The Rocky Horror Picture Show: 35th Anniversary
Edition (1975/Fox Blu-ray)
Picture: A- Sound: A- Extras:
B- Film: A-
The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been an almost constant draw
for midnight moviegoers over the past 35 years - now it finally makes the move
into high definition. While there was an
excellent DVD edition of the film released to coincide with the movie’s 25th
anniversary, this new package is so eye-popping that any and all lovers of the
film with Blu-ray capabilities are going to want to upgrade as soon as
possible.
The telling of a story concerning two newly engaged yuppies who unwittingly
head into the home of Dr. Frank N. Furter, only to with one strange night of
decadence and debauchery, is seemingly eternal one. This is evidenced by the hordes of longtime
followers, as well as continued cultural rebirths of the music and characters
from the film. This is evidenced by the
various talk that has gone on about a television remake of the film, as well as
the recent and much talked about tribute episode of Glee.
All imitations aside, this is the one true Rocky Horror that you need right
here.
The entire experience of watching the film is customizable on this disc - from
an alternate black and white presentation of the opening scenes, to your choice
of either the U.S. or U.K.
releases of the film. After that, you
have the option of viewing a shadowcast performance right alongside the main
feature. Additional choices await you,
and it makes your viewing one that is completely tailored to your desires.
Almost all of the special features included in this package are brand new and
exclusive to this set. This does mean
that those who have the 25th Anniversary
DVD will likely wish to hang onto those discs as well, as not everything
from that box has migrated over to this set.
The image is presented in anamorphic widescreen, with an aspect ratio of 1.66:1
and is a 1080p AVC @ 22 MBPS transfer. The
picture quality is vastly improved over any of the older editions, and the
print chosen for this transfer is in excellent shape. Colors here are more vibrant and pop in a way
I haven’t noticed on prior versions.
Sound quality on this film is every bit as good as the video. A brand new 7.1 DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix
of the audio track is included, and it is one of the better 7 channel mixes on
this format. Fox and MGM have begun
doing this for their older musical films (for which this is one) and soon
followed by the likes of The Sound Of
Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
(both reviewed elsewhere on this site) works much better than expected.
This Blu-ray meets or exceeds all expectations I had concerning picture and
sound quality for back catalogue films on this format. This culminates with the new extras to ensure
that you will enjoy this new and improved edition of the film, as it is much
more than a recycling of old material. I
strongly suggest that anyone with an inclination toward owning this film snatch
up this edition in particular - it will not disappoint.
-
David Milchick