War of The Worlds

Just to be clear. The 5 stars are for this film. I love it and despite reading quite a number of bad reviews for the blu ray version I figured that the larger percentage of people thought it was better. So I decided to try the blue ray. Be warned. The transfer to blu ray is dreadful! Grainy as people have commented previously, not so much the interior shots, but awful with the exterior shots. I do not believe in anyway that the film was "meant to be grainy". I have a dvd copy and the picture quality is sharp, colourful and pristine!! I wont be sending it back as it is my own fault that I purchased it(I read a number of negative reviews but was curious). Plus this is the very first time EVER that I,ve been dissapointed with the quality of blu ray. I was even able to put both versions side by side on two seperate screens and I promise you that the dvd quality far outshines the blu ray. No grainy picture quality anywhere on the dvd copy. Of course people will always draw their own conclusions and people,s perceptions are as varied and different as the universe is endless. But for what its worth it is a dreadful transfer to blu ray. I plan to upgrade to blu ray on Lord Of The Rings, Hobbit, Harry Potter, King Kong 2005, Volcano, Independance Day, etc, but will be far more cautious. The Back To The Future trilogy on blu ray is a prime example of how it should be done and can be done. Now that kind of quality on War Of The Worlds would have been amazing!!:)

Great movie and always good to own a physical copy these days

I've been a fan of the story since my uncle lent me the Jeff Wayne audio version. I was pretty excited when I heard that Spielberg had the rights to finally bring it into the CGI era. At the same time I was gutted when he got it wrong. Actually, I'm not even sure he got it wrong, it's just Tom Cruise is horrific. As much as I like Dakota Fanning, there's no point in her character or the 'trying to be a typical teenager' brother, that I just wish could have been zapped in the fist quarter. Steven, why couldn't we just have had a simple journalist? Why did I buy it? For the effects of course! Just awesome - some of my favourite scenes ever. On the HD front, it's grainy - very grainy at times. It's the way Spielberg intended it to be. And a dull palette too so HD can't do much to add to the vividness. The audio is stunning though. Soooo immersive, the sounds when the tripods first come on the scene are terrifying. Got a sub woofer? Turn it off unless you want structural damage! The audio makes buying this on BD mcuh more beneficial. Audio: ENGLISH DTS-HD MASTER; FRENCH 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL; GERMAN 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL; ITALIAN 5.1 DD; SPANISH 5.1 DD; Subs: ENGLISH; ENGLISH SDH; DANISH; DUTCH; FINNISH;FRENCH; GERMAN; ITALIAN; NORWEGIAN; SPANISH; SWEDISH; Region Free

I have read alot of negative reviews about the picture quality of war of the worlds let me help set record straight.War of the Worlds arrives on Blu-ray with an impressive 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer that's reflective of Director Steven Spielberg's intended visual style. As the film opens, it features something of a blown-out look about it that's excessively bright with some intentional blooming effects and desaturated colors, all of which often influence the characters' flesh tones and surrounding colors. This palette gives the film a throwback look and feel that borders on looking black-and-white in a couple of dusty gray city scenes, but there's still a fair amount of color to be found throughout the movie, particularly on Rachel's multicolored winter apparel. War of the Worlds isn't always razor-sharp; several scenes and backgrounds wander towards a soft, mushy texture, though again, such seem in-line with the director's vision and style and not necessarily reflective of an error in the transfer-to-Blu-ray process. The transfer isn't always impeccably defined, but it's instead raw, gritty, uncertain, not always under control, not always perfectly-staged and framed, which only accentuates the film's style and story. Black levels are consistently deep and true without ever appearing too bright or, on the other end of the spectrum, absorbing fine details where they shouldn't. The picture does enjoy a strong film-like look thanks to a thick layer of grain that's maybe even a bit heavier than that seen in Minority Report and Saving Private Ryan. War of the Worlds does not offer high definition "eye candy" in the traditional sense, but it is reflective of the way the film is supposed to look, which is the ultimate compliment to any Blu-ray, no matter how rough around the edges it may be.War of the Worlds lands on Blu-ray and devastates sound systems with a reference-quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Though this track will be remembered and enjoyed first and foremost for the picture's aggressive action scenes, it delivers plenty of establishing and environmental effects that set a nice tone for the action to come, before a single alien tripod even rises from the ground. The picture opens with a scene featuring Ray at work; machinery sends a deluge of high-powered effects through the listening area with a full surround accompaniment and a good deal of bass, followed by the seamless effect of trucks rumbling from right to left through the middle of the soundstage. Preceding the aliens' arrival is a gusty wind that blows unmercifully through the soundstage and seems to extend well beyond the confines of the speakers, creating a seamless sound field that sends a shivering chill across the room, accompanied by some incredibly aggressive and potent thunder-like sounds, all of which is played at a ridiculously loud volume at reference level, but never at the sake of clarity and precision.The action scenes are often highlighted by the track's prodigious levels of bass; the alien tripods lurch through the soundstage with a powerful foghorn-like pulse that reverberates about the listening area with what is nothing short of a system- and eardrum-testing low end; War of the Worlds rivals some of Blu-ray's finest soundtracks, including Saving Private Ryan and Terminator Salvation, for sheer amounts of earth-shattering bass that also retains a superb amount of clarity, playing as impeccably defined and natural and not just a jumble of messy sound. The track also excels in both close-up military engagements with the aliens and distantly-heard battles that feature strings of popping machine gun fire and hefty explosions far off in the distance. In the closer and more personal battles, gunfire tears through the soundstage, tanks belt out shell after shell at the tripods, and fighter jets scream overhead, delivering their payloads on the stout alien visitors, all with thunderous sonic effect. Additionally, John Williams' excellent score plays with a deep, big, cinematic feel, a fitting companion to the film and that's superbly implemented in every scene. Rounded out by pitch-perfect dialogue reproduction, War of the Worlds' DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is the very definition of reference-quality audio.

