Fearless Hyena Blu-ray (Region A) (English Subtitled) Jackie Chan 1979 Kung Fu movie

[Magic Monkey]

1) What does the "Hong Kong Version" mean with this movie on YesAsia site? Is it somehow different from my R2 Hong Kong Legends Ultrabit DVD?

2) How is the picture quality? Yes, it's an upscale, it's still better than a DVD, but how much? Could someone post full pictures? Thanks.

3) Your opinion: would it be really stupid to sell my very very rare R2 Hong Kong Legends Ultrabit DVD and buy this Blu-ray?

Originally Posted by benricci

My copy just shipped. Should arrive next week - I'll post a quick a/v review then.

Did it arrive yet? Looking forward to your review.

[benricci]

Yes, my copy did arrive, Magic Monkey. A/V is exactly what you'd expect from K&M. Much better than my old DVD, at least.

[Magic Monkey]

Thanks. What was your old dvd?

Damn, it's only HK$155.00, I think I just order it and check it out, then try to sell my rare ultrabit dvd for a s#%tload of cash.

[reason108]

I just ordered a copy. The last time that I bought this movie was in the early 2000`s when it came out on Columbia dvd. That dvd looks like crap these days. But, I will hang on to it, anyways. I learnt a long time ago that when it comes to Asian releases, you never get rid of whatever copy you have. You can`t even trust the same company to release the movie on both dvd and blu ray. Something always gets screwed up somewhere. And, even though these movies may well be upscales, most of the K&R/Fortune Star releases still look better than the dvd counter-part. The only thing that continues to suck about these (besides the upscale issue) is the non original mono or stereo tracks/remixing and no special features issue. I guess you can`t have it all; but as an HK old school fan, you can`t have it at all. Not sure why they think that remixed audio is a selling point. The old school fans don`t want it and any new fans wouldn`t know the difference. My guess is that Fortune Star can`t afford to; or are to cheap to, pay to have these movies converted to HD.

The only thing that I think they are getting 100% right is the use of some of the poster art as cover art. But, others probably hate it. I just like the old school artwork and it really sets the product apart from all the Photoshop stuff being done these days. I like how some of the Shaw Brothers blu rays are using some of the poster art for the covers. But, that is a whole other complaint thread.

[GR44]

Originally Posted by reason108

I just ordered a copy. The last time that I bought this movie was in the early 2000`s when it came out on Columbia dvd. That dvd looks like crap these days. But, I will hang on to it, anyways. I learnt a long time ago that when it comes to Asian releases, you never get rid of whatever copy you have. You can`t even trust the same company to release the movie on both dvd and blu ray. Something always gets screwed up somewhere. And, even though these movies may well be upscales, most of the K&R/Fortune Star releases still look better than the dvd counter-part. The only thing that continues to suck about these (besides the upscale issue) is the non original mono or stereo tracks/remixing and no special features issue. I guess you can`t have it all; but as an HK old school fan, you can`t have it at all. Not sure why they think that remixed audio is a selling point. The old school fans don`t want it and any new fans wouldn`t know the difference. My guess is that Fortune Star can`t afford to; or are to cheap to, pay to have these movies converted to HD.

The only thing that I think they are getting 100% right is the use of some of the poster art as cover art. But, others probably hate it. I just like the old school artwork and it really sets the product apart from all the Photoshop stuff being done these days. I like how some of the Shaw Brothers blu rays are using some of the poster art for the covers. But, that is a whole other complaint thread.

As one of the fans that don't know the difference, could you please explain what's the deal with this original mono thing? Just curious.

[reason108]

Fortune Star and Celestial are two of the worse offenders of not using the original soundtracks that were made for these movies. Fortune Star has the rights to the Golden Harvest catalog. When you think Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao then think Fortune Star. Everything they have released on blu has been remixed soundtracks. Sometimes they just lay new sounds and effects on top of the existing soundtrack. Sometimes original sounds that were in the mix are taken out and replaced by new sounds. Celestial handles the Shaw Brothers. They like to add birds chirping and cheesy synth music, sometimes. So, you have arguably the 2 biggest name brands in asian history that butcher their releases as best as they can. It gets even worse with the other issues regarding frame cuts and missing minutes in some films. This problem has been on-going for at least 20 years or more and would require its own thread about what changes were made for what releases. And, on top of the the remastering issues, it seems that a lot of these films are missing segments due to censorship. So, one ends up not getting the complete movie the way it was meant to be seen by the filmmakers. But, back to the soundtrack point; Instead of giving the fans both the original mono or stereo soundtracks that were meant to be a part of the movie, they have done the surround mixes only and left off the original mixes. Perhaps not as bad of an issue as what has been done to the Star Wars films, but people get just as upset about it. Just check out the thread on the Bruce Lee Legacy Collection fiasco. Most fans won`t buy these blu rays because of the upscale and soundtrack issues.
I plan on keeping all of my old vhs and discs and decided to get select films only on blu ray. But, the ones that I am getting are either ones that I only originally owned on vhs or original dvd release. The fantasy would be at some point in time these movies would get re-released with original mono or stereo and true HD. But, I won`t hold my breath.

