TOP GUN 4K UHD BLU-RAY REVIEW
Vložit
- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- 4K review of Top Gun on UHD Blu-ray disc as viewed on Optoma UHD550X 4K projector in a real home theatre. One of the best 4K discs so far with immediate perceptible improvement over the 2K Blu-ray taken from the same master due to excellent application of HDR. Choc-full of extras which have mainly been seen before but a couple of new ones on the 4K disc.Following the plugs I gave in this video, Project Ellsworth channel is well worth subscribing to at:
/ ellzy71
And so is Mondo Chelloveck Movies at:
/ @mondochelloveckmovies
can i tell you how much i enjoy having my coffee in the morming and watching your video's on film. great stuff thx
Lovely for you to say Mic. Thank you. Ad Astra in 4K is COMING SOON!
John.
I'm glad someone else appreciated this release as much as I did. I thought the colours from the HDR were phenomenal and was surprised there wasn't much talk about it on the internet.
The deeply saturated colours from the sunsets and the jets after burners were such a treat.
I love how Top Gun goes from a dream like state in the ground segments, then snaps into a high adrenaline rush for the jet segments.
Your sense of time is lost at the ground school segments (have they been in training for 1 month? 1 year? How long have Maverick and her been dating?)... but then the after burners light up, you're snapped back in and cranking the sound to hear the jets scream. It's so, so well shot.
I know Top Gun is well liked but I think it's a shame that people's appreciation is mostly for the sound track and cheesy catch phrases. There is so much more on offer with this one
That's a very good summary Jason. You should review it too. I think at the time of its 4K release people didn't appreciate the effect of HDR as much as they do now. When it's applied well it has a distinctive look and makes the difference between a 4K and a Blu-ray. Once you get into the look and can easily identify it, Blu-ray really is second best and quite often appears lacklustre by comparison. John.
The main reason for 70MM blow up prints on many non nativ 70MM movies back in 70s+ 80s + 90s (TERMINATOR 2) was DOLBY STEREO 6 track spit surround stereo effects on two channels (SUPERMAN 1978 TOP GUN 1986)
I didn't know they'd split the rear surround on those 90s blow-ups. I was only thinking about the switch from magnetic stripe to DTS discs last night though so was that when the change occurred?
John you have the only CZcams channel that when I get a notification of your upload I say "YES" to myself for another great video! Please keep them coming. Looking forward to 2k v 4k 👍
4K vs. 2K is proving to be a very interesting subject. I think I now understand why so many cinemas are still only projecting 2K since they dumped their 35mm 6.5K equivalent film projection. When video projection first came in at theatres and it was awful it was worrying that no one else could tell the difference or even cared. It's much better now of course but many of the films we see are only ever supplied as 2K masters despite the better cinemas offering 4K. If people can't tell the difference on a cinema auditorium screen, what chance have we got at home? That's basically my current thinking. 'Top Gun' is a definite exception and there are others, some of which I still need to find.
I absolutely LOVE it. You're such a cool guy, John. This is wonderful. Thank you. I only have a couple 4K releases that I also have on BluRay, but I will certainly check them out and let you know what I think. I have Halloween 1978, Jaws and hopefully I will have The Shining soon. You let me know what you'd like me to do and I will get it done for you. Thank you for this, John. Sincerely awesome and kind. Be well, my friend.
John
Project Ellsworth
I'm pleased you're pleased John. We've just watched your unboxing of Michael Myers from Halloween II which looks fabulous. You do those videos so well you are to be congratulated so "CONGRATULATIONS!"
We'll need to go through a few things for the 4K vs. 2K so drop me an email (you'll find me on the Contact Us page of www.bfcc.biz or www.triumphdvd.co.uk and on TriumphDVD I'm the only contact listed so that should be easy). I can telephone from the UK for free for calls up to an hour so either email or phone will be fine by me. I do realize there's a five hour difference between us. The summary of what I want us to do is look at the 4K disc in a pack and then having gotten a good feel for the clarity, brightness, contrast and colour saturation of that to then scrutinize the 2K Blu-ray (if available) in exactly the same fashion. Without having identical systems side by side it can be surprisingly difficult to perceive the difference at times but 'Jaws' is the ideal starting point. 'Halloween' will be interesting because that film never had particularly good quality in the first place so I'll be very interested indeed in what you find on that one. Once you have an idea of what you think the advantages/differences are between 2K and 4K it's time to make a video. One thing I insist on though is that the word 'POP' is not heard at any time in that video!!! 'Vibrant', 'stand out', 'like Technicolor etc. are permissible.
