Blu-ray Movie Reviews

After a successful career as a lawman in Dodge City, Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) and his two brothers retire to Tombstone, AZ looking for peace and quiet as entrepreneurs. When a band of outlaws called the Cowboys descend upon the town, the Earp's and their good friend Doc Holiday (Val Kilmer) take-up arms in order to protect the town from the ruthless villains.

I've seen this film numerous times over the past 17 years and consider it one of my all-time favorite westerns. Kurt Russell's portrayal of Wyatt Earp is very convincing but Val Kilmer steals the show as Doc Holiday. At a minimum he should have been nominated for an Oscar portraying the historic gunslinger but was snubbed by the Academy. The rest of the supporting players are nearly impressive and include Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, and Charlton Heston.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Inconsistent presentation
• Occasional edge enhancement
• Crushed blacks
• Bold color palette

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Ample LFE
• Enveloping surround track
• Crisp dynamics
• Intelligible dialog

The DVD releases have never looked very good and this Blu-ray is certainly an improvement, but it still needs some TLC from the studio. There are occasional scenes that are drop-dead gorgeous, but they're few and far between, and most of the dimmer scenes are much too dark with poor shadow detail. On the plus side the audio track has never sounded better.

Bonus Materials

• 3-part making-of featurette (SD)
• Original storyboards (SD)
• Trailers and TV spots (SD)

I'm hoping Disney gives the film the complete restoration it deserves on its 20th anniversary in 2013. Regardless, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track is outstanding and I'm happy to finally have the Blu-ray in my collection, warts and all. Recommended for fans.

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Release Date: April 27, 2010
Studio: Disney

Movie: 9/10
Picture: 7/10
Sound: 9/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics