House of Flying Daggers worth it used?

[cawgijoe]

With all the negative publiciity this disc got.....I saw it used for $14.99 at a local EBGames.....is it worth picking up?

[HDJK]

If you like this kind of movie and don't have the DVD yet, I'd say go for it. It is a nice movie (not as good as Hero or CTHD for that matter, but still a nice love story with some wire action).

[zombieking]

If that type of movie is your thing, it is a good movie! But if you're a PQ hound you'll be disappointed. Still better than the regular dvd though.

[buckshot]

I dig the movie. as much or more than cthd. there's deception all around, beautiful scenery and that opening scene with the beans and the drums sounds awesome. the bamboo forest is trippy too.

[baccusboy]

It's a horrible shame. As gorgeous as that cinematography was, they put the transfer out looking like trash.

China can be a gorgeous country -- and I don't need to tell you how beautiful Zhang Xi Yi is.

[cawgijoe]

I don't have the DVD and have never seen the film. I am very aware of PQ, so I may not be happy. EBGames does let you return a used mivie within seven days if you are not happy with it and $15 doesn't sound bad.........

[zdefonte]

I'd say go for it if you're into Chinese martial arts movies. I own the movie in DVD, UMD, and now BD. I got the used BD from Amazon merchant for less than $12, and the beans/drums dance sequence alone is worth it, assuming you have a fairly decent sound system.

[cawgijoe]

Originally Posted by zdefonte

I'd say go for it if you're into Chinese martial arts movies. I own the movie in DVD, UMD, and now BD. I got the used BD from Amazon merchant for less than $12, and the beans/drums dance sequence alone is worth it, assuming you have a fairly decent sound system.

I may just do that and return it if the PQ bothers me. I have a pretty decent sound system including Thiel CS1.6 front speakers, Mirage surrounds, Atlantic Tech sub, and Infinity center channel with metal drivers that match well with the Thiels believe it or not.

I'll get it on the way home it it's still there and post my thoughts tomorrow.

Thanks everyone!

[dakota81]

The picture quality certainly isn't going to blow you away where you have to call in all the neighbors to check it out... but beyond that, it's a fantastic movie and very enjoyable to watch. The PQ does not ruin the movie if that's what you're worried about.

[dadkins]

HoFD is what came with my VAIO... ok I guess.
PQ is ok, nothing Earth Shattering though.

[cawgijoe]

I did not get a chance to watch the film in it's entirety last night, but I did jump chapter by chapter to get a look at the PQ.

The picture is definitely much better than standard DVD. There is no comparison. Colors are also excellent. They are very uniform and they pop. Blacks are perfectly fine on my Sony KV-34XBR800.

Now for the Dark Side: I did notice that there are scenes that are quite sharp, but for the most part the picture is softer than it could or should be. After watching POTC, it's a night and day type thing. I don't know if it's the original film or the transfer, but it's too soft.

I definitely would not use this film as a demo for Blu-ray.

Having said that, I'm glad I picked it up. The reviews on the PQ of this film IMO are much harsher than they need to be and it's probably because this was one of the first films on BD and everyone was anticipating superb PQ and were let down.

Again, I'm happy I bought it and look forward to watching it all the way through.

[buckshot]

I said earlier that I liked the movie, and I do, but the pq almost talked me out of getting BD. circuit city was using it as their BD demo disc. I was watching it thinking ''man, my hd cable looks a lot better than this''. I asked the people in the department why there was so much hype if it looked like this. ''oh, we're using that movie to demo the superior sound of the hidef movies''. I asked if they had any other movies that would be better for video and audio quality. they put in their demo disc in with a bunch of clips, that's when I decided to go BD after seeing that demo disc. despite my first impression of hofd it was still one of the first movies I bought on BD.

[Aztec_MC]

House of Flying Daggers is a fantastic movie with great picture quality. It's not noisey like most blu-ray movies.

[HDJK]

Originally Posted by Aztec_MC

House of Flying Daggers is a fantastic movie with great picture quality. It's not noisey like most blu-ray movies.

[cawgijoe]

The PQ is soft, not noisy.....and if you mean "film-grain" by noisy....that's a whole nother debate and rats nest!