John C.
I’d often pull out Top Gun on Laser Disc back in the mid ‘90s to demonstrate my home cinema setup.
Watched Top Gun: Maverick four times at the cinema including twice in IMAX with Laser. What an experience that was at Cineworld, Leicester Square IMAX! One of those four viewings was a double-bill of both Top Gun movies back-to-back. 😎
Will likely rewatch both movies on 4K UHD Blu-ray once Maverick arrives on the format soon.
When I finally get the 4K disc of the second fllm I'll do a review and look up how it was shot. To justify the IMAX name it's going to have to be one heck of a video camera system. I think they can get away with an 8K system providing the best lenses are utilized but sadly there is no way they can blow that up to the genuine IMAX 70mm fllm format and expect it to work so what you saw was video projection. The 'laser' part of the name does confuse people though but it's supposed to as it's the lamp and nothing special at all. We can purchase home video projectors which use laser for the light source. IMAX are doing what they can to stay in business but the Empire is sadly not a genuine IMAX as it is only set up for video. The BFI IMAX is the place to go and so I'll see you there next year when they have a 15/70 print of Oppenheimer.
John.
Your reply seems to have disappeared Cheekster but in case it doesn't show up I'll copy it in here, "Sony Venice IMAX-certified cameras (6.5k) were used for all of the aerial shots, ~54 mins of the total runtime had expanded 1.90:1 IMAX aspect ratio."
IMAX is 1.43:1 so this is a watered down version of IMAX. 6.5K is better than most videos made these days but when you consider the size of genuine IMAX film it's unlikely to be as immersive because the computer equivalent of the IMAX film frame is around 45K. The human eye gets to a level where it can't perceive any more and I think that is what film studios are basing a lot of their business calculations on now. In other words, that's how they're getting away with all this lower quality we're now paying to see. I'm sure the image quality on Top Gun Maverick is outstanding so I'm not saying otherwise, I just wish IMAX would stop passing off everything as IMAX. Give it a different IMAX name - IMAX LITE or IMAX UPSCALE or something. When I go to seen an IMAX film I want to know I'm paying to see an IMAX film and not some cheaper method of trying to make me think I'm seeing one of the greatest film formats to have ever existed when all I'm really seeing is a blow-up or a video. Grrrrrrrr!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 - In my previous reply I included a link to a press announcement of IMAX-Certified cameras and I imagine CZcams doesn’t like external links?
@@cheekster777 That does seem to be why comments don't find their way through a lot of the time. IMAX is no longer the premiere format it once was but I'm expecting that Oppenheimer will be genuine IMAX next year. Maybe the BFI IMAX will put on a whole festival of Christopher Nolan's previous productions with IMAX scenes in them just before it's released. That would be a good excuse for a stay in central London. John.
I feel the need, the need for more!
That's a good play on the Top Gun words there Jørn.
CORRECTION: The finest submarine movie ever was The Hunt For Red October. Run Silent, Run Deep, The Enemy Below and U-571 not bad either.
Fair point. But I do like Crimson Tide. Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington are both so convincing in their roles and their interplay is the finishing touch.
Just found you. Another awesome video!
Great review and I had a great time talking to you over the phone today, very interesting and can't wait to get your 2k vs 4k idea realised and put out on CZcams 👍👍 believe it or not I've NEVER seen Top Gun, but after watching this and speaking to you I'm going to give it a whirl ✈ cheers again for the shout out and I love the selections from my channel you showed 🤣🤩🤩👍👍
I very much enjoyed our chat and it's good to make some plans to hopefully spread the word about 4K and our perceived benefits (or not) over 2K. I still have a few more titles I want to study but I feel quite confident in the results from the evidence I've gone over so far. I need to take a look at your Zombie 4K vs. 2K video but I think we need to concentrate on more mainstream titles for this project if that's sensible. Jaws is an obvious one to include because I think we both know the colour on that one makes the 4K stand out. Many other titles are the same but just not to quite the same level but let's see where we end up.
