The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) + Licence
To Kill (1989/MGM Blu-ray/Fourth Wave)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B Extras: B Film: B-/C+ (Shorter Cut)
Two more
of the James Bond films have been issued on Blu-ray and both have their own
kind of cult followings. The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) was
the last Bond Harry Saltzman ever co-produced with Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli
before Broccoli successfully took over the series. It was Roger Moore’s second Bond, bombed upon
its Christmas release, is ideologically the farthest Left a film the series
will ever produce, is the last Bond produced in the old Hollywood style and
remains the highest-rated Bond ever to be broadcast on TV. Licence
To Kill (1989) was the second and last Bond Timothy Dalton ever made, was
the last Cold War era Bond film, is still the most violent film in the series
and was a huge hit everywhere by the U.S., where Reagan/Bush-friendly MGM
dumped the film for political reasons.
You can
read more about both films, their extras, storylines and other facts about them
at the following links to their DVD set Ultimate Editions:
The Man With The Golden Gun
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4785/James+Bond+Ultimate+Edition
Licence To Kill
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5056/James+Bond+Ultimate+Edition
So are
these upgrades over the DVD sets and worthy of getting? More than you could imagine.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 AVC @ 27.15 MBPS digital High Definition image on Golden Gun may have some issues with background detail, but it is
as good looking as any (and I mean any)
Bond Blu-ray release with incredible color, depth, detail and a rich appearance
that will full you into thinking you are looking at a film print. There are some shots so good, that they stun
and are demonstration quality. Only some
slight motion blur and that detail issue hold this back from being even more
amazing. Note the clothes Moore wears.
You can now see how expensive they really are.
Color neon signs shock in their vividness and the more than colorful
locations (note other clothes and buildings new and old) never fail to hold
their color and detail quality. The
islands show their priceless beauty and Peter Murton’s Production Design looks
like a million dollars more than ever and even the recent Daniel Craig Bond
Blu-rays have trouble looking this good.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 AVC @ 25 MBPS digital High Definition image on Licence was also a huge surprise, in this case because the DVD only
looked so good, but this anamorphic Panavision shoot is sometimes more
impressive than the 35mm screening I saw back in 1989 in a declining cineplex
(since rebuilt) that I first saw it in.
Even when there is some softness, motion blur and slight detail issues,
the depth, detail and general performance are impressive enough top make it one
of the other best Bond Blu-rays yet.
Darker shots have some minor crushed Video Black issues, but for a film
known for its dark, dirty gritty look, this is impressive throughout.
Originally
a monophonic film, Golden had been upgraded
to DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 mix and even a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
mix for purists. The DTS is definitely
better than any previous Dolby option or the recent DTS DVD by a narrow margin,
though compression (as in the title theme song by Lulu) and in some of John
Barry’s score can distract, new bad sound effects are still in this mix and the
dialogue can sound restricted, yet other audio elements sound good for their
age and help save it/
Originally
a Dolby SR (Spectral Recording, advanced analog) theatrical film sound release,
Licence has been upgraded to DTS-HD
Master Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 mix and even a Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with Pro
Logic surrounds for purists. The DTS is
definitely better than the previous Dolby versions or (once again) the recent
DTS DVD by a narrow margin, but at least the SR soundfield has not been chopped
up as has happened in many SR-to-5.1 upgrades we have suffered through. The Gladys Knight title song is a bit
compressed, but other sounds are very good for their age.
Extras
are the same as the DVD Ultimate Edition sets, but some clips within the documentaries
have been upgraded to HD images.
- Nicholas Sheffo
