Army of Darkness - 3 Versions

[xinu]

http://www.devildead.com?NewsID=7919

[Sky_Captain]

Roughly translated.

We knew for quite some time, Filmedia working on Editions Blu-ray and DVD ARMY OF DARKNESS: EVIL DEAD III . After a false start, the release date is now set for March 6 and specificities should, in theory, to impose these new drives as essential editions. Indeed, the French publisher will offer three versions of the film either Blu-ray or DVD in a triple. This will therefore find the international version of the film, one distributed in cinemas in France, but also the mounting U.S. and the Director's Cut. Three mounts are advertised as from master HD. On the triple DVD, this should ensure a beautiful picture but Blu-ray, it will be possible to rediscover the film, regardless of the assembly, in high definition! Note that only the mounting international will be proposed in the original version 5.1 but also with French dubbing of time. The other two assemblies will be presented in English Stereo with subtitles in French. In addition, the publisher announced a making-of, deleted scenes, interviews with Sam Raimi , with Bruce Campbell and Robert Tapert and an image gallery location, trailer and TV spot.

The question, is will this be identical to the German release, in terms of transfers used?

[SymbioticFunction]

Well, that changes things - will hold off on the German version until a comparison emerges.

[Prim]

This is much cheaper than the German version, I just hope it has the same content. I really could do without DVD copies of each version of the film.

[SymbioticFunction]

Originally Posted by Prim

This is much cheaper than the German version, I just hope it has the same content. I really could do without DVD copies of each version of the film.

http://www.amazon.de/Die-Armee-Finst...1570673&sr=8-3

^ There is a cheaper German bd option, you don't have to buy the 6 disc set.

[Prim]

Originally Posted by SymbioticFunction

http://www.amazon.de/Die-Armee-Finst...1570673&sr=8-3

^ There is a cheaper German bd option, you don't have to buy the 6 disc set.

I completely forgot about that one. But that only has the director's cut, correct? I would very much like all the versions of the film, but just the BD's, not the DVDs. I'll think about it a little.

[SymbioticFunction]

I only want the DC - I already own a theatrical bd & regretted buying it as soon as I watched it. A horribly diminished cut of the film with no redeeming quality.

[kdo]

Surprise, surprise...guess what showed up in my mail today ? I didn't think it would get here that quick, but all I can say is...WOW!!!

Simply put, you couldn't be more correct smp. This disc (at least the French version that is) is an "all-systems GO!" release for sure . I haven't had a chance to watch the entire disc yet, but I did compare the R3 HK MGM DVD to the Blu DC on my 1080p Plasma for about a half hour, and there is definitely a big improvement from what I could tell (actually more than I thought we'd see ). It looks wonderful, and I couldn't be happier! Audio sounds great as well...

The US cut looks very similar (almost identical I'd say) to what I recall of the Region A Universal Blu (which I no longer own)...and it is in fact 1.85:1, as is the IC, while the DC is framed at 1.78:1 (however, I would like to note that from what I could see, there was no loss of image to the left and right of the frame in comparison to the HK MGM DVD, you just get a little bit more at the top and bottom of the frame, instead...at least from what I could tell).

The small amount of bonus features available do have forced (un-removable) French subs in them, but that's no big deal. Great thing is that the subs are removable from the film when viewing (quick note, if you're going to use the pop-up menu to jump chapters while viewing, you'll need to turn off the subs each time you move to a different chapter, but if you chapter skip with your remote only, you won't have to do this...just a heads up to avoid a little bit of hassle). Audio options for all three versions are DTS-HD 5.1 and DD 2.0.

This is easily one of the most shocking, unexpected and "out of nowhere" releases I've seen on Blu, and every "AOD" fan in the world who owns a Blu-ray player should not hesitate in ordering it ASAP!

Like everyone else here, I can't wait to watch the entire disc! Thanks again for all the info and screenshots smp !

