Saving Private Ryan Blu-ray Review
I'm gonna hit that bullseye and win me a goldfish.
Saving Private Ryan is shot in a way that’s nothing short of definitive of its genre. There’s not been a war film or TV series since that hasn’t in some way borrowed from Spielberg and his DP Janusz Kaminski’s raw, grainy, gritty style. The action sequences really stand out, with their leeched-out colour palette, fast unpredictable cuts and use of first- and third-person perspectives.
The transfer also seems to share something of the rawness of the movie, in that it’s a near perfect copy of what appears to be an ever-so-slightly aging 35mm original. The grain and occasional hairs that come with this actually didn’t bother me at all as I felt it just served as reminder that this is a genuine 35mm transfer. Despite this charming little quirk, there’s a huge amount of detail in the images, with some great flesh tones and gloriously gory deaths and explosions. It’s the nearest you’ll get to actually being there without donning a tin hat and yelling “Curahee!”
Utah Beach: Like Brighton beach, but scarier.
I think I’ve said this before, but it’s worth saying again so here goes: there is literally nothing better than having your ears blown off by DTS-HD 5.1 gunfire while sitting in your living room. Saving Private Ryan hits the mark once again with some cracking vibrations in its battle scenes that’ll have your ear drums, teeth and God knows what else rattling like your Nan’s tea set in the blitz.
A problem that often arises in films with a lot of bangs, pops and whistles like this is that you can’t hear the dialogue (see BRD’s Public Enemies review for a prime example). No such problems here. The dialogue is directed right down the centre channel for the most part, leading to crystal clear audio, meaning you won’t have to touch your volume button or hit rewind once.
These aural delights combine neatly with John Williams’ superb score to create an eardrum-tingling soundscape up there with the best of them.
NB. The original release of Saving Private Ryan on Blu-ray had a significant audio glitch and was recalled. If you bought your copy before 18/05/2010 you’ll need to exchange it. See our news item to find out how.
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