Mad Max DVD - Region 4 Review

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Kreegle
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Mad Max DVD - Region 4 Review

Post by Kreegle »

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This is primarily for you folks in Australia (g'day) - but it might also be interesting for you die-hard post-apocalyptic types out there (and DVD fans). The Region 4 release of <b>Mad Max</b> is slowly creeping forward, and the classy <a href="http://www.michaeldvd.com.au/Reviews/Re ... iewID=1830" target="_blank">Michael D's Region 4 DVD Info Page</a> has a review of it. Super! So... how does it shape up?<blockquote><em>Having seen this film on VHS back in the mid-1990s, I was pretty much expecting to see a washed-out, faded transfer that, while acceptable, didn't match the film at its full glory. What I got instead was a surprise of such magnitude that it rudely shoves <b><i>The Fellowship Of The Ring</i></b> and pretty much everything else I've seen this year off the perch for best transfer of 2002. </em></blockquote>Wunderbar! And the sound?<blockquote><em>Another reason why VHS is dead in the water is simply because it cannot take advantage of a DTS 5.1 soundtrack, and this one will kick the viewer in the butt until their spleen comes out of their nose. It makes <b><i>The Phantom Menace</b></i> and <b><i>RoboCop: Special Edition</b></i> sound like <b><i>Disney On Ice.</b></i> </em></blockquote>Very nice indeed! <br><br>When it comes to extra's, it looks like the Region 4 version misses out on the commentary tracks and a couple of features on Mel Gibson (along with the <i>stereo</i> soundtrack... ugh), and has the spankworthy DTS soundtrack in their place. So... which is better? Features or sound?<blockquote><em>This is a <u>very</u> tough call. We are definitely being short-changed on the extras, although the idea of having them on the opposite side of the disc has never appealed to me. I am indifferent to the Pan And Scan version, although I have mentioned scenes in which it could be used to make people who honestly think they prefer this formatting see how much they are missing out on. It is a bit upsetting to miss out on the Audio Commentary, but one thing we miss out on a lot more in Region 4 is the DTS soundtrack, and especially a <u>full bitrate</u> DTS soundtrack. This DTS soundtrack is so awesome that it is not funny - I've already had two comments from neighbours about how it has rattled them. In the end, raving mad fans will probably want both versions, but I would declare both versions to be equally superior to one another for different reasons. Like I said, it is a tough call.</em></blockquote>Fair enough. And the final summary:<blockquote><em><b><i>Mad Max</b></i>, to put it in a nutshell, has been one of the most anticipated Region 4 releases since the very birth of the DVD-Video format. The length of time between the excited whisperings of a release date and the arrival of a review copy in my hands has almost been as long. To give you a good idea, the review allocation of this title was carried out somewhere in the order of twenty-four months ago. It has been worth every bit of the wait.</em></blockquote>Brilliant news - I'm going to go pre-order it now!
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