[Inspector Toschi]

Sounds like it's everything I hoped for. Really glad I ordered this last week, as I eagerly await for my copy to show up now. The wait is killing.

[kdo]

Just a quick heads up for everyone regarding the video quality of the US TC on the French Blu (e.g. the crushed black levels and sometimes oversaturated and unnatural colors, namely fleshtones)...I found that taking down the "color" and "contrast" settings on my plasma really helped...it doesn't necessarily fix the crushed blacks per se, but it's an easy correction and helps significantly with the overall presentation IMO...if you're a fan of the TC and aren't happy with the look, try taking your "color" setting down about 13-15 points, and your "contrast" setting down about 5 points...

Originally Posted by Sodslaw

I know I posted this in the german thread but just to make you importers aware the french blu ray is coded B on the case and the disc but it does play on region A players.
I did read on this thread that it was coded A and B yet when I saw the disc it wasnt, phew!!

I already responded to your post on the German thread here

[WorkShed]

I'm annoyed that my French copy hasn't arrived yet. It was supposed to be here Thursday. Oh, well. Fingers crossed for Monday.

[Sodslaw]

Originally Posted by WorkShed

I'm annoyed that my French copy hasn't arrived yet. It was supposed to be here Thursday. Oh, well. Fingers crossed for Monday.

Before you get too annoyed that my copy arrived before yours I am in the UK, hence the shorter delivery time.

[WorkShed]

Finally got the disc today. I'm pretty impressed! Worth the wait!

[UniSol GR77]

Originally Posted by WorkShed

Finally got the disc today. I'm pretty impressed! Worth the wait!

Do the additional scenes in the Director's cut look as proper HD? (especially the post-apocalyptic ending). Let us know!

[kdo]

Originally Posted by Sky_Captain

Right, so I've watched the entire director's cut and the only real thing that I didn't like, was that the 5.1 track suddenly turns to shit and it sounds like one of those horrendous 5.1 remixes that you used to find on Hong Kong DVDs,with various sounds effects, etc, sounding like they have this weird processed/synthesized feel about them. Particularly noticeable on explosions, but also creeps into the dialogue and music. The 2.0 track is free of this and sounds great, so that'll be my default mode from now on.

Go to the scene where Ash crashes the Oldsmobile and compare the explosion on each track.

Originally Posted by WorkShed

That was one of the issues that I was finding, as well. The original stereo sounds great and is the default track.

Agree with you to a certain extent here, but for some reason I'm not quite as bothered by the presentation of the 5.1 mix as you guys, though I can say at times I found it to be a little "thin." At the same time, I also prefer the overall ambience of the 2.0 track (which is often the case for me on any disc I own that offers both a lossless 5.1 and 2.0 mix), so I'm glad the original stereo track was made available as an option as well.

And yes, I also agree with the crushed blacks and off-colors regarding the US TC...though I'm not too concerned about it, since I'll never really be watching that particular cut, and if I do, I can tweak my display settings to achieve a picture I find satisfactory...

[kdo]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

I think this is a nice representation of what the film probably looked like theatrically.

It is ...This is one that I saw theatrically on opening night, and while it was the US Cut, it had an appearance much more in line with what is seen on the DC and IC Cuts of this Blu (and to a slightly lesser extent, the UK TC BD, though not quite as warm). It did not look anything like Universal's sharpened and processed "Screwhead Blu," or the French TC (which is even warmer than the UK BD, and clearly has some color & crush issues, though I wouldn't consider them nearly so terrible as to render that version unwatchable by any means).

The shots that are blurry (opticals, rear projection, etc.) have always been blurry, and always will be. And barring a major clean-up effort (which is highly unlikely), we're just gonna have to live with the positive dirt that sometimes speckles the print. Most of which is on the material that is exclusive to the Director's Cut.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by WorkShed

Army of Darkness was still a pretty low budget film. They were asking a lot for the optical effects. Like Oblivion138 said, it would take a major recomposite from the original plate negatives (if they exist) to fix that. It's like the old days of making VHS dubs from a VHS. You lose quality with each pass, which is why bigger budget films would shoot FX shots at 65mm, so that they would match after all the passes. I doubt Army of Darkness had the luxury.

