This… 100%. I produced the disc. There is a Best Buy exclusive steelbook and a national release in standard packaging. The press release is badly worded.
Yes… the region locking that affected Fall, Talk to me, and Twilight was due to a bug in the Scenarist authoring software that wasn’t caught until all three were already pressed. It wasn’t an intentional decision, a change in strategy, or even faulty QC… it was a bug that automatically checked region coding to A and has was rectified as soon as it was discovered with the release of Fall 3 weeks ago I just delivered the Young Guns special features this week… there’s ZERO chance the 4K is region coded.
Yes… the region locking that affected Fall, Talk to me, and Twilight was due to a bug in the Scenarist authoring software that wasn’t caught until all three were already pressed. It wasn’t an intentional decision, a change in strategy, or even faulty QC… it was a bug that automatically checked region coding to A and has was rectified as soon as it was discovered with the release of Fall 3 weeks ago I just delivered the Young Guns special features this week… there’s ZERO chance the 4K is region coded.
That's excellent, and much appreciated, thank you.
Is there any chance that the fault present in the authoring of those three disks will be rectified for future pressings? I was a very big fan of Fall, so perhaps if there was going to be a standard, non-steelbook edition?
Just giving the UHD check disc a look… I think you are all going to be happy. The transfer is nice and grainy… really organic without any scrubbing. Also, the new Atmos sounds great and the original theatrical stereo PCM is stunningly active and open sounding. I listened to quite a bit of the PCM and I’m so glad we made sure to include it. And the picture quality is a massive leap over one of the worst blu-rays ever released.
Just over a month away… get those preorders in so Lionsgate doesn’t regret giving Young Guns this attention.
Just giving the UHD check disc a look… I think you are all going to be happy. The transfer is nice and grainy… really organic without any scrubbing. Also, the new Atmos sounds great and the original theatrical stereo PCM is stunningly active and open sounding. I listened to quite a bit of the PCM and I’m so glad we made sure to include it. And the picture quality is a massive leap over one of the worst blu-rays ever released.
Just over a month away… get those preorders in so Lionsgate doesn’t regret giving Young Guns this attention.
I hope this sells well that whoever has Young Guns II will get the 4K treatment!
Pre-ordered the steelbook. Really looking forward to this release. The disc sounds like it has the potential to be one of the biggest updgrades ever from the (awful) Blu.
I love this and the second film almost equally. Lost count of how many times I've seen them both.
Film/Program Grade: B-
Video Grade: A-
Audio Grade: A
Extras Grade: B+
Young Guns was shot on 35 mm photochemical film by cinematographer Dean Semler (who won an Academy Award for Dances with Wolves two years later) using Panavision Panaflex cameras with Panavision spherical lenses, and it was finished at the 1.85:1 flat aspect ratio for theaters. For its 35th anniversary, Lionsgate has prepared a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, completed a digital restoration, and graded the film for high dynamic range (both Dolby Vision and HDR10 are available options—and a tip of the hat to Lionsgate for including the Dolby Vision/Atmos logo tease when you first insert the disc). The resulting 4K image is quite good looking, once you get past the film’s opening credits, which are heavily digitally processed. Fine detail and overall resolution are very pleasing, and a big improvement over the previous Blu-ray release, particularly in brighter daylight scenes. Contrasts are strong, with generally deep blacks and well-detailed shadows, though some shots are a little gray looking given the amount dust in the air on location. Highlights are bold throughout. Colors are a bit muted given the period western setting, but they’re always accurate and natural looking. The fine texturing of wood, foliage, and clothing is mostly excellent. Photochemical grain is light-medium to medium, but organic at all times. This isn’t an eye-candy image by any means, but it certainly represents this film looking its very best.
Lionsgate has provided two audio options on both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs here, including the original English 2.0 stereo in PCM format (sourced from the LaserDisc release to ensure its theatrical accuracy) as well as a new English Dolby Atmos mix (and this was checked against the PCM to ensure that nothing untoward was added or changed). Like the 4K image, the Atmos experience isn’t quite a sonic tour de force, but it is pleasingly smooth and robust, and it impresses with all kinds of little subtle atmospherics even in quieter scenes. When Murphy and his posse ride up to Tunstall’s ranch, for example, you can hear the sound of clopping hoofsteps, whinnying horses, and jangling spurs all around, not to mention the soft whispering breeze. Dialogue is full and clean sounding, while the score—by turns lively and edgy—utilizes the entire soundstage. When the gunplay does break out, there’s plenty of low-end bluster to give every shot a crisp report and every impact pleasing and muscular oomph. And while some will prefer the theatrical stereo audio, the best thing about this Atmos mix is that it respects the character of that original experience. Note that optional subtitles are available here in English, English SDH, and Spanish.
Lionsgate’s new 4K release (and the remastered Blu-ray included with it in the package) both include the following special features:
Audio Commentary with Lou Diamond Phillips, Dermot Mulroney, and Casey Siemaszko
How the West Was Wild: Making Young Guns (4K – 35:53)
Billy the Kid: The True Story (Upsampled SD – 32:17)
Teaser Trailer (4K – 1:16)
Theatrical Trailer (HD – 1:28)
The commentary carries over from the 2003 Special Edition DVD. It features a few interesting behind the scenes stories, particularly from Phillips, but there are long periods where the actors fall silent. Billy the Kid: The True Story meanwhile was produced in 2005 and appeared on the 2007 Blu-ray. It’s an informative piece featuring several experts who impart the real historical details. The film’s teaser and theatrical trailers are also included.
But the best extra here is all-new, created just for this 4K release. How the West Was Wild: Making Young Guns was produced by our old friend Cliff Stephenson and features new interviews with Cain and screenwriter John Fusco (who grounds the piece), cast members Phillips, Mulroney, Siemaszko, and Geoffery Blake, director’s assistant Wendall Thomas, and composer Anthony Marinelli. Three other cast members—Estevez, Sutherland, and Sheen—are represented by vintage interview material (their participation in new interviews was sadly derailed by the SAG-AFTRA strike). But you also get to see rare screen test footage, film outtakes, and behind-the-scenes production video. Best of all, you get to hear clips of Horner’s original unused score, played over actual film footage (and compared to the Marinelli score, so you can fully appreciate the tonal differences). If you’re a true fan of Young Guns, this thirty-minute piece is worth the price of the disc all by itself.
Of course, you also get a Digital Copy code on a paper insert. And the disc is available in two different versions: A 4K wide release in Amaray packaging and a Best Buy-exclusive 4K Steelbook (probably one of the last ever) that features custom art by illustrator Grzegorz Domaradzki, as well as exclusive art cards.
Somehow, and against all odds, Young Guns became a box office hit in 1988 and has not only endured, it’s become a cult favorite. And though the film itself is somewhat uneven, it certainly has its charms, not the least of which is a playful performance by Emilio Estavez, who brings a great deal of fun to the role of Billy the Kid. Enthusiasts will be pleased to know that Lionsgate has produced a terrific (and long overdue) 4K Ultra HD release that delivers fine A/V quality and a nice mix of both new and legacy bonus content. It’s definitely recommended for fans.
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