Top Gun
Paramount Pictures, 2007 (1986 Theatrical Release)
Rated PG
Video: 1080p High Definition (2.35x1)
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD; English 6.1 DTS ES; English, French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus EX
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese; English SDH
Street Date: October 2, 2007
The
Feature:
In its day, Top Gun was the demo movie for home video sound. I remember those Bose surround sound demos for the matrix surround track on the video tape (which came out at sell-through pricing because of the Pepsi advertisement before the movie). Top Gun has had several incarnations on the various formats over the past 20 years--DVD, laserdisc, even video CD. Most people are able to put the story aside, which is your basic jet pilot adrenaline rush set to pulsating music, and focus on the fun. Top Gun is that, a fun movie, even though my Navy associates of the day were quick to point out the inaccuracies of the dog fighting. OK, so what, there is no way all the jets would be on the same screen at the same time--this is a Hollywood movie, not a training film--but apparently they did get one thing right--the attitude of the pilots.
"I feel the need, the need for speed!" exclaim Maverick and Goose, played by Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards. "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you," says Maverick to Charlie (played by love interest Kelly McGillis). I could pepper this review with all the good one-liners, or talk about all the songs that were played and overplayed, but that is not the point. The point is that Top Gun now has yet another video incarnation, this time on HD DVD, and the burning question is... how does it look and sound?
Top Gun was a THX theater torture test back in 1986. There were a couple of theaters in the Dallas area capable of putting fear into your eardrums, and I saw the movie at one of them--the UA Prestonwood, which is now long gone. So is some of my hearing--those jet engines were loud! And they finally are presented in a form that preserves the torture test in the home theater environment. Yeah!
The Sound:
Top Gun inspired me to reassemble my main home theater to get the full-blown effect of the 5.1 and matrixed 6.1 soundtracks. First, let me assure you that the soundtrack is fantastic. If your speakers go to 11, be prepared for them to go to 12. This soundtrack is not in the least bit subtle, with the sorties and dog fights creating explosive sound fields in almost all directions. I say "almost" because even when the DTS ES 6.1 track was engaged, I found very little sound coming out of the rear surround speakers during the dog fights. I found the most important speaker in the mix to be the front center channel, because of the mix of effects and dialogue. The bulk of my listening was to the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, and it was impressive and loud, with ample directional effects on the front, side, and even diagonally. The music rocked as the jets rolled the foundation. I hope the neighbors did not mind. The only catch is that the movie starts automatically and the soundtrack defaults to Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 EX, so you will have to set alternate sound options by pausing the movie.
The Video:
Top Gun is 2.35x1 widescreen in 1080p high definition. At first, I was a little concerned by the colored, grainy, filtered look at the beginning of the movie, but that was, well, a colored, grainy filter. The rest of the picture looked fine, with no blemishes and a lot of detail. This was especially good considering the relative age of the film. The picture does not disappoint.
The Extras:
There were no extras! Huh?
The Original DVD:
The original DVD was one of Paramount's early releases with no extras, a subsequent release had a better transfer and lots of extras. I wonder if we will ever see the extras on a subsequent HD DVD release? If you have the second special edition DVD, you might want to hang on to it.
The Final Word:
Top Gun delivers a fun movie that looks good and sounds great, but the omission of extras is a concern. Still, the street price is $20 at Amazon, and I like that.
Buy Top Gun on HD DVD from Amazon and sign up for Amazon Prime for unlimited 2-day delivery for one year!
In its day, Top Gun was the demo movie for home video sound. I remember those Bose surround sound demos for the matrix surround track on the video tape (which came out at sell-through pricing because of the Pepsi advertisement before the movie). Top Gun has had several incarnations on the various formats over the past 20 years--DVD, laserdisc, even video CD. Most people are able to put the story aside, which is your basic jet pilot adrenaline rush set to pulsating music, and focus on the fun. Top Gun is that, a fun movie, even though my Navy associates of the day were quick to point out the inaccuracies of the dog fighting. OK, so what, there is no way all the jets would be on the same screen at the same time--this is a Hollywood movie, not a training film--but apparently they did get one thing right--the attitude of the pilots.
"I feel the need, the need for speed!" exclaim Maverick and Goose, played by Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards. "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you," says Maverick to Charlie (played by love interest Kelly McGillis). I could pepper this review with all the good one-liners, or talk about all the songs that were played and overplayed, but that is not the point. The point is that Top Gun now has yet another video incarnation, this time on HD DVD, and the burning question is... how does it look and sound?
Top Gun was a THX theater torture test back in 1986. There were a couple of theaters in the Dallas area capable of putting fear into your eardrums, and I saw the movie at one of them--the UA Prestonwood, which is now long gone. So is some of my hearing--those jet engines were loud! And they finally are presented in a form that preserves the torture test in the home theater environment. Yeah!
The Sound:
Top Gun inspired me to reassemble my main home theater to get the full-blown effect of the 5.1 and matrixed 6.1 soundtracks. First, let me assure you that the soundtrack is fantastic. If your speakers go to 11, be prepared for them to go to 12. This soundtrack is not in the least bit subtle, with the sorties and dog fights creating explosive sound fields in almost all directions. I say "almost" because even when the DTS ES 6.1 track was engaged, I found very little sound coming out of the rear surround speakers during the dog fights. I found the most important speaker in the mix to be the front center channel, because of the mix of effects and dialogue. The bulk of my listening was to the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, and it was impressive and loud, with ample directional effects on the front, side, and even diagonally. The music rocked as the jets rolled the foundation. I hope the neighbors did not mind. The only catch is that the movie starts automatically and the soundtrack defaults to Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 EX, so you will have to set alternate sound options by pausing the movie.
The Video:
Top Gun is 2.35x1 widescreen in 1080p high definition. At first, I was a little concerned by the colored, grainy, filtered look at the beginning of the movie, but that was, well, a colored, grainy filter. The rest of the picture looked fine, with no blemishes and a lot of detail. This was especially good considering the relative age of the film. The picture does not disappoint.
The Extras:
There were no extras! Huh?
The Original DVD:
The original DVD was one of Paramount's early releases with no extras, a subsequent release had a better transfer and lots of extras. I wonder if we will ever see the extras on a subsequent HD DVD release? If you have the second special edition DVD, you might want to hang on to it.
The Final Word:
Top Gun delivers a fun movie that looks good and sounds great, but the omission of extras is a concern. Still, the street price is $20 at Amazon, and I like that.
Buy Top Gun on HD DVD from Amazon and sign up for Amazon Prime for unlimited 2-day delivery for one year!
Posted: Fri - September 21, 2007 at 03:43 PM |
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Published On: Sep 21, 2007 03:44 PM
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Published On: Sep 21, 2007 03:44 PM
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