Blu-ray Review: The Fifth Element (Remastered)
By
Jon Liu Video Format: 2.40:1/1080p
Audio Formats: English Uncompressed 5.1 48kHz/16-bit, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 48kHz/20-bit, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Starring: Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Gary Oldman, Chris Tucker, Ian Holm
Directed by: Luc Besson
Release Date: July 17, 2007
General
Bruce Willis stars as Korben Dallas, a retired military soldier who is reactivated in his service to protect Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), a ‘perfect being’ who was sent to save the world. Mr. Shadow, who is the essence of pure evil, sends the maniacal Jean-Baptiste Zorg (Gary Oldman), to help destroy the world.
The outrageous action sequences, outlandish outfits, odd races and quirky dialog would all normally equate to a terrible movie but for some odd reason, Luc Besson's direction seems to make this movie work! I really enjoy this movie-- in the typical fashion of a true cult classic, the more I watch, the more I find that I like in the movie.
Tech Specs Video: Sony originally released this as one of their first Blu-ray titles and when they did they disappointed all true
Fifth Element fans. They did not do the movie’s transfer justice. Frankly, the result didn’t deserve to even be on a Blu-ray Disc. It was hardly any better than the Superbit DVD version. Due to numerous complaints, Sony decided to remaster and re-release this title.
So the big question is, “
Is this video transfer that much better?” In a single word, Yes! While this will not beat out some of the newest transfers on the market right now, the resolution and clarity improvement are substantial. The detail and sharpness have been improved. Unfortunately what's also more noticeable is film grain. While it’s not horrible since they added to the resolution, the inherent grain appears more noticeably in this release. The points of the transfer that amazed me most were during the close-up shots. The detail in the actors' faces is fantastic and truly helps to give this a next-generation HD feel.
Audio: While the video was a huge improvement, the audio wasn’t. That’s not a bad thing, since the original Blu-ray release already included uncompressed 5.1 sound. Sony has also included a slightly higher- bit Dolby TrueHD track for this release. Honestly, there’s only a slight difference. Because it's so subtle, some may not notice it at all. Most of the difference I noticed was more in the ambient noise and the spatial aspect of the sound. As I said, it’s not that noticeable and unless you are comparing back and forth, you’ll likely not even know which track is which.
Extras
Hardly anything here except for a Feature length trivia fact tack. I guess I can’t complain too much-- most people just wanted the upgrade in video quality.
Menus/Navigation
Menu navigation is very straightforward. The menu system scheme is based on the Taxi cab that Korben Dallas drives.
Overall Impressions
Did I mention I love this movie? Most movie-goers have heard of
Fifth Element and can make their own minds up about the movie. For true fans, this is the way to go and probably the only version of the movie that a fan would ever need. There aren’t many extras on this edition, but in terms of the movie I don’t think it will get any better than this. Plus, Sony is making it easier for those who bought the original Blu-ray version. Their replacement disc program allows you to get the updated, remastered version by sending in your current disc. So if you've already bought
Fifth Element and can get the remastered version for free, it’s definitely worth it! Even with this program in place, most retailers are phasing out the old version and stocking this version on their shelves for the same price.
To get the replacement disk, email:
consumer@sphecustomersupport.sony.com with your name, return address and a contact phone number and they will email you back with further instructions.
Linear Mode