The best thing to do is not worry about it and just enjoy the films as they are now if you are new to them. Because, it can be an expensive pita to go around looking for all the old versions. But, the history of HK film releases has been a joke. It would have been so simple to get it right the first time. But, seems that all of these companies enjoy dropping the ball.



ps - just so my post does not sound all negative, even though the Fortune Star releases appear to be upscales, they have provided us with the longest cuts of each film mostly. though, if you want Millionaires Express, they have only released the HK cut. Dragon Dynasty has released the international cut on dvd. pq is about the same though. Celestial is starting to release the mono soundtracks on the blu ray releases though some of their remastered releases are still missing scenes. other companies have decided to go out and find longer prints of these films and edit the missing parts back into their copy when they release it.

[GR44]

Does the Fortune Star digitally remastered DVD have the original soundtrack? If yes, in other words, DVD is much better?

I don't own home theatre or any audio setup. Just enjoying a simple HDTV and player. Would it affect me/ruin my experience if I choose BD? Because I'm planning to pick BD from now on. But, if DVD is still much better, I'd pick DVD, instead.

[aps42]

personally this one turned out better than expected, got "young master blu ray HK version" the same day and that was definetley the worst blu ray i've ever seen, great shame. currently considering whether to get Wheels on Meals JP or HK version.

[Magic Monkey]

Originally Posted by aps42

got "young master blu ray HK version" the same day and that was definetley the worst blu ray i've ever seen, great shame.

What was wrong with it?

[aps42]

Originally Posted by Magic Monkey

What was wrong with it?

i'm not great at all the transfer terminology stuff but the colors were weak, too much grain sometimes.. it just didn't feel like i was watching a blu ray disc the majority of the time is what i mean. it wasn't terrible all the time, it had decent months but Fearless Hyena was much better to look at. i also got Dragons Forever HK version and that was better than both of them, that one was a pleasant surprise.

i also find the imperfect english subtitles strangely endearing, charming in a way

[OldPangYau]

Originally Posted by aps42

i'm not great at all the transfer terminology stuff but the colors were weak, too much grain sometimes.. it just didn't feel like i was watching a blu ray disc the majority of the time is what i mean. it wasn't terrible all the time, it had decent months but Fearless Hyena was much better to look at. i also got Dragons Forever HK version and that was better than both of them, that one was a pleasant surprise.

i also find the imperfect english subtitles strangely endearing, charming in a way

Fortune Star's treatment of Young Master was abysmal, even on DVD. The contrast is too boosted, resulting in crushed blacks and blown out skintones... and yes, it does look overly grainy, even in SD. Actually, "dirty" seems a more appropriate term than "grainy", I just can't put my finger on it. But that combination of issues makes it seem more like they used a dupe print rather than the original negatives. The Hong Kong Legends DVD was much better, in my opinion.

So yeah, an upscale of an already crappy SD version? No thanks. But of course, this master is probably the one we'll be stuck with for years until someone takes over the Golden Harvest films from Fortune Star like they did from Media Asia.

[KINGDANGER]

Probably pick this up real soon. My only other version is the old pan & scan Simitar DVD. This has to be the first Jackie Chan flick I ever saw as a kid, early 80's in a little downtown theater!

[reason108]

Originally Posted by GR44

Does the Fortune Star digitally remastered DVD have the original soundtrack? If yes, in other words, DVD is much better?

I don't own home theatre or any audio setup. Just enjoying a simple HDTV and player. Would it affect me/ruin my experience if I choose BD? Because I'm planning to pick BD from now on. But, if DVD is still much better, I'd pick DVD, instead.

I wouldn`t say that dvd is better. I wouldn`t say that it is worse. In a way, its relative. You would have to look at it from an disc-by-disc situation. And, it might also depend on what Region code you are shopping for. Things are certainly more complicated now with so many options. But, as well, a lot of the older discs are OOP. Though we would rather have real HD transfer, I doubt that any of these classic movies will ever see it (except a couple here and there); except BL movies, of course. And, the Shaw Brothers movies, they have been releasing real HD.

