VIDEO: 4/5
Urban Legend hacks onto Blu-ray with a 1080p, 2.40:1 high definition transfer. Solid yet unremarkable best describes this one. This is a fairly average high definition presentation, which means it blows away standard definition DVDs and holds its own against the majority of Blu-ray discs on the market today. Flesh tones are generally accurate with a hint of red every now and again, and detail is above average but not exceptional. I noted a few spots on the print, but it is in generally excellent shape. Definition is not exceptional, but the image is mostly sharp with only minor background details appearing soft. Characters, foreground objects, and other pertinent information are generally well-defined. The college campus looks great. Greens in the common areas are lush, brick-laden walking paths look marvelous, the ornate furniture in the sitting rooms and offices are exquisite, and even the more mundane, boring objects, like a white concrete wall and the small, off-white tiles that surround an indoor swimming pool look generally realistic. Black levels are excellent. Many scenes in the film feature a nearly pitch-black background, and there is not even a hint of artificial brightness to be found. Yet again, Sony offers a disc of better-than-average quality that should not overly disappoint even the harshest of picture quality connoisseurs.
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AUDIO: 3.5/5
Urban Legend tells its tale on Blu-ray through a typical Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. You won't fall out of your seat from the rumblings of the subwoofer or look over your shoulder after a barrage of sound comes from the rear speakers, but the track creates a nice atmosphere that suits the picture just fine. Like the video, audio is solid but never stands out. Minor ambience plays nicely through the sound system. Birds chirping throughout the campus create a very pleasing, realistic atmosphere in daytime outdoor scenes, and in various lecture halls and student center shots, very minor background details are heard throughout the soundstage. The non-violent sections of the movie, which make up most of the Urban Legend experience, come with subdued music and perfectly clear and audible dialogue. Sound effects, such as the squealing of tires, the breaking of glass, or a body falling onto the hood of a car, are not overly dynamic but sound clear and exciting enough. No teen horror movie would be complete without a good thunderstorm, and this one sounds very good. Thunder is not booming and chest-rattling, but it packs a good enough punch, and it fills the room with an entertaining vigor and vitality. The film's score picks up nicely during the more action-oriented sequences, and while it doesn't offer that high fidelity, top-flight movie theater experience, it holds its own and offers a surprisingly enjoyable listen for this run-of-the-mill teen horror movie.
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Special Features: 2/5
Urban Legend makes its high definition debut with only two movie-centric features. First up is a commentary track with director Jamie Blanks, actor Michael Rosenbaum, and writer Silvio Horta. The track begins by addressing the youth not only in front of the camera, but behind it. For such an inexperienced bunch, I must admit that the movie turned out a bit better than it probably should have, and blows away some of the films I've reviewed recently. This jovial, laid-back track offers a mixture of behind-the-scenes information that points out a few effects shots, and a discussion of some of the challenges that arose during the filmmaking process, including the need to add lines here and there to better explain what's happening on-screen. Fans of the film will greatly enjoy listening to this track. Making Of Featurette (480p, 10:09) is actually a fairly interesting supplement that quickly examines the production of the film, focusing on some of the death scenes, and moving along to post-production. Here, we take a look at the scoring of the film, an ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) session with Joshua Jackson, and a look at a deleted scene. Finally, 1080p trailers for 21, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder and a Sony Blu-ray promotional montage conclude this short but interesting supplemental package.
There doesn't seem to be any Store/Retailer Exclusives for this.
None that I could find anyway.
I have it just cuz I like it. For being OOP, it's still cheap on amazon and probably even better on ebay. If amazon is $15 or so, that's probably less than when it came out, but slightly higher than the $10 it was at everywhere before going OOP.
I don't see why you had to import, unless prices took a huge jump and have came back to reality (it's happening to Ticks right now, the insane part at least) in the last few weeks.
I'd bet that at some Barnes & Noble store in the US, at least one copy of this is still available.
I have it just cuz I like it. For being OOP, it's still cheap on amazon and probably even better on ebay. If amazon is $15 or so, that's probably less than when it came out, but slightly higher than the $10 it was at everywhere before going OOP.
I don't see why you had to import, unless prices took a huge jump and have came back to reality (it's happening to Ticks right now, the insane part at least) in the last few weeks.
I'd bet that at some Barnes & Noble store in the US, at least one copy of this is still available.
No Brick & Mortar has/had it.
No place online either, at least for a decent price.
UK had it for $7.oo shipped.
I don't know what it is at now...
Honestly, I thought this title was one of the many Sony titles that have been out of print for a while?
It is.
I just got it in the mail today.
I went to go post about it and found that there was NO Existing Thread, so I made one, with as much of the pertinent info that I could.
It's been on the OOP thread for a while now. Got my copy a few months back for $15cdn new. Enjoy the movie, so I was happy to pay that before it gets silly.
It is.
I just got it in the mail today.
I went to go post about it and found that there was NO Existing Thread, so I made one, with as much of the pertinent info that I could.
Here's a couple, including one you posted in extensively.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I was able to pick up a copy today for a good price. This is one of those late-90s films that isn't great but is definitely fun to watch under the right circumstances.
Last edited by noirjunkie; 04-27-2015 at 11:02 PM.
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Urban Legend (1998) July 22, 2008 - Out-of-Print
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