Sure, there are some scratches and dirt on the film. However, I think that that's part of the fun. The clarity does differ from shot to shot (again depending mostly on effects work), but the image quality far more often than not is very impressive. I'm also happy to see the color grading (for the Director's Cut) is back to the style of the Evil Dead films with a cooler palate. Also, it matches the color grading of the promotional material (TV Spots/Trailers) for the film.

And it also matches how the film looked theatrically from what I recall. I did see this one in the theater when it was released (the US Cut), and it did look to me much more along the lines of what we're seeing on the IC and DC cuts of this Blu.

Originally Posted by Sky_Captain

I also feel that complaining about the variation in PQ with regards to the DC, is not being able to see the woods, for the trees.

I agree.

Originally Posted by WorkShed

Also, the US Theatrical is over-saturated. If this is your favorite cut of the film and the only one you'll ever want to watch, then the French blu is not the way to go.

Again, agreed. While I personally feel the IC and DC Cuts of the French Blu offer the best video quality of this film available, for those who are partial to the US Theatrical Cut, they'll want to get the original Optimum UK Blu, as that's the best presentation of the US TC currently available, followed by the heavily processed looking Universal "Screwhead" Blu, and then by the TC of the French disc (which is probably the weakest presentation of the three due to the black crush and off-colors, though at least it doesn't have the oversharpened/digital look of the "Screwhead" Blu). However, I will say that I still feel the Optimum Blu itself is nowhere near ideal, as it too contains an overly warm color-timing in many instances (though not as oversaturated looking as on the French BD).

Whatever the case, I'm just happy that the DC version (which is the only "true" version of this film for me) got the proper treatment, and that it looks and sounds just as it should .

Originally Posted by Inspector Toschi

As others have pointed out, the TC is really awful looking. Yellow tint to virtually every scene, and EE gives it an awkward digital appearance. But I bought this for the DC. And while the amount of clarity, sharpness & detail changes from scene to scene (Sometimes drastically) it was always film-like IMO.

Yes, it seems that the US TC on the French disc was taken from the same master that was used for the previous TC Blu-ray releases we've seen in the UK and US. And frankly, none of them are quite up to par in my opinion. The Universal "Screwhead" Blu is easily the most processed looking (with heavy oversharpening), while the French TC suffers at times from odd colors and black crush. The UK TC BD is the best looking of the bunch, but even that presentation has some issues, including a color-timing that's still too warm for my tastes in certain instances (albeit not as oversaturated in appearance as the French Blu TC)...

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

Exactly. Intervision's work was ideal for a low-budget production like AOD. Sure, it was a bigger-budget affair than the previous two films, but Raimi also used that budget to do far more elaborate FX than he ever would've tried on a small budget. Enter Intervision to do the compositing. And for the film, it works fine...but the problems have always been, and will always be noticeable. You just have to turn a blind eye...or consider it part of the film's low-budget charm. Either way, what was seen in theaters in 1992 looked no better on that front.

And the grading for the International/Director's Cuts of the film is great. The colors are identical to the R3 DVD, but with better contrast levels. Very well suited to the look of the film, and the overall aesthetic of the series. The warmer tone just doesn't work.


The US Cut's transfer is definitely in the same ballpark as the US and UK releases. They're all derived from the same master. The UK release had warmer grading than the US, and that's what I'm seeing on the French disc...though perhaps even more oversaturated. In short, I'm thankful that the US Cut is my least favorite version of the film. It's nice to have it on the same disc strictly for comparison purposes, but I'd never default to it.

Completely agree with you here.

Originally Posted by UniSol GR77

This movie costed about 11 millions to make. 1992's Universal Soldier had a nice budget of 23 millions of dollars, more than the double. Go figure.

