Remember when the Harry Potter films went from being kind of just okay to freaking amazing? That was the work of director Alfonso Cuarón on the third film, The Prisoner of Azkaban, providing the franchise more style and character than the previous two films combined. After a wait of what seems like an eternity to me, Azkaban, along with its follow-up, The Goblet of Fire will be arriving in the Ultimate Edition format this October. If you read my reviews of the first two boxed sets, released last year, you’ll recall that I was extremely enthusiastic about what Warner is doing here. Sadly, this time around, we won’t be getting extended cuts of the films along with the theatrical. I’m fairly certain, however that the multitude of special features and extras in the boxes will more than make up for the absence.
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN: ULTIMATE EDITION
(October 19, 2010 – MSRP $49.99)
Video: 2.40:1 VC-1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Special Features:
Disc 1:
- The Movie
Disc 2:
- ALL NEW Special Features: Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 3: Creatures and featurette – Tour Nick Dudman’s Creature Shop
- An Interview in Spanish with Alfonso Cuarón
- 3 Vintage TV Specials: The Magic Touch of Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Making of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Theatrical Trailers
Disc 3:
- Additional Special Features: Featurettes – Creating the Vision: an interview with J.K. Rowling and the filmmakers, Conjuring a Scene: Creating Buckbeak and the Dementors for the screen; Additional Scenes and more
- 48-Page Creatures Photo Book with Rare Images from Years 1-7
- Two Collectible Character Cards: Hermione Granger, Sirius Black
- Year 3 Lenticular Card
- Bonus Digital Copy of the Theatrical Film
- Blu-ray Ultimate Edition Includes BD-Live Interactivity
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE: ULTIMATE EDITION
(October 19, 2010 – MSRP $49.99)
Video: 2.40:1 VC-1 1080p
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Special Features:
Disc 1:
- The Movie
- BD Only: In-Movie Experience: Join Members of the Cast As They Share Memorable Moments, Personal Perspectives and Fun Facts While Watching the Movie!
Disc 2:
- ALL NEW Special Feature: Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 4: Sound & Music
- 5 Vintage TV Specials: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Behind the Magic; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Dark Matters, New Masters; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Some Animal Magic; Inside Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Disc 3:
- Additional Special Features: Featurettes – Preparing for the Yule Ball; conversations with the Cast; Reflections on the Fourth Film; and more
- 44-Page Sound & Music Photo Book with Rare Images from Years 1-7
- Two Collectible Character Cards: Ronald Weasley, Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody
- Year 4 Lenticular Card
- Bonus Digital Copy of the Theatrical Film
- Blu-ray Ultimate Edition Includes BD-Live Interactivity
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I don’t want to beat a dead horse here, but I think Warner has knocked it out of the park with these Harry Potter Ultimate Editions. They include all the special features from previous editions and add a boatload of new stuff. Like I said in the previous review, the most compelling feature of these new collections is that each set includes one segment of the 8-Part documentary, Creating the World of Harry Potter. ‘Part 2: Characters‘ is wonderful, insightful and a full half-hour longer than Part 1! It focuses, obviously, on the characters of the series and charts their evolution (and in the case of the kids, their growth) from the first film in 2001 right up to the most recent films. Watch a preview below:
Also, much like the previous set, the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Ultimate Edition box contains a hardcover book that complements the episode of the doc. In addition to the book, 2 Blu-ray discs and a DVD, the magnetically closed, book-style packaging also contains a disc with a digital copy of the film and 2 trading cards.
The disc set is rounded out by another ‘In-Movie Experience’ – a wonderful picture-in-picture sit down with director Chris Columbus over the theatrical cut of the film. The extended cut runs 13-minutes longer and features footage not seen in theatres.
And don’t miss the never-before-seen screen tests of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson! Though the docs feature clips from the tests, you’ll want to watch them in full to see just how incredible these kids were right out of the gate. It really illustrates the point that casting is everything.