@@moviecollector5920 yeah totally, I agree with doing a bit more research and im confident that HDR could be the main ingredient, to make a 4K really stand out, i heard an Italian version of Suspiria on 4K DIDN'T have HDR 🤯 so I could imagine it to be almost the same as the Blu ray, but I think not using HDR is a thing that rarely happens.... hopefully 🤩 yeah great chat 👍👍
I liked how u could see more on the laserdisc
Just the sleeve alone makes the LaserDisc somewhat special. John.
Spot on with your assessment. "Dejavu" was Tony Scott's most riveting and intriguing film. Saw "Top Gun" at a special "free" screening (because in those days cinemas were not allowed to open on Sundays), and I felt, though enjoyable, played very much like an extended, glossy commercial with beautiful people and beautiful bodies but - it did all look stunningly spectacular. Thanks for another excellent review. Michael - SA
No one had ever achieved aerial shots like it before so although I'm sure the gals went mad for Mr. Cruise and Mr. Kilmer it was surely the fighter jet sequences that made it for us boys. John.
Love Top Gun. Crimson Tide is probably Tony Scotts best film but Top Gun is my favourite. I have both on Blu Ray and really impressed with both. Not ventured into the expensive world of 4K yet.
Blu-ray is excellent by itself Horizons Anew so don't feel pressured to spend a whole load more on 4K until the time is right.
John.
I was fortunate to see TOP GUN when it was released in theaters and truly enjoyed it. One of the things that impressed me was how Tony Scott filmed the actors sitting in their cockpits. It really looked good on the big screen and you could really see their reactions. I also remember the color and the new 4K really does well in being true to the colors. Especially the flesh tones. The sound is also bombastic as well making it sound as if fighter jets are taking off right in your own living room. I have on order The Ten Commandments as well as 300 (another one of my favorites). 300 looked pretty good on blu-ray but I am excited about the new 4K release as the images should be even sharper and the color tones which were so integral to the movie should be improved as well. Have a great day John. And now on to some of your other reviews that I have yet to watch.
Good post Daniel. You and I seem to be in complete agreement about Top Gun. Not everyone found the 4K as successful as I did on my system so with that and a few other disparities it's led me to believe that all our systems are different and some of these 4K discs look better on some than they do on others. Incompatibilities between the player and projector or television seems the most likely cause. John.
Wonderful review as always! Very interesting! I had no idea Ridley Scott's brother directed it. I always enjoyed watching this movie! Great flick!
Tony Scott was a great director in his own right Dmitri. Amazing that two greats should come from the same parentage but I suppose they must have grown up playing with 8mm or Super 8, just like me! John.
@@moviecollector5920 Perhaps you are correct! Such passion blossoms gradually.
I ran to buy this film after your review and found out that Amazon had the 4k Steelbook on $18 so thank you for the recommendation, love your videos and I'll keep my eye on the lookout for the Polar Express in 4K.
Top Gun was a good 4K surprise as I really didn't think it would look as good as it does. Another Super 35 film that's just as good on 4K, or possibly better, is Backdraft. As for Polar Express, that should be an absolute delight in 4K... good shout there! John.
@@moviecollector5920 Finally got my hands on this and I had to return after a rewatch to see the review and to comment that I'll be following closely your recommendations since they're awesome. Thanks master 🤠
@@EstebanMendez Thank you for saying so. I watched the new Spidey film last night so I've got to digest all that now and start to work out how to handle the review video for that one. I find it amazing that it was shown in IMAX cinemas given that the definition isn't particularly brilliant. People must think IMAX is a bit ordinary if they've never seen a genuine IMAX film print. John.
I've just started watching your videos, thank you so much for all your work and information. Youre very natural and remind me a little of the late great Barry Norman. Again thank you and will look out for more videos
Thank you Darren - good to have you here. I should be reviewing another Batman film next, the dreaded Batman v Superman 4K re-issue because so many people have asked me to do it. If it ever arrives in the post that is as it should have been here several days ago.
John.
