The Japanese Jackie Chan Blu-ray thread

[hangman960]

Originally Posted by flashback8

Hey everyone. Thanks for the tipoff regarding the Japanese PS re-release. It's nice to have a halfway decent version of this film, even if it is an alternate edit. Anyway, I have a few observations.

-I gave the disc a brief spin overall. The Hong Kong edition is the main feature, with the Japanese version being an extra. I’m positive the HK version is an upconvert. The remix is horrible too. But, you all knew that already.
-I still haven't watched the Japanese edit all the way through but I have watched significant portions while cobbling a script together. (See below.) The Japanese edit is surprisingly low bit-rate (~12.1 GB for the movie, 640 kbps DD stereo soundtrack included) but I didn't notice any significant compression artefacts. The main problem seems to be that the print needs significant cleaning. The color timing shifts a bit during reel changes, several shots that are out of focus (although I believe this is true for the HK edit too), the soundtrack has some pops and crackles, etc. Despite that, the picture's probably about as good as it's going to get for this film, barring a massive restoration process. That said, the transfer was film-like, if a bit dull. Just don't expect miracles, and you're golden. If I were reviewing for this site, I'd probably give the video a 2.5/5 at best. Its true HD roots are offset by the need for serious cleaning.
-The Japanese subs are burned-in subs that reside on the picture. Interestingly enough, the disc includes a Japanese edit with Japanese soundtrack and without burned-in subs, but it's SD. I’m guessing the producers couldn’t find a print or HD source without subs and made due with an SD transfer that had a pre-existing Japanese dub.
-As mentioned above, I'm almost done with an English subtitle script for the Japanese edit. I ripped the script from the Dragon Dynasty DVD, including the opening and the press conference scene. I then edited it all together, made sure everything syncs up (some scenes were moved around, with a line here and there cut from the HK edit), etc. I just need to get a few lines translated or double-checked, and I'll toss it up online if it's okay with the mods. People can PM me for the link when it's ready.

Thanks.

Id been intrested in getting my hands on a copy of this