BLU-RAY REVIEW

Full Metal Jacket

Featured In Issue 114, November 2006

Picture3.5
Sound3
WSR Score5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number):
82841
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
(Retail Price):
$28.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
116
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
(Theatrical Year):
1987
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
09/05/06
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Stanley Kubrick
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

A group of young men enlist in the marine corps and, under the stern (sometimes cruel) guidance of drill instructor Sgt. Hartman (Ermey), they become soldiers. They are then transported to Viet Nam, to test their training and courage in the war. Full Metal Jacket is based on Gustav Hasford's novel The Short-Timers.

I'm really getting to like these Blu-ray Disc DVDs that immediately start playing! The theatrical ltrailer and online info are the only supplements.

The VC-1-encoded 1.78:1 Blu-ray Disc picture has a slight edge over the HD DVD release in shadow delineation, although it is very slight. Surprisingly, the picture does not look noticeably softer than the HD DVD release, even when viewing it using the unmodified Samsung BD-P1000, although it does look soft and flat. (Danny Richelieu)

Besides a slight increase in encoding level, the Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack doesn't sound much different from the HD DVD release's Dolby Digital Plus release, and neither is very good. The Dolby Digital Plus encoding on the HD DVD disc sounds slightly more natural. (Danny Richelieu)