[drees5761]

If you can play region 2 / 4 the HK Legends Fearless Hyena disc is great quality, probably similar to the Blu ray but a lot cheaper and probably better subtitles. (The Australian release is still widely available, the UK more rare).
As i have said before if people keep buying this Fortune Star up-scaled crap then they will continue to release them...

[Rhythm-X]

Originally Posted by OldPangYau

Fortune Star's treatment of Young Master was abysmal, even on DVD. The contrast is too boosted, resulting in crushed blacks and blown out skintones... and yes, it does look overly grainy, even in SD. Actually, "dirty" seems a more appropriate term than "grainy", I just can't put my finger on it. But that combination of issues makes it seem more like they used a dupe print rather than the original negatives. The Hong Kong Legends DVD was much better, in my opinion.

So yeah, an upscale of an already crappy SD version? No thanks. But of course, this master is probably the one we'll be stuck with for years until someone takes over the Golden Harvest films from Fortune Star like they did from Media Asia.

MegaStar (Media Asia's home video arm) was licensing the films from Fortune Star... and getting wildly subpar materials, even for the late 1990s/early 2000s. MegaStar's non-Fortune Star releases from the same time were, if not great, then at least somewhat better looking.

[The Dragon]

Originally Posted by Magic Monkey

Thanks. What was your old dvd?

Damn, it's only HK$155.00, I think I just order it and check it out, then try to sell my rare ultrabit dvd for a s#%tload of cash.

Magic Monkey, hold on to that HKL DVD a bit longer, and you're surely cash in. They're rare and most popular to Kung Fu Film collectors.

[Magic Monkey]

But the longer I hold on to it, the probability of a more preferred release amongst collectors increases. Besides, the HKL R2 dvd is, and has been for many years already, a very very rare item. I don't collect specific releases, I only collect "best" (my own ranking/collecting rules) JC releases.

[reason108]

Originally Posted by drees5761

If you can play region 2 / 4 the HK Legends Fearless Hyena disc is great quality, probably similar to the Blu ray but a lot cheaper and probably better subtitles. (The Australian release is still widely available, the UK more rare).
As i have said before if people keep buying this Fortune Star up-scaled crap then they will continue to release them...

At this point I think they will release whatever is cheaper for them to release so they can make the most money. I doubt they are making the kind of money they want to properly remaster these or perhaps they don`t care. When it comes down to it; if you don`t buy them, then they will say "They aren`t selling. We can`t afford to properly remaster them." But, then again, if you do buy the upscales then they will assume that everyone is happy with the way it is. Either way, damned if you do, damned if you don`t.

Otherwise, does anyone know if writing emails help? But, if they did provide upscales to Shout Factory when everyone else got real HD then what does that say about them? That is, if it was their fault.

[Magic Monkey]

Originally Posted by reason108

But, if they did provide upscales to Shout Factory when everyone else got real HD then what does that say about them? That is, if it was their fault.

I don't know about the case you're talking about, but perhaps it's a money issue? Surely an upscale is cheaper to buy/license than "real HD"? I think that the niche market is not big enough for Jackie Chan releases in costly real HD (restored).

[reason108]

Originally Posted by Magic Monkey

I don't know about the case you're talking about, but perhaps it's a money issue? Surely an upscale is cheaper to buy/license than "real HD"? I think that the niche market is not big enough for Jackie Chan releases in costly real HD (restored).

Well, I was mostly thinking about the new Bruce Lee Legacy box set that Shout Factory is releasing. Everyone that has looked at the screenshots states that it is not HD; but an upscale. It is not supposed to be an upscale. It seems that everyone else has gotten true HD for BB, FOF and WOTD; except SF. Fortune Star has stated that these are the same HD transfers that everyone else has gotten. So, there has to be a mistake somewhere. If these are real HD then why do they look like upscales? As well, FS has supplied SF with a few other "HD" transfers for the SF Jackie Chan releases. Crime Story and The Protector are reported to be upscales. The only exception might be City Hunter. As well, FS have been releasing upscales on their blu rays, released by Kam&Ronson, of the HK classics they have the rights to; according to those that know. I was thinking that it may have been too costly to re-scan all of the negatives to HD. According to what has been stated, FS used an Canadian company to do the transfers a few years ago. It seems that something somewhere is not right about what has been done. Fans are mostly upset because they do not want to purchase upscales on blu ray. They want real HD.