Lethal Weapon moves along at a frenetic pace, providing excitement galore, so long as you don't stop to think about it.
Video:
Warner Brothers present the film in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio, close to its original 1.85:1 theatrical-release size. I found the picture quality in the standard-definition edition slightly blurred, with colors that were not too stable, sometimes fading in and out of focus and hue. While the HD-DVD rendition is still not perfect, it is a decided step up from the SD transfer. In 1080 high definition, I found the picture much more sharply detailed, with far better clarity than before, most noticeable in facial close-ups. When it's good, the HD video can be very, very good, and when it's not, it remains OK. It is a touch dark and grainy in places, with a few scenes slightly dullish, but it isn't much to fret over. Black levels are intense, colors are rock solid, and for whatever reason the picture quality seems to get better as the movie progresses.
Audio:
The HD-DVD audio uses Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, and it acquits itself more than respectably, played through my Toshiba's 5.1 analogue outputs. A good deal of information gets sent to the rear speakers and with better directionality than on the SD disc's regular Dolby Digital 5.1. I enjoyed listening for little things like rain falling, crowd noises, and musical ambience more than before, and gunfire and grenade blasts now have greater distinctness and punch. Front-channel stereo is excellent, and dynamics are wide. What's more, overall transparency is superb, even in the loudest climaxes like the several explosions that the movie serves up. Bass, which in DD 5.1 tended to get somewhat woolly is here much tauter and better controlled. Although from time to time I was aware of a small degree of background hiss and I found the upper midrange a trifle hard and forward, I thought in general the audio response was fine for a picture of this kind and, as I say, an improvement over the previous DD 5.1 sound.
Extras:
As for anything in the way of extras on the disc, there isn't much. There is a five-minute sequence of deleted scenes, about six of them, that run without intermission and with no index. I recognized some of the material from the Director's Cut. In addition, there is a widescreen theatrical trailer; twenty-three scene selections, but no chapter insert; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
As usual, WB include pop-up menus on the HD-DVD, a zoom-and-pan feature, and an Elite Red HD case. Also as usual, the disc played flawlessly from beginning to end. I've heard from a few HD-DVD users that they've experienced the occasional dropout or pause; not so many, apparently, as from Blu-ray but enough to be a concern. Understand that compared to a CD, a standard-definition DVD has much smaller data pits, and compared to a standard-definition DVD, an HD-DVD has much smaller pits yet. If an HD-DVD player is going to read all of these microscopic data pits, it's either got to have a supergood error-correction system or the disc has to be super clean. The Toshiba player does have good error correction, so I suspect the fault of most dropouts and pauses is often dust. Lesson: Keep your discs clean, whatever the format.
Parting Thoughts:
As ridiculous as the "Lethal Weapon" films are, the one endearing quality they all have in common is the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh. Their friendship and repartee continue to delight and make even the most far-fetched action amusing and exciting. They're a good team and deserved their re-engagements. The HD-DVD picture and sound make them all the more worth watching.
Warner Brothers present the film in a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio, close to its original 1.85:1 theatrical-release size. I found the picture quality in the standard-definition edition slightly blurred, with colors that were not too stable, sometimes fading in and out of focus and hue. While the HD-DVD rendition is still not perfect, it is a decided step up from the SD transfer. In 1080 high definition, I found the picture much more sharply detailed, with far better clarity than before, most noticeable in facial close-ups. When it's good, the HD video can be very, very good, and when it's not, it remains OK. It is a touch dark and grainy in places, with a few scenes slightly dullish, but it isn't much to fret over. Black levels are intense, colors are rock solid, and for whatever reason the picture quality seems to get better as the movie progresses.
Audio:
The HD-DVD audio uses Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, and it acquits itself more than respectably, played through my Toshiba's 5.1 analogue outputs. A good deal of information gets sent to the rear speakers and with better directionality than on the SD disc's regular Dolby Digital 5.1. I enjoyed listening for little things like rain falling, crowd noises, and musical ambience more than before, and gunfire and grenade blasts now have greater distinctness and punch. Front-channel stereo is excellent, and dynamics are wide. What's more, overall transparency is superb, even in the loudest climaxes like the several explosions that the movie serves up. Bass, which in DD 5.1 tended to get somewhat woolly is here much tauter and better controlled. Although from time to time I was aware of a small degree of background hiss and I found the upper midrange a trifle hard and forward, I thought in general the audio response was fine for a picture of this kind and, as I say, an improvement over the previous DD 5.1 sound.
Extras:
As for anything in the way of extras on the disc, there isn't much. There is a five-minute sequence of deleted scenes, about six of them, that run without intermission and with no index. I recognized some of the material from the Director's Cut. In addition, there is a widescreen theatrical trailer; twenty-three scene selections, but no chapter insert; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
As usual, WB include pop-up menus on the HD-DVD, a zoom-and-pan feature, and an Elite Red HD case. Also as usual, the disc played flawlessly from beginning to end. I've heard from a few HD-DVD users that they've experienced the occasional dropout or pause; not so many, apparently, as from Blu-ray but enough to be a concern. Understand that compared to a CD, a standard-definition DVD has much smaller data pits, and compared to a standard-definition DVD, an HD-DVD has much smaller pits yet. If an HD-DVD player is going to read all of these microscopic data pits, it's either got to have a supergood error-correction system or the disc has to be super clean. The Toshiba player does have good error correction, so I suspect the fault of most dropouts and pauses is often dust. Lesson: Keep your discs clean, whatever the format.
Parting Thoughts:
As ridiculous as the "Lethal Weapon" films are, the one endearing quality they all have in common is the relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh. Their friendship and repartee continue to delight and make even the most far-fetched action amusing and exciting. They're a good team and deserved their re-engagements. The HD-DVD picture and sound make them all the more worth watching.
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