I so agree with you John, Top Gun is Tony Scott's most well received film but Deja Vu is definitely his best film, time travel is hard to pull off convincingly, Scott was in the same bar of his brother Ridley in my opinion, as for the Scott's enthralling us over the year's, I recommend Ridley's little film Matchstick Men, not available on 4K yet but it's a masterclass of storytelling John. James
I've had Matchstick Men for many years on DVD James. It's a fabulous film that hardly anyone has ever heard of. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Just watched Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2 on 4K, highly recommend them John, Martin Brest's BHC is an absolute 80's classic, Tony Scott's Beverly Hills Cop 2 sure looks good, haven't seen Top Gun in 4K yet, if Tony Scott's BHC2 is anything to go by, no doubts it will look good, I'll check it out John.
@@jamessiddle7389 I have the first Beverly Hills Cop on Blu-ray but I may give the second one a go in 4K. I rather like Judge Reinhold and I think he's at his hilarious best in the second film. Top Gun is a good 4K - the HDR is the magic ingredient with that one as it makes it look beautiful, just like a film. John.
This 4K just arrived for me from Amazon UK as the 4K release here in Australia only comes with the 4K disc and no bluray.
Im upgrading from DVD for this film and i always still want the bluray with 4K being an additional bonus.
Most of the time I think the Blu-ray is included because the extra features are only on the Blu-ray. It doesn't cost much to get a batch of 10,000 Blu-ray discs pressed so it's worth the studios/distributors doing it. Might only be about 75p per disc but I've lost touch with the cost of it in recent years. When I started having my own DVD releases glass mastered and pressed Blu-ray was a minor market and 1000 pressed Blu-ray discs cost around £6,000. Gulp!
John.
I believe the 4K master used for this release is the one used for the 3D version, which was cleaned up and sharpened to improve the 3D presentation. Similar to the difference (grain reduction) we saw with early BD’s of T2 and the 4K release.
Interesting. Thank you for that Sean. There is still quite a bit of grain in places but overall it looks high quality to me. What do you think?
John.
Another good review. Perhaps you'd consider comparing the digital iTunes versions of their 4ks Vs the discs. I've found some of them to be exceptional eg Top Gun!
Funnily enough Tom I'm formulating plans for a 4K vs. 2K video and although 4K has the edge the current indications are that the advantage is only perceptible where HDR is present and has been used effectively. What you are looking at with downloads will be on a par with 2K image quality despite the 4K claim but it's all down to bitrate and you're just not going to get the massive throughput required down an internet connection however good it may be so that is why I never consider paying an on-line provider for movies. Even if you assume the minimum 50Gb capacity of a 4K disc there's just no comparison to that sort of local data rate and a connection to the world wide web. Whether or not the human eye can perceive the difference without having identical systems running is another matter though. In my experience there is always a data drop out on occasion resulting in pixelation and general lower image quality for short periods when watching across the internet - and that's even down our fibre optic connection. I expect what you have seen with the iTunes version of Top Gun is a case of the exceptional image quality achieved during the video transfer from the original negative and the application of high dynamic range. But I'll be sticking to discs... after all, if we experience a Carrington like event sometime there ain't going to be any internet!!!
John.
Hi John. Always enjoy your reviews. I just watched this again in 4k with the volume turned up and enjoyed it more than ever. One of my favourite films and the best its ever looked and sounded. Funny you mention Jaws. Another of my all time favourites and have watched it multiple times in 4k. Lol
Top Gun was a real surprise in 4K Chris. It rather confirms how good film stocks were in the 1980s because Super 35 really shouldn't look so good. The Empire, Leicester Square had a 70mm blow-up so I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised at the quality. Not many movies shot on video come up to the standard of this one which probably tells us a lot.
John.
I feel smarter after watching your videos. Great job!
What a compliment. Thank you.
John.
He reminds me of a less animated Barry Norman. That's a compliment 😉
Or Max Headroom!!! Thanks Red Rock. John.
Hello-
my favorite Tony Scot film is a tie between Top Gun and Unstoppable.
We ran the 4K of Days of Thunder a couple of weeks back and we really enjoyed that too. I'd only ever seen a crappy television broadcast years ago and thought it was complete tosh but now I think it's pretty terrific. What a great director he was.
John.
Super review. All the best.
And thank you again.
I’m looking forward to watching this 4K disc. I had the steelbook preordered, but then it was delayed until December when it was pointed out that the art was using the wrong fighter jet.
I’m holding out for that preorder as I do tend to get the steelbook edition when they’re released in Canada.