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My god. What can I possibly say about this set that isn’t going to make me sound like a drooling fanboy. Which, I’ll have you know, I’m not!…um…It’s just that, well…these films and these Blu-ray collections are winning me over and making me want MORE, MORE, MORE! I liked Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Sorcerer’s Stone if you live in the USA) well enough when I first saw it in the theatre, way back in 2001. It had a fanciful, very British feel to me. Akin to movies like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in my mind. Over the years, as I have had further opportunities to re-watch the film and invest myself in its sequels, I’ve found myself becoming a fan of the over-arching narrative – the epic Potter tale, if you will – than of any one of the individual films on their own.
What these new boxed sets have done (Warner has also released a Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Ultimate Edition set with a further 6 films to follow in this format) is ramp up my fandom to 11! And its not just the excellent, comprehensive treatment of the content that’s got me so excited. It’s also the beautiful packaging!
When removed from the paper slipcase around it, the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone disc package looks like a fine, thick, leather-bound book volume. These things don’t belong stuffed in among your regular, everyday Blu-ray discs. They belong up on your book shelf, beside your hardcover editions of the Harry Potter series. The contents are held enclosed by a flap that is sealed by a magnetic clasp. Beautiful detail! Inside, the 3 discs are housed in their own digipack folder aside an envelope containing the digital copy and some collectables and a really nice hardcover book. Colour me impressed!
The Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone discs themselves are equally as impressive. Well, at least two of the three discs are. The third disc in the set is a welcome addition in that it is an exact copy of the original releases bonus content disc. Sadly, it hasn’t been updated in any way and is still a bugger to navigate. It forces you to jump through a lot of hoops to get those extras. Nevertheless, I’m happy to have it included in the package, even though it’s only a DVD. The other two, both Blu-ray discs, are where the content really shines.
Disc One of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone set includes two versions of the feature, the theatrical and extended cuts, available through seamless branching. This was an issue for me until a few days ago. You see, my review copy was buggered. It would play up to the Quidditch match and then freeze. I thought it might be my player having trouble with a layer change or the seamless branching so I brought it around to friends and family. It played the same way everywhere. Luckily, I was able to exchange the set at a local retailer and my new copy is perfect! The video and audio are wonderful here. Not as clean as a film made in 2009 but wonderful nonetheless. Despite Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone being previously available on Blu, I would hazard a guess that this is a brand new encode. It looks slightly better to my eyes. But maybe that’s just me. I didn’t A/B the two version available on Blu but my guess is that this new edition looks a little better.
Disc One also features Chris Columbus in an “In Movie Experience” on the theatrical cut of the film. This is essentially Warner’s Maximum Movie Mode, where the director walks you through the creation of the film, with the occasional picture-in-picture popping up to illustrate detail using artwork and behind-the-scenes footage. Great stuff here!
Disc Two is amazing! One of the most incredible things these new boxed sets has to offer is that they each contain a segment of the new 8-part documentary series called “Creating the World of Harry Potter“. “Part 1: The Magic Begins” clocks in at around an hour and is absolutely spectacular. Almost worth the price of the set itself. It follows the creation of the film from inception to debut, featuring new interviews with everyone involved, along with tons of old photos, behind the scenes videos and screentests of the actors. This is a stunning look at the both the film that started the cinematic phenomenon as well as the franchise itself.
Take a look at the full feature list in our previous post here.
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Okay. I know it’s not perfect. It’s one of those sequel films without much set-up, that tosses you directly into the middle of a plot with the assumption that you’re well acquainted with the details of the previous episodes. It skips around a bit, from plot point to point, leaving some characters out there, twisting in the wind. And it’s dark! DAMN dark! You’ll spend the film wishing that someone would just flip a bloody light-switch on. But who really cares! Criticizing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince feels like tearing into an episode of Lost at this point. And as anyone who watches programs with ongoing narratives will attest, each episode is merely a piece of a larger, more complex puzzle. The Harry Potter films are well beyond the point where they can can be judged as singular, standalone films. And as a series, I think the production team is getting most things just about perfect. I can’t really complain.
I’ve never read the books, but it’s quite clear that the plot of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince draws the second act of the over-arching narrative to a close, leading into the third and final act, to be played out through the remaining two films. This film in particular has that Empire Strikes Back feel to it – jump into the middle of the story and end with a cliffhanger, with very little feeling of satisfaction. By the time you finish watching it, you may feel lost, wondering what it was that you just sat through. Mark my words, in time, this will be heralded as one of the better Potter films, just as Empire is now lauded as the best of Star Wars. Just go with it and enjoy the ride while it lasts. We’ve got two more of these puppies coming at us over the next year and half. I, for one, can hardly wait!
