Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing (as read by a kindly grandfather).

The Princess Bride is a funny fantasy that was a bit overlooked when it was initially released but has become one of the most beloved fairy tale motion pictures of the last 20 years. A somewhat silly fable, it pulls off being cheesy but at the same time holding on to the characteristics of a great fantasy epic. With a delightful ensemble cast with cameos throughout there are a multitude of great characters to keep you interested in the film. One of the best catalog classics released so far this year!

I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of picture quality going into this one as catalog titles vary so much. MGM had done an outstanding job with this one though and this is by far the best I’ve ever seen the film look. The print condition is fantastic and detail and film grain are left fully intact. While this isn’t as razor sharp or polished as some of the newer films, it is faithful to the original photography and has a very dimensional and film-like look. I noticed a tinge of edge enhancement here and there, but never enough to distract. Colors look very natural, if not a tad muted, and contrast levels are surprisingly strong and lend to the depth of image.

The DTS-HD Master Audio mix is also a pleasant surprise with nice range and impressive spatial clarity. The sound stage has a nice rich feel to it with plenty of activity in the surrounds and a nice open quality to the main soundstage. Bass extension is good, but not reference, but I wasn’t expecting much in this department having seen this film several times before. Dialogue is always clean with nice tonal balance and imaging across the mains is solid.

Fox does an interesting move with this release; they include the full DVD as well. This is a departure from their normal supplements and I must say a pleasant surprise. This offers far more flexibility than the popular digital copy. You also get all the supplements from the special edition DVD release including a feature commentary, plenty of production features and a video diary with lead actor Cary Elwes.

It was great seeing MGM bring this catalog favorite to Blu-ray. This is one of the best modern day fairy tales out there and the transfer is outstanding. A must own!