War of the Worlds is one of those rarities; a remake better than the original. The 50's version had great effects for it's time but not a lot else; 1 dimensional characters and not much plot. This time round we also have great effects, a little more plot but much better characters. The film focuses on one small family rather than look at the whole world's reponse to the invasion, as is often the case with this type of film. War of the Worlds benefits from this sole focus on the family, and Tom Cruise gives a good if not great performance as do the other actors. From looking at the reviews of this blu-ray version of the film I seem to be in the minority here in actually approving of the transfer, at least on Amazon anyway. The film, as it was meant to be, has a very grainy transfer, so those that don't have time for these appearances be warned. Some have commented that it is no better than the DVD version. Well I watched the blu-ray and then popped in my old DVD version for comparison afterwards; the Blu-ray does provide much improvement on the DVD so I would recommend others consider upgrading too. If in doubt I would recommend reading the reviewer's review on the blu-ray.com website for an accurate description of the video quality of this version.

I was sure I had ritten a review, but apparently not. I watched the film again this afternoon, and really enjoyed (most) of it. Cruise is good. The film is completely stolen by Dakota Fanning as his young daughter, and Tiom Robbins makes a surprise, welcome visit as - well see the film. Where it really worked for me was the superb CGI/SFX. Truly spectacular and also they do justice to the Martian war machines (we are never told they are martians). OK it strays quite a bit from the story, but I didn't care (unlike the recent BBC travesty where I really did care). I must emphasise the Sound!!! It truly is impressive even though I generally hate very SUDDEN very LOUD noises. Here I thought they worked well and Spielberg uses sound very cleverly. Just think of your neighbors. An excellent BLURAY with good subtitles.

The movie: 4.5/5 A reimaginging of a classic sci-fi movie, this version succeeds in keeping to the original's intent all while updating the movie for a more modern audience. As much as I loved the original, the new alien invaders feel much more threatening in this movie. Tom Cruise turns in a strong performance as a father who shows a brave face to his children but is clearly in over his head. Definitely a must-see movie for sci-fi fans. The picture: 4.5/5 The visual representation of this feature is near flawless. Yes, the colors might seem a bit faded but that was a directional intent, not an error in this transfer. All details are nicely preserved and there's a thin layer of grain which might spike a bit in the darkest scenes but never feels obtrusive or unnatural. Overall, I think this is the best this movie can look and it's a definite step up over the DVD version. The audio: 5/5 The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track caries a lot of weight and sounds superb through a home theater setup than can decode the lossless track. The sound of the invaders' machine 'horn' pierces through the listening area, every step of the tripods carries with it the necessary power and weight, toppling of buildings and big structures make the room shake and explosions woosh through the sound field. Just as importantly, the sound is accurate and there are a lot of little ambient effects as well like the rustling of leaves in the wind. This is definitely the highlight of this release! The extras: 3.5/5 There are some interesting documentary features to be found on the development of the movie, the visual style of the invaders and how it all relates to the original. Unfortunately, no BD-Live or Blu-ray specific extras but the features are well worth watching Overall: 4.5/5

I've heard that the transfer of this film isn't very good. I don't know what I'm supposed to have looked for that lets it down; -maybe our TV is too small to really notice any serious shortcomings in that department. I found both picture and sound up to what I would expect from a modern film and Tom Cruise is very solid in the lead role, but for me it's Tim Robbins who steals the movie. The Blu-ray comes loaded with extras and my boys (19 & 23 at the time) and I very much enjoyed the film.

Edición de caja normal. Perfecto estado. Un menú de selección de muchos idiomas. Extras decentes.. La caja está muy bien y buena al tacto.

Attention ne contient pas la piste DTS HD en français. Il n'y a que la 5.1 de base pour la version française.

Acabo de recibir la guerra los mundos en blu ray. Esta edición del Reino Unido contiene castellano 5.1 Dolby digital La calidad de imagen deja un poco que desear ya que contiene bastante grano.( muy del estilo de minority report) Por lo demás, una excelente compra por 6€

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Compré esta edición Reino Unido que estaba a buen precio para tener la película en blu-ray, ya la tenía en DVD, esperando mejor calidad. Ni mucho menos, se ve incluso peor que el DVD, el grano que tiene es horroroso, he visto la película en televisión en abierto con mucha mejor calidad.