Individual plot summaries of these movies can be found everywhere as well as opinions on the plots, acting and actors so I will focus only on the quality of the 3 pack and the transfers of these movies to Blu Ray.The collection of 3 films comes with each movie on its own Blu Ray disc with the space saving Blu Ray package. There is a middle sleeve to hold movies one and two and the back holds the 3rd. Each film is no different than buying the movies as separate films so not only do you save shelf space but save some money as well.
Edge of Darkness:
I do not have the Standard Def version but have seen in a few times on the cable channels which really are highly compressed.
Video; There was a surprisingly clean transfer of Edge of Darkness with little noticeable grain and a realistic color grading. Skin tones are as they should be and there was no artifacting or video issue that I could see. Mbps stayed generally in the low 20s but I really didn't notice any obvious DNR in any area of the film. . Details were easily viewed even in the darker, more shadowy areas as well as the amazingly deep lines and wrinkles of Mel Gibson's skin.
Audio: Lossless DTS HD 5.1 with some nice panning across the front stage and ambient use of rear channels for some, not a whole lot, of discreet use. The sub generally serves for a bit of ambient bottom end and a couple of powerful action scenes. There was no need to have your remote's volume nearby to roller coaster with, but I did have to boost the volume up a touch more than I usually do from the start of the film. The lower audio production levels should not be an issue if you just bring up the volume a tad from the start.
Extras include what they are now calling 'Focus Points' which is really no more than the typical 'Making of" documentaries that often come with films. They just break up the documentary into several parts including how the story came together, the original TV series by the BCC, Boston and other areas of interest. The deleted and alternate scenes were all good and could have easily been placed into an extended version.
Body of Lies:
Video Transfer: I was surprised at how clean a transfer to Blu Ray the video was. There was no artifacting or aliasing to be seen anywhere and no noticeable or distracting grain that I could see. The Mbps rate generally averaged between the high teens and the mid twenties. Color grading produced a somewhat desaturated effect. This type of color grading is very common in movies concerning the mid East as if the mid East is devoid of color which it is not but that appears to be the American perception. Also untrue is that the desert is always a warm, golden look as it is presented in this movie. Also, not true but that is the color grading of this transfer. Details in the video remain easily delineated even in the darker and shadow areas.
Audio: The audio is a lossless Dolby True HD and produced clear and precise pronunciation of dialogue. Volume levels are very good. Most audio is across the front stage with some decent panning across the front sides and a couple of instances of panning from rear to front, However, the rear channels generally are not used much more than ambience. Some discreet channeling, again, mostly across the front stage. Some sub usage but not a whole lot. If you like the movie, the blu ray is a good one to have but, again, if you already have it in SD DVD, not sure how much of a difference you will find.
Extras include some finished scenes that were deleted and could have easily been included in an extended edition. One of these deleted scenes is an slightly altered ending that would have done well to be included. Other extras are commentary and story points that I haven't looked at.
Since I do not have it on SD DVD, I do not know of the differences between the two formats but I am sure contrast has been boosted a touch and improvement made and if you do not have the SD DVD than surely, the Blu Ray is the way to go.
Pride and Glory:
Video:
Quite grainy which may be intentionally that way to fit the gritty nature of the movie about corrupt cops both within a cop family and out. Cooler color grading in most areas with its bluish tonality and soft contrast in the smaller details. Decent contrast in the close ups. The whole film has been desaturated a touch in the post production so colors really do not pop but that fits the nature of the film as well. Mbps range is low averaging between the low teens and low twenties. No artifacting or ghost trails. I believe this was simply transferred from SD to HD without much, if any, remastering and doubt you would see much difference between the two.
Audio:
Dolby True HD 5.1 lossless audio was surprisingly good with the surrounds used primarily for ambience, but there were plenty of low volumed foley effects discreetly placed for both the front and rears. Little LFE use but several good audio pans across both the front and rear sound stages. The audio of this film really is the star of the transfer.
The only extra was a 45 minute Making of Pride and Glory that had its moments of interest. There are no deleted scenes, bloopers or anything else. At least, there are no advertisements for other films.
If you already have this film on Standard Def DVD I do not believe that you will see much difference in the video. However, and I do not own the SD disc, you very well may be able to hear a more transparent audio and that might be all it takes. Never the less, even though the audio is quite good, I would not use this Blu Ray as any sort of DEMO disc for either audio or video.
All my reviews focus solely on the quality of the transfers to Blu Ray of both video and audio and I do hope that this review has been of some help to you in deciding upon your purchase decisions and that I am on the correct path with this type of review.
Thanks for reading.
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