The Shawshank Redemption (Blu-ray)

Everyone knows about this movie now, but when I originally watched it in the Mid Nineties, it was pretty much unheard of.
It was one of the rare occasions, when you watch a movie, not expecting much, and for it to blow you away.
It may not have the same impact now, as it's reputation is now Massive. But still a Class Act.
Brilliant Slow Burning Story, with a Gem of a pay off. Poignant, Funny, Classy, the whole lot.
Top notch Performances from Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. Masterfully Directed by Frank Darabont.
One of the most complete Movie Experiences of the last 20 Years

There is little point in reviewing the film, there is nothing left unsaid about it...however as one of my favourite films of all time I was eager to upgrade my DVD version to blu-ray. So was it worth the move upwards...well yes and no.

Early on this transfer is a little grainy, the early court room scene when the credits are still rolling (although better than SDVD) was disappointing and, horror of horrors, there was even a little pixallation on the words of the credits (a definite hi def no-no).

However as the film progressed things did get better. I agree that for someone who has seen this movie a lot there are little hi def treats in there. Reading the guards badges for instance and the cut of the prisoners uniforms. From a visual aspect Shawshank is a dull film, its meant to be that way, and this hi def transfer does not glitter on the screen say like Crimson Tide or 2001 ASO, but there is still plenty there for the geeks amongst us to enjoy.

Audio wise, again Shawshank doesn't lend itself to a glittering soundtrack, it's mostly vocals and the odd dramatic musical crescendo. It sounds OK, but nothing to write home about.

Shawshank has always been a cerebral film, like most of Stephen Kings novels, so I find it hard to criticise this transfer too much. It could have been better, but it's not bad by any means.

As the title of this review states if you are a Shawshank fan (and I am) then it's worth buying, however for the hi def transfer alone I wouldn't part with the cash.

5 star film...3 star hi def transfer.

We all now the film is pure genius, but the releases on dvd were of a poor quality, more like a vhs copy. So now the blu ray has come upon us, i had to buy and i was not let down, the picture is brilliant, you see things and pick up fine details you would have never noticed before.

As for the sound, its great too in my opinion, this is not a film that will blow you away with sound associated in action sequences and explosions, so the format on this disk, in my opinion, did me just fine, but i can understand some people may want a better audio presentation. Overall this need to be in your collection!

I hope this review helps.

This film will make a grown man cry!... An absolute must see!

Just pre-ordered my Blu-ray copy! have You??

Warning, this version of the film is Dolby Digital only while the yanks are getting TrueHD. I know it's hardly a film to showcase a decent surround sound setup but quite frankly, if you're spending this much on films you should want the best. The jump in picture quality alone isn't worth the extra. So either get the yank version (if it's confirmed region free) or get the SD DVD and save yourself a tenner.