In the meantime I still have dozens of 4K UHD Blu-Ray discs in my back room waiting to be watched, so no rush. Not sure if dozens is adequate anymore. I’m sure it’s in to triple digits of unwatched disks in the queue. So many movies, so little time.
I hope the wait is worth it. I did have discussions with John Perry of Mondo Chelloveck Movies channel because Top Gun did not look quite as good on his system. But I re-checked it thoroughly on mine and the sequences he found looked more average on his television still looked quite exceptional on my setup. So it seems these discs do vary from one setup to the next. This may explain why Gemini Man looks so awful on mine when others are claiming it's the best quality they've ever seen. To me it looks like a video game but perhaps it looks realistic on other systems. I did check it on my television though and it was just as awful (actually, possibly even worse) on that too.
Movie Collector - interesting. I watched the first 10 minutes of Gemini Man and what I witnessed there was the closest thing I’ve ever seen to my TV transforming into a window into another world, rather than presenting a film.
@@nacthenud I think a lot of people have felt the same. I have a theory that the Gemini Man target audience was aimed at the video game market/players. Some of it looked very good but I'm pretty sure it was made 100% for 3D presentation in cinemas and clearly concentrated on trying to make a 3D film that was easy on the eye. Losing one of the camera images made it look like a cartoon for a lot of the time and the varying quality of the computer generated imagery didn't help in that regard. Some special effects houses that worked on it managed good levels of reality while others were, to put it kindly, not so good. So after watching the worst film I've seen this year last Monday, yesterday we watched the best film of the year so far: Le Mans '66. Now that is quite incredibly good both in terms of film making, image quality and sound quality. Shot on video too so it proves it can be done.
Movie Collector I think the first ten minutes I watched was free of CGI, so maybe it will be a distracting issue when I sit down and watch the whole thing.
Lone Tony Scott movies, Top Gun is a big cheesy very 80s movie which is a fun guilty pleasure of mine.
A guilty pleasure for both of Jonas. But those aerial shots are so good it's always worth watching whatever anyone thinks of the rest of it.
Yes those sequences of aerial action are timeless for sure, John.
John, my wife and I watched Deja Vu for the first time last weekend on BluRay. I was absolutely blown away by the movie, brilliant. I'm wondering if you'll ever pick up Beverly Hills Cop on a 4K disc and cover it on your channel? Like many other movies Beverly Hills Cop is a movie I have to buy on every format its trickled out on, I love it. I popped the disc on a few weeks ago not really expecting much from it in terms of PQ based on some forums and reviews I've scanned over. I soon became aware that I was sat there watching the movie with a big stupid grin on my face in absolute delight of what I was watching. I don't think I've ever seen it look so good and would love to know your own thoughts. Keep at it Sir, great channel.
I watched Beverly Hills Cop on Blu-ray recently and it's pretty darned good on that so add HDR into the mix and it should be another winner. In other words, I'm not surprised you had a great time with it. I think I prefer the second film because Judge Reinhold is so damned good in it but I haven't seen the second film in about 25 years. John.
Another interesting aspect of Super 35 is its framing options.
Back in the days of 4x3 home video, before letterboxing, framing a 2.35:1 Panavision anamorphic film on home video meant chopping off the sides and then panning the 4x3 frame left to right, or cutting left to right during quick shots, to try to position the essential story information within the narrow 4x3 frame. This resulted in about a 40% loss of picture information, introduced pans and cuts that the director never intended.
Super 35 photographs more image top to bottom than 35mm Panavision anamorphic. For theatrical Panavision anamorphic prints, the top and bottom are cropped. For 4x3 home video, the top and bottom are opened back up to full Super 35 frame, resulting in a wee bit more headroom on the top of the frame and a lot more footroom on the bottom of the frame, eliminating the need for panning and scanning.
Filmmakers also fell in love with Super 35 because it uses spherical lenses with no added anamorphic squeeze glass element, resulting in a sharper optical image and better low-light performance than anamorphic lenses.
Valuable information celestialfilms. Top Gun also had the requirement for squeezing a camera in the fighter cockpits so apparently that helped with the decision for Super 35. Thank you for taking the time to fill us all in with more knowledge.
John.
