Galaxina
(1980/HD-DVD/BCI Eclipse)
Picture:
B- Sound: B Extras: C Film: C+
Not so
long ago, we reviewed one of the more interesting and bizarre curio films of
the original Star Wars era, William Sachs’ Galaxina,
a 1980 space comedy that was like Spaceballs
before Mel Brooks made his belated cult film.
Now, BCI Eclipse has issued the film on HD-DVD. First, you can read about the film and
DVD-Video at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4329/Galaxina+–+The+25th+Anniversary
So the
film did not improve with the better playback here, but this newer, better
playback edition does reveal some interesting differences. For one thing, the image here is 1080i and
not 1080p, telling us that an older HD master was used, which explains some of
the image limits. However, there is
still print damage that needs fixed and shows that the same master was used for
both formats. The improvements in Video
Black and color, plus clarity in certain scenes and better-looking shots of
Stratten make the DVD unwatchable.
As for
the upgraded sound, the DVD has Dolby Digital 5.1 and better sounding DTS 5.1,
but this new HD-DVD has Dolby Digital 5.1 only.
However, it seems that in between releases, someone went back and fixed
the sound. Clarity is better in the
HD-DVD’s Dolby than the Dolby or even DTS on the DVD, making me wish this had
DTS as well, but when you add the new depth and accuracy of the soundfield
(with its age still considered) you can understand why there was a delay. The combination of improvements are worth it.
Usually,
extras are the same, but despite more room on this HD-DVD, all the DVD-ROM
article reprints and two screenplays are surprisingly missing. Guess HD-DVD-ROM is not perfected yet. That leaves all extras in low-def but with
easier accessibility. That makes Galaxina one of the more interesting
back catalog HD-DVDs, though there is some room for improvement. If you have never seen it or seen it
widescreen, see it in HD-DVD.
- Nicholas Sheffo