The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Blu-ray disc has been the subject of much debate here on the internets, with early reviews claiming a faulty transfer. I beg to differ. Like I said, this film is dark, dark, dark. And Warner Home Video has handled the cinematography perfectly, delivering a film-accurate transfer and a great encode. This is really and truly as good as this film can look in a home theatre environment. So don’t worry about your system or the disc when things get a bit dark on your screen. It’s supposed to look that way…
The Blu-ray disc set is also quite spectacular in the special feature department although, I have to say, this is the first time I’ve been disappointed with Warner’s Maximum Movie Mode. The MMM has been a highlight on many recent Warner discs. But the Harry Potter track here tends not to do much more than pop-up video of the main actors giving their thoughts on the characters. There is some variation every now and then but I found the feature a bit tedious. Much more pleasing are the plethora of excellent featurettes found on disc-2 of the set. The best of which are actually hosted in a light and playful tone by the actors from the series and provide a lot of insight into who these kids are and how they remain pals on and off screen.
“Close Up with the Cast of Harry Potter” lets the actors explore different behind-the-scenes aspects of putting the film together – Daniel Radcliffe in the editing bay, Emma Watson in the make-up room, Evanna Lynch in the costume department. You get the idea. It’s a lot of fun because the kids seem to be having a lot of fun with it. I’m still amazed that actor James Phelps is now not only one of the Weasley twins but also an Assistant Director on the films!
Another fun featurette called “What’s On Your Mind” is hosted by Draco Malfoy, Tom Felton as he asks a lightning round of questions to his cast mates. You’ll learn more about the kids in this quick 7-minute feature than in most documentaries on the films.
In addition, you’ll also find a lengthy 50-minute doc on author J.K. Rowling, a preview of the next Potter film, some deleted and additional scenes and a look at Universal Studios’ new Harry Potter theme park attraction. Very cool! I can’t wait to go with my niece and nephew!
Don’t forget all the BD-Llive treats available through the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Blu-ray Disc. There are a handful of featurettes and trailers but the best part of the BD-Live experience on the disc has to be the Live Community Screening hosted by Daniel Radcliffe. This took place on December 12th but should be available to view after the fact. It’s well worth a listen. He and producer David Barron take questions from viewers and generally have a pretty good time re-watching the film and chatting. Let’s hope they decide to do another in the near future!
For more details of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Blu-ray Disc read our previous post here.
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]]>Oh, what a weird day today! Was awakened at 5AM by bad porch kitten, iPhone died around 7AM, almost choked on a Cinnamon Streusel Mini-Wheat at 9AM, now I’m left exhausted, out-of-touch and coughing, to wade through this weeks new Blu-ray releases. Thankfully, there aren’t a lot of quality discs out today (there is a whole pile of crap, direct to video kind of stuff I’ll just ignore) but the discs worth noting are most certainly worth rushing out to pick up.
I just watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince a couple of nights ago. Amazing! I’m in love with this series. I’m not sure that I can even be objective about the individual films anymore. I loved this film to the extent that I’d be happy to pop it on again tonight and watch it all over again. And the Blu-ray package is a fantastic one as well, stuffed with incredible special features. Chief among them is the Maximum Movie Mode, which allows you to watch the film alongside the actors and production crew, who explore elements of the film through conversation, stills and focus featurettes. Awesome!
And if you’re half the Harry Potter nut that I’ve become, you’re going to want to grab up these new Ultimate Editions of the first two films. They come complete with everything included on the old versions of the discs and have added extended cuts of the films, more special features and come packaged with collectables and books. Read our full run-down of the releases for more details.
Best. Season. EVER! With season 5, Lost went from a pretty good show to absolutely great! And this Blu-ray set will let you relive every moment in stunning 1080p. Really, these episodes are gorgeous in HD. You haven’t seen a thing until you’ve seen them on the Blu-ray disc. The Season 5 disc set contains a ton of extras, the coolest of which is the online Lost University, which you can enroll in today via BD-Live.
