First Knight Blu-ray
By Samantha Clark -- Video Business, 4/21/2008
SONYStreet: April 29
Prebook: now
> Medieval drama lacks shine in high-def debut.
If Sony wants viewers to think Blu-ray is better than DVD, the studio should have worked more on this release. This attractive swashbuckling love story looks muddy and grainy, lacking the sharpness and color saturation of other high-definition releases. Even standard DVDs played on the PlayStation 3 look better than this Blu-ray version of First Knight. The best thing going for this release is the cool menu, which plays sharp sounds of swords clashing when a choice is clicked. However, that quickly gets old, as the menu sections move around, making it difficult to get to where you want to go. Even the deleted scenes are in poor shape, showing scratches and breaks in the sound. That might be usual for DVDs, but when it’s Blu-ray, you expect a little more.
Shelf Talk: This release might not be the best example of Blu-ray, but First Knight has Sean Connery and Richard Gere, who was last seen in indie favorite I’m Not There. Connery’s last big movie was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003, but his suave style and Scottish brogue are always good for business.
Period drama, color, PG-13 (violence), 134 min., BD $28.95, reviewed on PlayStation 3 with Sony Bravia 46-inch HDTV with HDMI connectionExtras: director’s commentary, historian commentary, three featurettes, deleted scenes
Director: Jerry Zucker
First Run: W, July 1995, $37.6 mil.
