'Hero' - High-Def Digest Review

**LiK** · 09-08-2009 12:35 PM

no lossless Mandarin and altered subs? no thanks Miramax.

**avatar72** · 09-08-2009 01:27 PM

What a disappointment! This is one of my favorite films and now I read I would be paying 20+ dollars to only get a video quality increase.

NO F'ing THANK YOU!

I'm not listening to a HORRIBLE DUB.

I didnt even know about the translation difference..i.e. "Our Land".
Still, it doesnt bother me since that's how I first saw the movie and "Our Land" still makes a lot of sense if you take into account how ununited China has been over the centuries....

**Flex Mentallo** · 09-08-2009 01:34 PM

I'm not a rah rah lossless guy but that's crazy not having the Mandarin in lossless.

I'll probably wind up buying this down the road as I love this film but not unitl it hit's the $15 or less pile.

**gspin2k1** · 09-08-2009 01:40 PM

Aside from Gladiator this is one of the older titles I was extremely looking forward to coming out on Blu Ray (next is the Professional). But after reading this review, I'm very torn. Of course I want this movie on Blu Ray, but I dunno now.

~G

**davcole** · 09-08-2009 02:10 PM

Thought this was not a titled i'd be interested in, it's incredible that they would losslessly encode the "dub" and lossy compress the native language? That would be enough to offend me if this were a title i'd be interested in.

**Emoney7** · 09-08-2009 03:04 PM

Wow, two of my top ten movies made some of the biggest dissapointing releases this month... this is unsalvagable though... no lossless original language track are freaking kidding me???

This sucks becuse I got rid of my SD dvd already in hopes of this one.... This is sad.... just sad...

Now if Fight Club gets FUBAR'd heads will roll...

**darien87** · 09-08-2009 03:42 PM

Miramax sucks. I LOVE this movie, and had been looking forward to the BD for months. But there's no way, I'm listening to the dub. Guess I'll be holding off, hoping for a re-release that is done right.

**deviationer** · 09-08-2009 10:43 PM

Another vote for lossless Mandarin and not crappy subtitles

**Lioncourt** · 09-09-2009 12:46 AM

Very disappointed in Miramax. Here's hoping an Asian company is able to do better.

So why is it that every single version of Hero is "off" in some way? Is the movie's colour palette and action that extreme that no one can handle it properly? Maybe Criterion can give it a shot.

**Sarang** · 09-09-2009 12:53 AM

The person who made the decision for the dub to get Lossless instead of the original audio track should be punched in the face in my opinion. I mean I don't think I've EVER gotten so pissed about a release decision.

**Josh Z** · 09-09-2009 07:43 AM

Originally Posted by Lioncourt

So why is it that every single version of Hero is "off" in some way? Is the movie's colour palette and action that extreme that no one can handle it properly?

Honestly, I believe the original production is at fault at least somewhat. Although the movie is well photographed, it went through a Digital Intermediate stage that probably wasn't up to the same standards, and "baked in" a lot of flaws to the image that weren't on the original camera negative. This is a big part of the reason why House of Flying Daggers looks so crappy as well.

**ni9ht_5ta1k3r** · 09-09-2009 08:34 AM

why prioritize a language for lossless that's not even the film's original language? that's beyond me!

**Sarang** · 09-09-2009 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Josh Z

Honestly, I believe the original production is at fault at least somewhat. Although the movie is well photographed, it went through a Digital Intermediate stage that probably wasn't up to the same standards, and "baked in" a lot of flaws to the image that weren't on the original camera negative. This is a big part of the reason why House of Flying Daggers looks so crappy as well.

Are you saying that we're just screwed and there's no chance we might find a negative that a company like Criterion could master for digital as well?! I would hate to think that Gwaeloo's, most of whom have POOR cinematographers, tend to get better digital intermediate transition. I mean I'd rather see a Wuxia film almost then anything shot by Michael Bay. I mean the action is fun et al but the colors are dull as can be comparatively.

**Josh Z** · 09-09-2009 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by Sarang

Are you saying that we're just screwed and there's no chance we might find a negative that a company like Criterion could master for digital as well?!

I wish I knew for certain. I'm just speculating. I know that for House of Flying Daggers specifically, Sony has claimed that they won't remaster it because they're at the mercy of the source elements that the original Chinese studio provided to them. The European Blu-ray, which was released by Universal and has an AVC encode, looks basically the same as the Sony disc, which would seem to support the theory that the problems are endemic to the movie.

**Sarang** · 09-09-2009 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by Josh Z

I wish I knew for certain. I'm just speculating. I know that for House of Flying Daggers specifically, Sony has claimed that they won't remaster it because they're at the mercy of the source elements that the original Chinese studio provided to them. The European Blu-ray, which was released by Universal and has an AVC encode, looks basically the same as the Sony disc, which would seem to support the theory that the problems are endemic to the movie.

That movie didn't even look bad in SD and the visuals are just great. It deserves so much better.

What about anything like "Zu Warriors"? Anyone know if there's a chance for that to get a good remaster. I mean so far it seems like the only Wuxia that has received a good master is "Curse Of the Golden Flower".

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