Severin Films presents their first Blu-Ray; Macaroni Combat classic The Inglorious Bastards! So just how does the future of this format look when given the Severin treatment?
FILM- Alright, first off, the plot to this film is so simple, yet so effective. It's like no bake cookies, easy, yet amazingly delicious. A rag tag group of U.S. soldiers, all having committed various crimes, are being transported to military prison. Along the way, they're ambushed by Nazi fighter planes. Stranded in Nazi occupied France, with return to the Allies a one way ticket to prison, they press on. Soon, the bastards meet up with an AWOL German soldier, and decide there's only one option; flee to neutral Switzerland. After some bad luck and a one in a million chance, these inglorious soldiers end up with more than they bargained for; a suicide mission to hijack a damn armored train!This film has been really, really neglected over the years. Having more alternate titles than a Jess Franco film (That Damned Armored Train, Deadly Mission, GI Bro, and the list goes on), the name Inglorious Bastards was almost lost in the sea of mediocrity. Severin to the rescue, finally this film can be seen the way it was meant to be seen, uncut on DVD for the first time in America. The characters are perfect; from the charismatic leader of the group, to the one liner spewing racist (who is the only man dumb enough to piss off Fred Williamson). We really get a wide variety of characters, action and humor. Saving Private Ryan this is not. Inglorious Bastards is silly- at some places downright hilarious (intentionally, not like Cannibal Terror), and is in no way meant to be taken seriously. That in mind, don't expect the WWII equivalence of Star Wars. While the goofiness might put some viewers off, it really fits the film well; and makes for one of the funnest movies I have ever seen. I only have one problem with this movie- the ending. It is very abrupt, and left me waning to know a little more than it showed. Five extra minutes would have been greatly appreciated. The ending in no way spoils the film; because we all know it's not where you're going, it's how you get there. 9/10.
PICTURE/ AUDIO- Alright, this is pretty much the make or break point of any Blu-Ray. I've seen some movies from this year look terrible on this format; pixelated and smudged. Anytime you prepare a film 30 years old better than a film 3 months old, that demands respect. Severin has done a great job on this release; epically impressive considering it's their first tango with these new super disks. The picture is great; polished to perfection and clear as a bell. I didn't think it was possible to top their DVD transfer, but I love to be proved wrong. 9/10
The audio is great, but sadly not much better than the DVD. It has a very low volume, and some of the effects sound way too weak. Not a bad transfer (and not bad for their first Blu-Ray), but the audio still needed some tweaks. 8/10.
EXTRAS- Extras are a hit or a miss with Blu-Ray. Some amazing releases are tarnished by little to no extras, while some are worth the extra cash just for the exclusive content. Bastards comes with: A Conversation With Quentin Tarantino and Enzo Castellari, Audio Commentary with Director Enzo Castellari, Train Kept-A-Rollin- Documentary with Director Enzo Castellari, Stars Fred Williamson, Bo Svenson and Massimo Vanni, Special Effects Artist Gino de Rossi, Producer Roberto Sbarigia, and Screenwriter Romano Toscano, a Locations featurette with Director Enzo Castellari and Special Effects Artist Gino de Rossi, Trailer, Eagles Over London Trailer, Inglorious Reunion at The New Beverly, and Enzo's 70th Birthday Celebration in L.A.
The last two items are exclusive to the Blu-Ray, and really top of this release quite well. Despite the lack of the CD the Explosive Edition came with, you get everything else and more. Don't hesitate to grab this great release! 10/10.
BLU-RAY- Aside from the quality and extras, this format has far more features than a DVD. The pop up menu works like a charm, and the inclusion of a main menu as well just thrills me. Chapter stops work great, and the overall functionality of the disk is top notch. One thing killed this for me, and it's the Special Features menu. It's FAR too small, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I couldn't even read half of it. This isn't because the screen is small either, it's a 52" HD. I hope the text size is fixed on future releases, because with all those extras it's a shame to hide them behind small fonts. 7/10.
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