My point: AoD cannot look better than this, even with some extensive restoration.

Well, I'm sure it could to an extent, but I'd rather this one just be left alone. It looks fine as is .

[Oblivion138]

Originally Posted by kdo

Well, I'm sure it could to an extent, but I'd rather this one just be left alone. It looks fine as is .

Agreed. It could look better, but let's be honest...it's a cost-to-profit ratio question, and no one is going to go all out on a new HD scan and frame-by-frame clean up. The Director's Cut presentation on this BD is exactly what I was hoping for ever since the dawn of BD (and especially since the excellent Anchor Bay release of ED1, and the Lionsgate 25th Anniversary Edition of ED2), and I'd kind of begun to worry that we might never see it. Glad to see that my waiting paid off, and yes, it's pretty much exactly the presentation I'd hoped for.

[UniSol GR77]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

Agreed. It could look better, but let's be honest...it's a cost-to-profit ratio question, and no one is going to go all out on a new HD scan and frame-by-frame clean up. The Director's Cut presentation on this BD is exactly what I was hoping for ever since the dawn of BD (and especially since the excellent Anchor Bay release of ED1, and the Lionsgate 25th Anniversary Edition of ED2), and I'd kind of begun to worry that we might never see it. Glad to see that my waiting paid off, and yes, it's pretty much exactly the presentation I'd hoped for.

IMHO they surely did a new HD scan and the movie has been preserved and archived properly, so expect a future cleaning up... just not now. The process needs a lot of money.
Just remember, the clean up happens after the HD scan, not during.

[kdo]

Originally Posted by Oblivion138

Agreed. It could look better, but let's be honest...it's a cost-to-profit ratio question, and no one is going to go all out on a new HD scan and frame-by-frame clean up. The Director's Cut presentation on this BD is exactly what I was hoping for ever since the dawn of BD.

I completely agree.

Originally Posted by tenia

I guessed that it's due to the material itself, but it impacts the PQ nonetheless, which was my point. On top of this, it makes the SFX more obvious than never, and (but that's my point of view) makes them look incredibly cheap.

There's a lot of this in my feelings towards Army of Darkness' BD. I'm not saying I can't handle movies like this (and, in fact, liked more Army of Darkness for his stop-motion skeletons than for its mini-Campbells in rear projection), I have, more often than not, but sometimes, it really looks cheap.


That's also what I was pointing out : the lack of a real work of restoration behind. Or at least, a simple dirt cleaning, which I believe should be the minimum to do.

But a copy so dirty is just, IMHO, the sign of not even bothering cleaning the copy a bit. It's almost disrespectful.

While I can sympathize to an extent with some of what you're saying here, there's really not all that many instances of print damage during the film (with the exception of some of those optical shots). As for your describing the film as looking "cheap" because of those shots, I don't really know what to say other than that's just how the film looks, and is how it should look, and how it looked theatrically . Have you ever seen the Lionsgate "Evil Dead II" or Universal "Darkman" Blu's? Both are Raimi pictures that used a lot of optical effects, and even when you watch those discs (which are of good quality), you can see similar types of issues as you do with the DC Blu of "AOD." Due to the way that the effects shots were done, some of that stuff is inherent in the film print, and to go about trying to clean it up, not only costs money, but oftentimes comes with a heavy price visually speaking (as you can get a very digital or processed looking image instead of a filmic one).

This presentation on this French Blu is a beautiful depiction of what this film looked like in its original theatrical form, and I wouldn't have them change one thing about the way it looks or sounds.

Originally Posted by UniSol GR77

so expect a future cleaning up...

I wouldn't count on it.

[UniSol GR77]

I agree with KDO, as always. Me and him, like Joe Armstrong and Curtis Jackson.

The optical effect scenes cannot be fixed at all. It is inherent to them. This blu-ray is truly the best the movie can look FOR NOW.