Last of the Mohicans, one of my favorite movies of all time finally came out in Blu-ray, and guess what? It’s disappointing. I’m talking about the video and audio quality of course. I remember watching this film in the theatres, and marveled the scenery, and the epic action scenes between the Indians and the red coats. I probably saw the film at least three times when it was released. Then came the VHS release, followed by the non-anamorphic DVD, and finally, the Blu-ray.
Video – This is a terrible transfer by 20th Century Fox. The picture is mostly too dark, and is very muddy. Everything seems to blend together, so the sharpness level is very poor. For a film like this (cinematic), it is very important that FOX got this right, but they didn’t. I’m sad to say that this is probably the best copy out there.
Video: C-
Audio – The audio transfer is very flat, it sounds like the film was made in the 60s. The surround isn’t utilized very well, and the levels are inconsistent. It might sound perfect on one scene, and then too loud on the next. It’s annoying as you have to hold your controller to make adjustments scene-by-scene.
Audio: D+
Extras – It comes with two whopping extras: Audio Commentary, and The Making Of Last of the Mohicans. Nowadays, I expect more extras on Blu-rays.
Extras: C+
Overall – What a waste, a great film ruined by a poor transferring job. As stated above, this is the type of film that needs to be crisp and clear because it’s very cinematic. Michael Mann gave the frontier a big importance in this film. But, it looks like crap, so for fans like me, it is hard not to be disappointed with this release. I do not recommend this film a buy, maybe a rent since it’s still the best version out there, but do not buy! Maybe they’ll learn to give us high quality transfers next time.
Overall: C-
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Long Rhoads
Oct 11, 2010 -
Does the dvd have commentary?
Mongoose
Oct 11, 2010 -
No commentaries, and no trailers for the DVD.
The director (Michael Mann) didn’t want trailers added on the DVD. He’s weird like that. But, yet he’s okay that his movies are released in mediocre qualities.
So, if you want to hear him talk, just rent the blu-ray.
Scott G
Nov 26, 2010 -
I too was so disappointed. One of the best flicks of the decade deserves better treatment.
To be fair though, this movie was filmed just before the idea of “behind-the-scenes” actually took off as a tool for film-makers to tell more of their tale.
Having just watched all the behind the scenes features on the new Avatar release, it’s very obvious they filmed the making of their film in order to produce yet another film (the special features).
Those concepts just didn’t exist in 1990 when LOTM was filmed.
Mongoose
Nov 26, 2010 -
That’s very true. But, the picture and sound quality should’ve been better. I just watched Saturday Night Fever last weekend on Bluray and the transfer is better than LOTM.
And yea, the Avatar Blu-ray is an awesome set!