And if you’re a super-mega fan of Lost, you’ll want to get your hands on this Dharma Initiative Orientation Kit edition of the Season 5 set. It includes a VHS Orientation Video for New Recruits, Limited Edition Collectible embroidered DHARMA Patches (MAY Include The Exclusive Submarine Patch), Orientation Guides to the Compound, Motor Pool, Security and Cafeteria and an exclusive CD of Geronimo Jackson’s “Dharma Lady” and more!
And if you’re up for a killer deal today (Tuesday, Dec. 8th only!) Amazon.com has Lost: Seasons 1-5 in their Gold Box Deal today for 70% off the MSRP! Take advantage of this deal before it’s over and get every episode of Lost that’s aired so far for only $108.99!
This film was surprisingly good! We watched Julie and Julia last night and while I would take issue with some of the more ham-fisted lines of dialogue and moments of over-acting littered throughout, the whole film plays quite well overall. It is sweet, in that Rom-Com kind of way but that’s to be expected from a director like Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail). But this isn’t a Rom-Com. It’s a study of two lives that run in parallel over two different time periods – one, a young girl in 2002 lost in the doldrums of her life and the other, a lady approaching middle age, who would become famous for bringing French cuisine to the USA. And Meryl Streep is simply outstanding in the role of famous chef Julia Child. It’s worth checking out the movie for her portrayal alone. Great film and a wonderful Blu-ray from Sony.
I haven’t had a chance to screen this Blu-ray yet but I really enjoyed Public Enemies in the theatre. I’ll get behind any Michael Mann film, of course, but I think this one is really worth checking out. If for no other reason than the very peculiar way a period film plays when shot on High-def video!
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]]>What’s that? That little sneak peek in the video. A few moments of footage from the upcoming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film on the Blu-ray trailer for the Half-Blood Prince? And am I to understand that we’re getting more on the disc when it hits shops on December 8th? This is too much anticipation for one guy to handle…
In addition to this fun bit of video, pimping the next Blu-ray release, I’ve come across this one, posted below, which reveals a retail exclusive – a Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Blu-ray inside a Death Eater mask! Fun! I’ll have to grab that one for my niece.
Previously on The Blu-ray Blog: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, new Ultimate Editions of first two films Announced, Detailed
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]]>Oh wow. What a day! We’ve finally got a whole crap-load of details about Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on Blu-ray along with those Harry Potter Ultimate Edition Blu-ray discs we heard about ages ago. There’s a lot to take in here, both in terms of disc details and images so let’s just cut to the chase. All 3 disc sets will be in shops this December 8th. Details below:
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
Special Features:
- • WB Maximum Movie Mode with director David Yates, producers David Heyman and David Barron, and cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Tom Felton, including Focus Points, picture-in-picture and image galleries (BD exclusive)
• Additional scenes (6’31″)
• Close-Up with the Cast and Crew of Harry Potter: hosts Matthew Lewis (“Neville Longbottom”) and Alfred Enoch (“Dean Thomas”) lead us on an entertaining look at the cast of Harry Potter as they explore their interests away from acting and spend a day on set with the production team (28’30″)
• J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life: a fascinating and intimate look into the life of J.K. Rowling over the last year of writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (49’32″)
• One-minute Drills: the cast has 60 seconds to describe their character’s personality, history, relationships and other traits before time runs out (6’43″)
• What’s on Your Mind: hosted by Tom Felton, the cast is put on the spot when asked a series of rapid-fire questions on their likes and dislikes. (6’41″)
• Universal’s “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” Sneak Peek: get an inside look at the amazing world of magic and excitement being created at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida (11’38″)
• BD-Live:
- ◦ My Commentary
◦ Live Community Screening
◦ Introduction to the upcoming Harry Potter Ultimate Editions by Daniel Radcliffe (BD-Live exclusive)
◦ Facebook Connect
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE
Featuring both the Theatrical and Extended Edition of the film
Special Features:
- • Introduction by Daniel Radcliffe – An introduction to the many special features for the Harry Potter films (new)
• Creating the World of Harry Potter, Part 1: The Magic Begins: discover the story of how one vision for the Harry Potter films came together out of limitless possibilities to create the visual world we have come to know and love (new)
• In-Movie Experience with Director Chris Columbus: an interactive viewer experience where the entire film is examined; includes PiP, storyboard comparisons, still galleries (BD exclusive)
• WB Maximum Movie Mode picture-in-picture programming, cast walk-ons, focus points, graphics and more (BD exclusive)
• Diagon Alley
• Tour the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry’s Room and the Great Hall – Welcome to the self-guided tour of Hogwarts, home of witches and wizards in training, and take in the sights.