Saw original in 70mm. Like 4K disc on my 120” screen with JVC 4K projector
It's amazing just how good Top Gun looks when you consider it was shot Super 35. I didn't see it in the cinema at all (just mortgaged up to the eyeballs and no money left for anything else - including food!) but I can imagine how good the 70mm blow-ups will have looked. The sequel looks terrific so I should have got to London to see that one but I haven't had the time. Should make for an interesting 4K disc screening at home though. John.
Great review my friend. Will definitely pick this 1 up. Take it easy.
Keith, why don't you do a follow-up review and I'll link into it. I've been enjoying all of your videos, particularly the one including the E.T. bust which my wife and I are going to come over and rob from you!!!
@@moviecollector5920 thats a great idea. Im going 2 order it tonight so i will have it sometime next week so i will let u know. Looks like my poor E.T. bust will have 2 b locked up. Security cameras lazer beems the works.
@@millerman9991 Excellent. I'll post a link whenever you get something up. I've got the five film Blu-ray Phantasm now so there's another we may be able to collaborate on if you've got that one or even just the original film.
@@moviecollector5920 yeah i have the complete collection of Phantasm from Arrow Video. I still haven't done a video for this collection yet.
@@millerman9991 We're having a Phantasm Monday each week and with four left to go I'll be able to do something in about four weeks time. Fancy a simultaneous video release or thereabouts?
awaiting 4k disc release!
just upgraded to a 7 series samsung 4k screen (finally)
I haven't seen the sequel yet JB as I'd have to get to London to see it at a top cinema and I didn't have the time. Too risky to use a local cinema with the disappointment of poor video projection there would inevitably be. So I too am waiting for the 4K release to see if at home. Enjoy your new 4K telly. Don't turn the sound up too loud and annoy the neighbours! Then again, invite 'em round to enjoy the new film with you then you'll have an excuse to deafen yourself.
John.
Well I've just googled and this review came up. I just want to say thank you for taking the time to do this excellent review. Very much appreciated. Very informative and no waffle as some do I'm afraid. Looking forward to purchasing a copy of Top Gun in 4K To be viewed through my newly acquired Panasonic Projector onto a large but not massive screen. Thanks again.
PS...I've just subscribed.😀
You should have a great time with your new Optoma projector but it might take a while to get the best out of it so keep fiddling for some time to come. My advice is to ensure all the digital nonsense is minimized or switched off completely. Particularly 'sharpen' which should really be labelled 'Completely screw up your projected image here!' Also, keep playing with the HDR output from your player because many discs have over bright HDR applied and you have to find the correct setting for each one before sitting down to watch a disc.
John.
Behind Superman the movie Top Gun is probably my second favorite movie of all time our own nearly every addition except for the DVDs that are traded years ago but I still own the THX laser disc with the wrong aspect ratio but I have nearly every Blu-ray release and of course this one and tomorrow I will be picking up the top gun collectors edition with many poster and decal included
LaserDiscs are so collectable owing to the great sleeves. It's just as well modern disc releases don't come in such tempting packaging otherwise I'd be completely skint! Top Gun was Super 35 and shouldn't really look this good but Backdraft is another one shot in Super 35 and looks just as good too so there's something about that lower quality version of 35mm that somehow works.
John.
One of my fav films
Well I think we need a review from Hobbs Horror 'Top Gun' review. That will be something a little different on your channel wouldn't it? Maybe start the review with a Michael Myers mask on or something so you don't alientate your viewers. I need to take a look at your Phantasm ranking video and a few others. I hope to do a complete Phantasm retrospective soon which was part of growing up for me. If you don't have 4K a 2K review of Top Gun will do cos' that is also an excellent disc but not as good as the 4K due to the difference supplied by High Dynamic Range. HMV are selling the 2K for a few pounds now so worth a punt.
Not watched this on 4K yet, leaving it until nearer the release of Top Gun Maverick, but have it on 3D Blu-Ray as well which I enjoy. Great video 👍
It's a surprisingly good 4K Matt but some people are saying that their systems exaggerate the film grain. I went back and went through it on mine with a fine toothcomb but it's just not that prevalent on mine. Super 35 origins mean it shouldn't really look as good as it does but perhaps it just confirms the value of using film rather than video. John.
