Live Free Or Die Hard (DVD-Video Set)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: C- Film: D
Usually,
you get a cut and uncut version of a film, but when it comes to the
disappointing Live Free Or Die Hard,
there seems to be three visual versions.
The first was a promised full color version from the oldest trailers,
then when it hit theaters, the color was gutted and it looked like the previous
films of director Len Wiseman: The Underworld franchise. And now we are seeing a third version where
the color is somewhere in between. Too
bad, cut or uncut, the film is the poorest in the series, which is quite an
achievement considering how bad the second was.
We first
alerted everyone to how bad this wreck was when it arrived in theaters, as this
review will show:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5623/Live+Free+Or+Die+Hard+(Theatrical
So can
the DVD sets being issued help this situation?
No.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image is lame, with detail issues and depth
issues no matter what and the lower definition of the DVD only makes it
worse. Despite a dynamic soundtrack, the
DVD only offers Dolby Digital 5.1. The
combination is underwhelming and will make for an interesting comparison to the
Blu-ray whenever we get that.
Extras
include a new gimmick where you can download a low-def version on line with
digital copyright protection. It is
underwhelming, but included for convenience.
Extras on DVD 1 include the unrated version in our set and an audio
commentary by Willis, Wiseman and Editor Nicolas De Toth that is “fascinating”
to say the least. DVD 2 adds Guyz Nite
Music Video and separate making of piece, Analog Hero In A Digital World making
of featurette, trailer for this and four other Fox releases, repeat of the
Yippie Ki Yay MotherF*****! featurette from the trilogy set DVD reissue and
brief Fox Legacy look at the franchise form the Fox Movie Channel. Fans expecting more will get more on the Blu-ray
edition, which we will look at next.
Oh, and
we used the more colorful cover of the new versions of this film because it
needs all the color it can get.
- Nicholas Sheffo
