The Fifth Element - Is It True?

[DrinkMore]

I have read numerous reports that the Blue Ray version is not even worth the disk it was put on. This would have been my first choice for a BR movie - the colors, sound and picture I would have expected to be pristine.

Yet, I hear the transfer was poor at best and Sony might be re-releasing it?

Anyone know?

[chase3001]

This is true. I heard Sony is re-releasing this sometime in July.

[dgator783]

blu ray......not blue

[DrinkMore]

Its really called Blu ? I thought that was just some sort of abbreviation.


Good to hear they are re-releasing it.

[Guinness7]

This title should be released again sometime in the near future to replace the old one.

[GTP]

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

I have read numerous reports that the Blue Ray version is not even worth the disk it was put on. This would have been my first choice for a BR movie - the colors, sound and picture I would have expected to be pristine.

Yet, I hear the transfer was poor at best and Sony might be re-releasing it?

Anyone know?

Yep they didn't use the best master...but it is still better than the SB version and has PCM audio.
Hold tight for the new version that will have PCM and DD THD....along with the better master to start with.

[jason_grumpy]

Actually I was going to write a mini review on the movie section of this site, as I have the disc. I just haven't had the chance to do so yet.

This movie is very difficult to review in terms of PQ. I've seen and own worse transfers, but you can definately tell this was one of the first attempts at authoring. I think it got a bad rap in regards to early reviews as there was some faulty players (samsung w/ softening problem), or people tried to look for anything to show how great VC1 or AVC was over MPEG2 and were overly skeptical of ANY MPEG2 encodes. That's not to say that it doesn't have flaws, but those flaws are over-exaggerated.

But now on to the good stuff. The PQ of it is inconsistant. One shot of the film will be soft, then another will be sharp. For the most part though it seems to be more soft during CGI sequences or outdoor scenes, and sharper during indoor scenes or dialog. Perhaps this is just a by product of the new fangled thing of CGI when first filmed. With that said, it's not horrible -- but nor is it the best BR can offer.

But the worst part about this transfer is not the actual PQ, but the print used for it was not in the best of shape. There's a lot of dust, artifacts, and film splicing in certain scenes. I would say it's comparable to a night at the theater.

There's also some oversampling that show in the on the title and credits.

Now on the flip side, the colors are far more vibrant on the BR than the DVD. For the transfers inconsistancy and problems, most of the scenes are good to decent. Some scenes are 5 star material, others barely hit 2 star.

AQ however is where the title shines. The PCM sountrack is decent and is very consistant in terms of quality. It beats the DVD version handsdown.

The overlaying extra 'facts' was actually kind of amusing, so if you like these types of features the 5th element definately gets a gold star.

But if you're truely concerned about the disc and it is a MUST HAVE for your collection, its only 19.99 or so on Amazon. Or you can rent the title, then buy it if you deem the disc to be decent enough for your tastes.

Also, Sony is supposedly going to issue a remake of this disk before christmas, and giving it 50GB space with AVC encoding. Rumored with the re-release is a trade in program for those who have the old version.

[jbuttler007]

I wish I didn't buy my copy, for this same reason.

[BTBuck1]

This film has an extreme cult following with Hometheatre enthusiasts...I hope they get it right. I am eager to replace my SB version.

[Deciazulado]

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

I have read numerous reports that the Blue Ray version is not even worth the disk it was put on.

That's totally false. Stop listening to HD DVD fud. The transfer, probably made from a print (it has black specs, not white, so that points to maybe a print or IP, not the original neg) looks like a good print does but doesn't quite reach the maximum level of detail that can be reached on HD. Still is the best I've seen since I saw the original theatrical Scope prints. (Be aware that The Fifth Element's title sequence at the beginning looks like it was done from a very soft dupe element. Then we get to the shot of the boy with the camel and it's almost like going from 16mm to a 35mm theatrical print and it looks good from then on.)

In fact, here, take a look at Leeloo for yourself.
(A note: the capture has incorrect levels (too low contrast and pastel wich makes it look softer) for computer monitor viewing (maybe it's author could explain why he left it that way). You should remap level 16 -> 0 black and level 235 -> 255 white (in Photoshop or what not) to see how it would look on a correctly calibrated video monitor, where it'll be sharper and more vibrant

I'm keeping my disc as reference to compare it to the re-transfer (hopefully from an earler film element or the original negative perhaps) and enjoying it quite a bit.

Originally Posted by DrinkMore

This would have been my first choice for a BR movie - the colors, sound and picture I would have expected to be pristine.