• Classrooms:
- ◦ Defense against the Dark Arts
◦ Spells and Charms
◦ Potions
◦ Transfiguration
◦ Third Floor Corridor
◦ Deleted Scenes
• Sorting Hat
• Library
- ◦ Gallery of Art & Architecture
◦ Hogwarts Yearbook
◦ Guide to Ghosts – Discover the many marvelous and mysterious ghosts of Hogwarts.
• Hogwarts Grounds
- ◦ Quaffle and Bludger: get a lesson from Oliver Wood on how to play Quidditch
◦ Tour Hagrid’s Hut: welcome to the self-guided tour of Hagrid’s Hut, home of Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, and his faithful companion, Fang.
• Extra Credit
• Interview – Capturing the Stone: A Conversation with the Filmmakers: director Chris Columbus, producer David Heyman, screenwriter Steve Kloves and production designer Stuart Craig talk about casting and bringing the novel to life.
• A Glimpse Into the World of Harry Potter: 2001 International TV Special
• Deleted scenes
• Trailers and TV Spots
• BD-Live with access to worldwide events, special guest participants, community features and more
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
Featuring both the Theatrical and Extended Edition of the film
Special Features:
- • In-Movie Experience with director Chris Columbus: an interactive viewer experience where the entire film is examined; includes PiP, storyboard comparisons, still galleries (BD exclusive)
• WB Maximum Movie Mode picture-in-picture programming, cast walk-ons, focus points, graphics and more (BD exclusive)
• Creating the World of Harry Potter, Part 2: Characters: explore how the cast and creative team of directors and designers take the characters’ descriptions on the page to the actors’ performances on film (new)
• Screen tests of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson (new)
• Deleted scenes
• Lockhart’s Classroom
- ◦ Photo Gallery
◦ Certificates: have a look at Gilderoy Lockhart’s many achievements.
◦ Required Reading: find out what text books you’ll need for Lockhart’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class
• Extra Credit
• Behind Hogwarts
- ◦ A Conversation with J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves: the author and screenwriter detail how the books are brought to life, and the changes that happen in the process.
◦ Dumbledore’s Office
◦ Build a Scene: building a scene as magnificent as Professor Dumbledore’s office takes more than wood, plaster, nails and paint; it takes imagination
◦ Tour Dumbledore’s Office: welcome to the self-guided tour of Professor Dumbledore’s office, one of the most fascinating rooms at Hogwarts
◦ Interviews with students, professors and more
▪ Students – What would you ask the cast, if you could? Put yourself in the interview chair as the stars answer questions about making the film.
▪ Professors and More: enjoy personal moments with the professors and others as they discuss their characters: Prof. Gilderoy Lockhart, Lucius Malfoy, Prof. Pomona Sprout, Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Prof. Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Prof. Severus Snape, Uncle Vernon Dursley, Aunt Petunia Dursley, Argus Filch, Prof. Minerva McGonagall.
- ◦ Gallery of Production Sketches
◦ Activities
▪ The Chamber Challenge [Game]
▪ Tour the Chamber of Secrets: what are you doing here? This place isn’t safe. Begin your journey down the dark corridor for the self-guided tour of the Chamber of Secrets.
▪ The Forbidden Forest Challenge [Game]
▪ Colin’s Darkroom
▪ Tour Diagon Alley: welcome to the self-guided tour of Diagon Alley, where you can find all your supplies for the school year. Explore the many shops, such as Flourish & Blotts and the Magical Menagerie.
- ◦ Spellcaster Knowledge Challenge [Game]
◦ EA Game Preview
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Revealed: 2002 HBO First Look special
• Trailers and TV Spots
• BD-Live with access to worldwide events, special guest participants, community features and more (BD exclusive)