for Mr. Jackson and all concerned.

To be continued…

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