@@moviecollector5920 looking forward to watching it and then seeing Top Gun Maverick on the big screen 👍 😎
Isn’t this may be just another case of it was shot on film so obviously it’s going to look better and I’m guessing with that remastered sticker Paramount are basically saying that this is a 4K scan?
Great video John anyway, Crimson tide is an amazing movie admittedly I like it for the Hans Zimmer score.
Yes I also like the score to Top Gun as well 😜
Take care and all the best to you and yours
You're right about it being another of those 4K scans from a top-notch 35mm negative but it's the fact that this was shot Super 35 which means a much smaller image than a 'Scope 35mm frame. It really has no business looking as good as it does. However, John at Mondo Chelloveck Movies is also looking into the whole 4K vs. 2K and he thinks the indoor scenes of Top Gun are a little on the grainy side so I do need to look at bits of it again. Whatever, I do prefer a film to be shot on film rather than video!!!
Nice review. It would be great if you could explain the film types, lenses etc so a bit easier to follow when explaining the differences etc.
All is revealed in my 2001 A Space Odyssey review Ben so take a look at that and you'll be well on your way to understanding why some of these 4K discs are so good and some are comparatively poor: czcams.com/video/-XdnAAdQIUE/video.html. Of course none of this probably explains why more recent movies shot on video may look like crap!!!
Great review. Hope you’ve got many more planned!
A couple of possible videos are going through my mind besides the 4K vs. 2K subject. The Arrow Films 2K box of the five Phantasm films arrived yesterday and I was behaving like a child when I got those unwrapped. Sad isn't it? But that original film holds quite a history for me so when I finish watching those I may do a Phantasm retrospective. I intend to watch one a week so that's a way off yet, but I have the CZcams Tag video to produce too so I'll keep things going up occasionally before then. Thanks for your support as always Danny.
It’s definitely not sad. I felt the same today when my first UHD disc arrived on the post, Jaws. Also arrived today my first Masters Of Cinema disc A Fistful Of Dynamite. Plus I have a few more coming over the next few days. I’m planning to play these back on a Projector, still can’t make up my mind as to which model to go for. Best Danny
@@danboy77 I have A Fistful Of Dynamite on NTSC laser disc but haven't watched it in about ten years. With regard to Jaws the HDR is the perceptible difference with the 4K, much like Top Gun, but wait until you've got a 4K projector for the sheer delight of watching it on a big screen. And in that regard, I would make an appointment at your nearest Richer Sounds. The particular model I'd look at if I were making a purchase today is here: www.richersounds.com/tv-projectors/projectors/4-k-projectors/optoma-uhd51.html. Looks like this one is the current replacement for my own which I think is the UHD550X as the specifications appear very similar. It costs £1299 but they do have a couple of models one pound under £1k which may be worth considering.
Hi. I just purchased the Benq W2700 from Richer Sounds. I had my heart set on an Epson model which was quite a bit more expensive but that model isn’t available anywhere and it felt like a sign telling me to save some money and go for the Benq. Ceiling and walls are a dark grey, blackout blinds on the way and black out curtains to cover the door which is glass. Really looking forward to it!
@@danboy77 You're going to have to let me know how you get on Danny. You can get my email contact from www.bfcc.biz as there are only three of us on the 'Contact Us' page and I'm the only John. Exciting times!
My now ex-wife met Tony Scott where she worked back in 2001 and he was nice enough to sign my TRUE ROMANCE laserdisc jacket (the wife had brought it, hoping to get his autograph). The story goes like this... He said to her. "Dear, please tell me that's not Top Gun." She replied, "No, Mr. Scott. True Romance is our favorite." He excitedly took it, signing and told her, "This I'll sign any day." She also told Mr. Scott how much she loved The Last Boy Scout. He asked her, "Why on earth do you like that one?" I do not remember the exact wording of her answer, but it was something like, "It's unapologetically trash and so funny it can make you pee your pants." Scott burst out laughing and gave her a hug.
What a great story. That truly is priceless.
I forgot to say how much I agree with you about film grain and how much it suits the look of Aliens even though it seems to have been a bit of an accident. I have a couple of Aliens prints on Super 8 and it's not exactly one of the best ever Super 8 prints because of the grain, but it's so well suited to it that I don't care.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I should record a tiny little tribute to Scott, showing off the signed LD and telling the story. Not enough people talk about how great he was at what he did.
