The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Blu-ray

Terry Gilliam’s appropriately fantastical film about the fantastic tales of the famed 18th century German baron (John Neville) and his posse (which includes Sarah Polley, Eric Idle and Jack Purvis), Baron Munchausen receives an undistinguished release in its Blu-ray incarnation, which is what we’ve come to expect from catalog titles that were made before the digital era. But what the disc lacks in visual quality—it looks fine, but simply doesn’t have the polish of a newer title—is slightly made up for with its TrueHD audio track, which is definitely one of the high-def realm’s better audio specs. There are a bunch of extras including a commentary, lengthy featurette and storyboards. Exclusive to the Blu-ray disc is an enhanced pop-up trivia track, which is embellished with nicely rendered graphics and images.

Shelf Talk: It’s too bad that a signature film by one of modern cinema’s most respected visualists didn’t get a more finicky and carefully designed makeover for its Blu-ray debut. Munchausen, a high-profile disaster at the box office that has since developed a cult following, is only for fans of Gilliam and not newer adapters. This isn’t the right title for those looking to see what Blu-ray is all about and what their system can do. Gilliam fans can hope for better Blu-ray editions of Time Bandits and Brazil.