Yet, I hear the transfer was poor at best and Sony might be re-releasing it?

Well since this is happening, you should wait for that. But if you can rent the current disc you should, so you can enjoy a good version of it in the meantime. Watching and seeing Chris Tucker's exagerated face/performance on a huge screen again after so many years made it funny again. What only high resolution movies can do.

[DrinkMore]

Originally Posted by BTBuck1

This film has an extreme cult following with Hometheatre enthusiasts...I hope they get it right. I am eager to replace my SB version.

Amen. I loved this movie from the begining. Really would like to see it SHINE on BD.

[Kinmui]

Fifth Element is one of my favourite... but honestly, how many editions do I have to buy? There is the regular DVD, superbit DVD, then Ultimate superbit DVD, now regular blu-ray, then improved blu-ray...

I feel stupid buying all these editions, although I probably would...

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by dgator783

blu ray......not blue

If you want to be picky it's:

Blu-ray

from the FAQ:

'Why the name Blu-ray?

The name Blu-ray is derived from the underlying technology, which utilizes a blue-violet laser to read and write data. The name is a combination of "Blue" (blue-violet laser) and "Ray" (optical ray). According to the Blu-ray Disc Association the spelling of "Blu-ray" is not a mistake, the character "e" was intentionally left out so the term could be registered as a trademark.

The correct full name is Blu-ray Disc, not Blu-ray Disk (incorrect spelling)
The correct shortened name is Blu-ray, not Blu-Ray (incorrect capitalization) or Blue-ray (incorrect spelling)
The correct abbreviation is BD, not BR or BRD (wrong abbreviation)'

Back OT

I will definitely get the re-release. Even though I'm sure it's true what Dezi says, I will hold out for the new version

[chrisshea]

i dount sony will do a trade in for people wo have the crapy 5th element alreay on blu-ray

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by chrisshea

i dount sony will do a trade in for people wo have the crapy 5th element alreay on blu-ray

As far as I know they actually do trade in for the 'crappy version'

[Xylon]

Originally Posted by Deciazulado

That's totally false. Stop listening to HD DVD fud. The transfer, probably made from a print (it has black specs, not white, so that points to maybe a print or IP, not the original neg) looks like a good print does but doesn't quite reach the maximum level of detail that can be reached on HD. Still is the best I've seen since I saw the original theatrical Scope prints. (Be aware that The Fifth Element's title sequence at the beginning looks like it was done from a very soft dupe element. Then we get to the shot of the boy with the camel and it's almost like going from 16mm to a 35mm theatrical print and it looks good from then on.)

In fact, here, take a look at Leeloo for yourself.
(A note: the capture has incorrect levels (too low contrast and pastel wich makes it look softer) for computer monitor viewing (maybe it's author could explain why he left it that way). You should remap level 16 -> 0 black and level 235 -> 255 white (in Photoshop or what not) to see how it would look on a correctly calibrated video monitor, where it'll be sharper and more vibrant

Dont forget to include the broadcast mpeg-2 screenshot (My screenshots BTW. Its ok to credit me) from the same post so the OP can see how dissappointing the transfer is. Don't blame the levels either. That is not going to change how it looked. This is why Sony is re-releasing the title because of the crappy PQ . This early title caused the Blu-ray camp a lot of negative publicity and deservedly so. You don't just slap a transfer on a disc without thorough QC call it HD requiring a 1K BD player(last year) and looking like this. Ask any of your knowledgeable member here (or at AVS. Same people) that this is indisputable and will back me up.

Sony did the right thing and will be rewarded with more disc sales because of the re-release (not to mention the trade in and the improved PQ and AQ).

So F.U.D. can go either way. Are you sticking to it?

[Filterlab]

I really love this film so I'll wait until they re-release it on BD in June (which will probably be December in the UK!) before I grab a copy.

Having said that, the DVD version is nice and clean anyway so there's no huge rush. As Drinkmore said, would be nice to see a very shiny transfer.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by Filterlab

I really love this film so I'll wait until they re-release it on BD in June

June? Where did you hear this? I am going to be so broke come July

[Filterlab]

Apologies, I meant July. I was getting carried away with all the excitement!

Broke in July?! I'm broke now! Too much BD'ing and PS3'ing.

[DavePS3]

I have it. Only the very first scene of the kid riding the donkey is bad. After the camera kicks to the next shot, it's great. I dunno what everyone's blathering about. The transfer is very good. Better than Vertical Limit and both were consistantly used as demos for Faroudja for many years. Vertical Limit has some excellent scenes but some are poor too. Element only has that very first shot looking bad. The rest is great!