Silence Of The Lambs (Blu-ray)

This is certainly one of the best serial killer movies in past years, and certainly one of the most memorable, this is the film that gave Hopkins his name and fame, unfortunately it didnt do much for Jodie Foster who was very good in this movie at least. The story is good and very well paced out and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end, a must see classic film.

This is one of those genre defining thrillers that swept all before it come Oscar night. This was the serial killer movie by which all followers would be judged.

Anthony Hopkins' acting chops were well known on these shores but this performance single handedly made him a Hollywood superstar. His Lecter burrowed under your skin and remained there long after the final credits had rolled.

Jodie Foster gives a decent performance fresh from her Oscar winning turn in the Accused, I just find her character a bit reactionary at times.

The qualities which defined this movie upon release have diminished over time but this still ranks as a top thriller with great performances and a haunting atmosphere throughout.

Well worth the price.

The transfer...................

MGM have granted this movie with an MPEG-2 encoded, 1.85:1 framed, 1080p transfer onto a 50GB Blu-ray disc of varied appearance.

Although this movie retains a high level of grain the image does appear soft for HD. Some scenes fare better than others. It's a notable improvement in clarity when compared to DVD but would benefit greatly from an AVC encoded upgrade. It's pleasing to know that MGM did not subject it to lashings of digital scrubbing which would have softened the image even more.

Colours are rarely vibrant and the image takes on a washed out appearance for much of the running time, this is probably the intended look which is in-keeping with the grimy nature of the movie. Skin tones appear accurate for the most part but can seem pale at times.

Darks are always important with this type of movie and I found that detail occasionally looks blurry in the darker scenes with some delineation issues.

Edge enhancement does not appear to be an issue in fact we do not suffer any compression or digital artifacting.

This is an improvement on previous DVD releases and recommend the upgrade but I feel this could be improved if given the full works and a new encoded transfer.

Film 5/5 Transfer 3/5

This is one of those genre defining thrillers that swept all before it come Oscar night. This was the serial killer movie by which all followers would be judged.

Anthony Hopkins' acting chops were well known on these shores but this performance single handedly made him a Hollywood superstar. His Lecter burrowed under your skin and remained there long after the final credits had rolled.

Jodie Foster gives a decent performance fresh from her Oscar winning turn in the Accused, I just find her character a bit reactionary at times.

The qualities which defined this movie upon release have diminished over time but this still ranks as a top thriller with great performances and a haunting atmosphere throughout.

Well worth the price.

The transfer...................

MGM have granted this movie with an MPEG-2 encoded, 1.85:1 framed, 1080p transfer onto a 50GB Blu-ray disc of varied appearance.

Although this movie retains a high level of grain the image does appear soft for HD. Some scenes fare better than others. It's a notable improvement in clarity when compared to DVD but would benefit greatly from an AVC encoded upgrade. It's pleasing to know that MGM did not subject it to lashings of digital scrubbing which would have softened the image even more.

Colours are rarely vibrant and the image takes on a washed out appearance for much of the running time, this is probably the intended look which is in-keeping with the grimy nature of the movie. Skin tones appear accurate for the most part but can seem pale at times.

Darks are always important with this type of movie and I found that detail occasionally looks blurry in the darker scenes with some delineation issues.

Edge enhancement does not appear to be an issue in fact we do not suffer any compression or digital artifacting.

This is an improvement on previous DVD releases and recommend the upgrade but I feel this could be improved if given the full works and a new encoded transfer.

Film 5/5 Transfer 3/5

This is the kind of 'upgrade' that let's this format down,the picture's soft,blurry at times with little to no definition and colour's are bland with very little standing out,rear speaker's aren't really used but as this is a dialogue driven film I didn't expect anything else,no problem's with the sound and certainly not with the film,just the picture upgrade.

I love this film, the transfer to Blu-Ray is quality (you can see Foster's got a tash) some great new features to keep you busy as well as original features found on various DVD release.