It will cost nearly $200 for the set of films on HD-DVD... I strongly recommend the Blu-ray version.
"Patriot Games" is a film I enjoy. It isn´t perfect and it is far from being the perfect adaptation of a Tom Clancy novel. Clancy is one of my favorite novelists and I never felt offended by the changes made to bring the story to the big screen. The movie is written to be a sequel to "Hunt for Red October" and not a prequel as the books´ timeline has the story fall. There are other changes. However, it is rather difficult to fit a large novel into just two hours time and a little work was required to fit the film to Ford´s older age. The final product of this intelligent action film is a movie that is enjoyable, moves along at a near perfect pace and features strong performances. Some people simply cannot accept a film that is not 100% faithful to the written word and they will not be able to embrace this Harrison Ford classic. For those that can enjoy an ´alternate´ story, "Patriot Games" should entertain you.
Video:
This is the second time I´ve been able to enjoy "Patriot Games" in high definition. The first time was on HD-DVD before Paramount pulled the plug on the "Jack Ryan Collection" box set. My review for that set was never posted and with HD-DVD now defunct, those versions of the Ryan films will never see light of day. The 2.35:1 AVC / MPEG-4 encoded transfer is virtually identical to the HD-DVD mastering for those curious how the Blu-ray would have stacked up to the HD-DVD title had it been released. I had hoped for a slight upgrade over the last effort, but after watching "Patriot Games" a second time on high definition it becomes apparent that this is the best this film will look and the sixteen years that have passed since "Patriot Games" hit theaters is the primary reason for the less-than-perfect transfer. I was generally very pleased with the Blu-ray release of the title and I cannot recall the LaserDisc or DVD releases ever looking anything near this sharp.
"Patriot Games" is detailed and colorful on Blu-ray. Many scenes have a very deep and three dimensional appeal to them because of the solid definition in the 1080p transfer. The early scenes in London looked amazing and you could see the hairs on the British army hats. A few close-ups of Ford and Bean show the wear and tear on the veteran actors´ faces. Coloring was strong as well and the scene that sticks out rather nicely is again from the London moments; when young Sally is impressed with the palace guard, her red outfit looks stunning and shows how well saturated and natural the hues in the film look. The darker moments in the movie look quite well and the climactic boat fight and Miller´s rescue are both detailed and exhibit strong black levels and shadow detail. The age of the film presents the only problems as a thin veil of grain is present throughout the film and a few flaws in the source material can be spotted if one would look hard enough.
Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix that was first released for "Patriot Games" on the HD-DVD release of the film makes its way to Blu-ray and is a bag of mixed results. I remember always being so impressed with the LaserDisc Dolby Surround mix of this film, but that was years ago when stereo television and VHS was the norm and we still listened to cassette tapes. Times have changed and since "Patriot Games" was released on LaserDisc in 1992 we have had the AC-3 encoded Dolby Digital 5.1 and other advances in sound. Sixteen years later, "Patriot Games" no longer packs the same explosive punch that I remember so fondly from the days when it was my first experience with digital sound for a film. The TrueHD sound mix is easily the best that "Patriot Games" has ever sounded, but the movie cannot compete with more modern soundtracks.
From the opening moments when the incredible Celtic-themed musical score by James Horner populates the speakers, "Patriot Games" sounds very clean on Blu-ray. The score is haunting and one day I will track down a copy of the soundtrack on CD. Imagine across all channels is fluid and strong. "Patriot Games" is filled with solid directional effects and plenty of ambient sound. There were noises I can never recall hearing before and I´ve watched this film a dozen times. All five full channels are kept busy through most of the film. Bullets can be heard whizzing around the room during the gunfire sequences and crowds and cars move from left to right and from front to rear. Dialogue is clean and strong as well. The only major complaint I had was the relative lack of oomph in the .1 LFE channel. Bass is just not as strong as I would have hoped. There is bass present in both left and right main speakers, but the subwoofer isn´t given much to do.
Extras:
The primary reasoning that "Patriot Games" and the "Jack Ryan Collection" were never released onto HD-DVD was due to a problem with the packaging. The special features were listed on each box, but they did not appear on the discs themselves. Finally, the Blu-ray release contains the supplements listed on the box artwork and the question becomes whether or not they were worth the wait and worth canceling the release of the films on HD-DVD. The only major supplement for "Patriot Games" is the documentary Patriot Games Up Close (25:14). This is a rather good making of feature and you can learn how the two Harrison Ford starred Jack Ryan films were done together and how the undertaking occurred from start to finish. Harrison Ford, Phillip Noyce, Charles H. Maguire and others lend a few moments to talk about the film and with plenty of behind-the-scenes footage, "Up Close" is an above average making-of feature. The only other feature provided on the disc is the Theatrical Trailer.
Closing:
"Patriot Games" was the first LaserDisc I had ever purchased and with one of my favorite all time actors in the lead role, it is a film I have enjoyed many times over. The film may hold another designation and be one of the final HD-DVD titles that I hold onto as I was lucky enough to come into ownership of the canceled discs for reviewing purposes. It will cost nearly $200 for the set of films on HD-DVD through eBay and the improved versions on Blu-ray are easily a bargain compared to the faulty former high definition release. On Blu-ray, the film looks and sounds solid, but the age keeps "Patriot Games" from competing with the top-notch releases. I was happy to finally get a chance to watch the making-of feature and that was a nice addition. The film itself is a lot of fun and if you can get past the changes made to the story, it is a great intelligent action film. If you are to fork over the money for a high definition copy of "Patriot Games," I strongly recommend the Blu-ray version.
