'Ice Age' - High-Def Digest Review

[Attebery]

Kenneth's review of 'Ice Age' has been posted. He says it's a wonderful family film that reels in kids and adults. As a high definition release, this Blu-ray edition boasts a striking video transfer and an aggressive DTS HD Master Lossless Audio track. The exclusion of extras from many previous editions makes him nervous that a double dip is on the way. Still, well worth a look.

Full review here:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/565/iceage.html

[Arkadin]

great! can't wait to see this on my new set!

[Blu-News.com]

ugggh another PQ score I disagree with, this is maybe a 4/5 at Best, I would say 3.5 especially when compared to Ice Age 2 and the Disney/Pixar titles. Not a fault of the transfer but of the source. So it looks good for what it is, but there's so much better available.

[Pouyan]

Originally Posted by Blu-News.com

ugggh another PQ score I disagree with, this is maybe a 4/5 at Best, I would say 3.5 especially when compared to Ice Age 2 and the Disney/Pixar titles. Not a fault of the transfer but of the source. So it looks good for what it is, but there's so much better available.

really? damn I was thinking about picking this up tomorrow

[abbazappaplant]

so you've been dissuaded by someone saying it's a 4 of 5 picture quality? 3.5 if he nitpicks basically?

It's a great movie, for kids, and a really good and attention keeping film for adults. The dvd of this cant hold a candle to the blu ray upgrade... so unless you have the D-VHS of this, the upgrade is awesome. Now at the fox prices, i'll be waiting to buy, but have seen it and think it looks fantastic...

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by Blu-News.com

ugggh another PQ score I disagree with, this is maybe a 4/5 at Best, I would say 3.5 especially when compared to Ice Age 2 and the Disney/Pixar titles. Not a fault of the transfer but of the source. So it looks good for what it is, but there's so much better available.

I would agree with you in regards to the quality of the source animation itself -- fur isn't dynamic, appendage joints have semi-visible seams, and textures are simplistic compared to what we've seen in recent years as advancements in CG animation have exploded onto the scene. However, taken from a technical standpoint, the transfer is most definitely a direct-from-the-source beauty that has the clarity, palette strength, and fine details to make the PQ quite amazing (IMO of course).

Still, I understand your misgivings with the result. Thanks as always for posting and letting us know your thoughts!

[MasterChief3624]

Originally Posted by Ken Brown

I would agree with you in regards to the quality of the source animation itself -- fur isn't dynamic, appendage joints have semi-visible seams, and textures are simplistic compared to what we've seen in recent years as advancements in CG animation have exploded onto the scene. However, taken from a technical standpoint, the transfer is most definitely a direct-from-the-source beauty that has the clarity, palette strength, and fine details to make the PQ quite amazing (IMO of course).

Still, I understand your misgivings with the result. Thanks as always for posting and letting us know your thoughts!

May I ask if you saw a problem with Manny's fur taking on a purple hue in certain areas in some scenes?

I thought that was overly distracting, and thought it was just my television, but apparently Blu-News.com also had a similar experience.

Did that happen in your copy?

[Ken Brown]

Originally Posted by MasterChief3624

May I ask if you saw a problem with Manny's fur taking on a purple hue in certain areas in some scenes?

I thought that was overly distracting, and thought it was just my television, but apparently Blu-News.com also had a similar experience.

Did that happen in your copy?

I can see the mild purple tones some people are talking about, but keep this in mind -- the animators have added a light blue tint to many surfaces in the film to simulate light bouncing off of the snow and ice. Since Manny's fur is redish/orange, the resultant blue-tinted ambient light causes his fur to have a slight purplish tone at times. However, I didn't find it distracting and my eye naturally assumed the coloring fell in line with the light source elements established throughout the entire film.

Anyone else notice/miss/care/ignore/mind/enjoy the occasional purple tones on Manny's fur?

[ben1080p]

Originally Posted by Blu-News.com

ugggh another PQ score I disagree with, this is maybe a 4/5 at Best, I would say 3.5 especially when compared to Ice Age 2 and the Disney/Pixar titles. Not a fault of the transfer but of the source. So it looks good for what it is, but there's so much better available.

not the best news to hear

[hi-def-fanboy]

I think I'll wait for the "special edition" that will surely follow in the not to distant future.

[Eternal Now]

Originally Posted by abbazappaplant

so you've been dissuaded by someone saying it's a 4 of 5 picture quality? 3.5 if he nitpicks basically?

It's a great movie, for kids, and a really good and attention keeping film for adults. The dvd of this cant hold a candle to the blu ray upgrade... so unless you have the D-VHS of this, the upgrade is awesome. Now at the fox prices, i'll be waiting to buy, but have seen it and think it looks fantastic...

When Blu Rays cost as much as they do, especially catalogue ones you have to be picky. If the Blu Ray is not a HUGE upgrade from the DVD then why buy it? Is it really worth owning?

I wouldn't mind watching it, but I can understand trepidation towards owning it if the pq isn't up to par.

[abbazappaplant]

well... in my opinion it's worth the upgrade... do i need to have a website to make my opinion more valid?

If i had kids, i'd pick this up straight away as I did enjoy the movie. Since I don't and my friends kids only come over about 2 times a month to watch movies, i'll wait until it hits a sale price.

It really shows how far the animation has come in just a few small years, so it's not mind boggling visually, but it is a really pretty picture.

[djclueless]

i saw this movie back when it came out in the theaters, i bought this movie cause it was awsome, a lot better than the second one. nowadays since i dont buy regular dvd's anymore i dont really care too much about pq, jus as long its a good movie

[MasterChief3624]

Originally Posted by Ken Brown

I can see the mild purple tones some people are talking about, but keep this in mind -- the animators have added a light blue tint to many surfaces in the film to simulate light bouncing off of the snow and ice. Since Manny's fur is redish/orange, the resultant blue-tinted ambient light causes his fur to have a slight purplish tone at times. However, I didn't find it distracting and my eye naturally assumed the coloring fell in line with the light source elements established throughout the entire film.

Anyone else notice/miss/care/ignore/mind/enjoy the occasional purple tones on Manny's fur?

Hm...

I think it just seemed very VERY out of order. The purple should have been in other places, I thought. Meh, I'm probably just being nitpicky. The rest of the transfer was great, though. Very "solid", if you know what I mean. Pretty much everything else was just so crisp

[Noblelox]

They were the evil money grabbers of SD-DVD, and now they are all out to leech the money out of the Blu-ray market.

Is it not Fox that are ignoring the "Region free for back cat rule"?

Now here they are stipping releases of existing extras to double dip this fledgling market.

To be honest, it shouldn't make much difference, as having seen all the extras, and lets be honest, who really wants to see yet another making of that claims to be pushing the boundaries by having hair that blows in the wind, or muscles that move under skin or clothes....but it's the principle. It the fact that I am being fleeced, even if it's stuff that I wont watch more than once.

I could maybe forgive this for a new film, but a back cat title???