Video:
This is the second time I´ve been able to enjoy "Patriot Games" in high definition. The first time was on HD-DVD before Paramount pulled the plug on the "Jack Ryan Collection" box set. My review for that set was never posted and with HD-DVD now defunct, those versions of the Ryan films will never see light of day. The 2.35:1 AVC / MPEG-4 encoded transfer is virtually identical to the HD-DVD mastering for those curious how the Blu-ray would have stacked up to the HD-DVD title had it been released. I had hoped for a slight upgrade over the last effort, but after watching "Patriot Games" a second time on high definition it becomes apparent that this is the best this film will look and the sixteen years that have passed since "Patriot Games" hit theaters is the primary reason for the less-than-perfect transfer. I was generally very pleased with the Blu-ray release of the title and I cannot recall the LaserDisc or DVD releases ever looking anything near this sharp.
"Patriot Games" is detailed and colorful on Blu-ray. Many scenes have a very deep and three dimensional appeal to them because of the solid definition in the 1080p transfer. The early scenes in London looked amazing and you could see the hairs on the British army hats. A few close-ups of Ford and Bean show the wear and tear on the veteran actors´ faces. Coloring was strong as well and the scene that sticks out rather nicely is again from the London moments; when young Sally is impressed with the palace guard, her red outfit looks stunning and shows how well saturated and natural the hues in the film look. The darker moments in the movie look quite well and the climactic boat fight and Miller´s rescue are both detailed and exhibit strong black levels and shadow detail. The age of the film presents the only problems as a thin veil of grain is present throughout the film and a few flaws in the source material can be spotted if one would look hard enough.
Audio:
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix that was first released for "Patriot Games" on the HD-DVD release of the film makes its way to Blu-ray and is a bag of mixed results. I remember always being so impressed with the LaserDisc Dolby Surround mix of this film, but that was years ago when stereo television and VHS was the norm and we still listened to cassette tapes. Times have changed and since "Patriot Games" was released on LaserDisc in 1992 we have had the AC-3 encoded Dolby Digital 5.1 and other advances in sound. Sixteen years later, "Patriot Games" no longer packs the same explosive punch that I remember so fondly from the days when it was my first experience with digital sound for a film. The TrueHD sound mix is easily the best that "Patriot Games" has ever sounded, but the movie cannot compete with more modern soundtracks.
From the opening moments when the incredible Celtic-themed musical score by James Horner populates the speakers, "Patriot Games" sounds very clean on Blu-ray. The score is haunting and one day I will track down a copy of the soundtrack on CD. Imagine across all channels is fluid and strong. "Patriot Games" is filled with solid directional effects and plenty of ambient sound. There were noises I can never recall hearing before and I´ve watched this film a dozen times. All five full channels are kept busy through most of the film. Bullets can be heard whizzing around the room during the gunfire sequences and crowds and cars move from left to right and from front to rear. Dialogue is clean and strong as well. The only major complaint I had was the relative lack of oomph in the .1 LFE channel. Bass is just not as strong as I would have hoped. There is bass present in both left and right main speakers, but the subwoofer isn´t given much to do.
Extras:
The primary reasoning that "Patriot Games" and the "Jack Ryan Collection" were never released onto HD-DVD was due to a problem with the packaging. The special features were listed on each box, but they did not appear on the discs themselves. Finally, the Blu-ray release contains the supplements listed on the box artwork and the question becomes whether or not they were worth the wait and worth canceling the release of the films on HD-DVD. The only major supplement for "Patriot Games" is the documentary Patriot Games Up Close (25:14). This is a rather good making of feature and you can learn how the two Harrison Ford starred Jack Ryan films were done together and how the undertaking occurred from start to finish. Harrison Ford, Phillip Noyce, Charles H. Maguire and others lend a few moments to talk about the film and with plenty of behind-the-scenes footage, "Up Close" is an above average making-of feature. The only other feature provided on the disc is the Theatrical Trailer.
Closing:
"Patriot Games" was the first LaserDisc I had ever purchased and with one of my favorite all time actors in the lead role, it is a film I have enjoyed many times over. The film may hold another designation and be one of the final HD-DVD titles that I hold onto as I was lucky enough to come into ownership of the canceled discs for reviewing purposes. It will cost nearly $200 for the set of films on HD-DVD through eBay and the improved versions on Blu-ray are easily a bargain compared to the faulty former high definition release. On Blu-ray, the film looks and sounds solid, but the age keeps "Patriot Games" from competing with the top-notch releases. I was happy to finally get a chance to watch the making-of feature and that was a nice addition. The film itself is a lot of fun and if you can get past the changes made to the story, it is a great intelligent action film. If you are to fork over the money for a high definition copy of "Patriot Games," I strongly recommend the Blu-ray version.
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]23917[/release]