@@ItsTimePictures That has got to be done.
Deja Vu is a great film, but I've never really been a fan of Top Gun. Still enjoyed watching this review though, Thanks John.
Top Gun seems to play better now than it ever did. Might be worth another try if you haven't seen it in many years Leon because just like a rash, it grows on you! John.
@@moviecollector5920 That just really made me laugh & I may just have to John 👍🏻
I strongly agree about how great DEJA VU is and maybe a 4K version would get people to finally get it. All 70mm TOP GUN blow-ups had 5.1 sound as it is one of the first films (after APOCALYPSE NOW, SUPERMAN THE MOVIE (experimentally before Coppola finalized the format, SUPERMAN II and PINK FLOYD: THE WALL) ever made, so it was not just older Dolby A-Type stereo. I think the 4K is solid. Do you think the 4K disc delivers the film better than the 70mm screenings you saw in 1986/1987?
I didn't see it Nicholas. It seemed to be on at The Empire for about a year but probably because after the opening few weeks or couple of months it wasn't in the main auditorium and would have been moved to one of the two lesser 'studios', I didn't bother going to see it. I wasn't exactly wealthy at the time so cinema visits were a little too few and far between and I had to be extremely choosy. What a mistake that was because I missed Top Gun at The Empire. I'm not sure how good the 70mm blow-up would have looked but I'd put money on it being better than this 4K disc because it's film and even though I think this 4K is excellent - and a real surprise given the film's origins - film still achieves a more natural look than video. I'm still working out exactly why that is though. John.
@@moviecollector5920 If you push Super 35 or Techniscope, you can still get good results, but like Ultra HD and HD, you have to really push it and work hard. Director of Photography Jeffrey L. Kimball (LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN, JACOB'S LADDER, WILD THINGS, TRUE ROMANCE, STAR TREK: NEMESIS, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II) is a great cameraman, so he knew what he was doing and it still looks solid.
Finally picked this up, only $7, new!
You certainly do find the bargains Gary. It's a great 4K disc albeit a fairly early one I suppose so a lot more have come along since then and supplanted it in terms of the pecking order of top quality 4K discs. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Movie looked and sounded great, story doesn’t hold up after all this time, but the plane shots are great. With this and all the MI movies, I must be on “Cruise” control. Tomorrow’s watch Nope!
Just found your channel great stuff. I've just order Top Gun on 4K after watching this video. I love seeing how good older films look on 4K and Blu-ray, Full Metal Jacket out next week. I'd be interested to hear your views on the 4K disc of Alien.
Thank you Steven. I hope you like the transfer of Top Gun as much as I did because I've since seen that others who have reviewed it have missed how good it actually is. I don't have the 4K disc of Alien and there is a reason for that... I have two copies of the complete film on Super 8 (well, why make do with just one?) which have a very special place for me but not only that I have a 35mm print of the re-release from 2002 or 2003 or whenever it came out. Yes, I know that's a bit messed about with but Alien on any other format is never going to compare to the excitement of being able to screen it in 35mm in the home... unless an unfaded original 70mm print suddenly lands in my lap of course. If I ever get eyes on the 4K disc I'll scrutinise it and mention it in a future video you can be sure of that.
@@moviecollector5920 my favourite Tony Scott film is True Romance. Nice one John.
I'd be interested to hear your views on the recent 4K release of True Romance John. It's a great film in my opinion, I enjoyed the 4K. It's another film I've had on various formats. VHS, laserdisc and twice on DVD, I never splashed out on the Blu-ray though.
Tony Scott's best for me is True Romance. However Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, and Top Gun amongst others are also great.
not got the 4K but do have last years release on Bluray and was really impressive, incl the Atmos soundtrack. Do you think its worth an upgrade?
The Blu-ray is good enough but HDR makes a difference. How big a difference varies from system to system as well as how closely the setup of each system has been set to resemble film. Most televisions are set to look like video so that could have a bearing. In here the 4K image was excellent and belied its Super 35 origins which is a smaller image area on 35mm film compared to a 2x anamorphic 35mm. John.
I absolutely love Top Gun for decades, big fan, and i enjoyed your review too. Don't you think the picture in this 4K UHD version looks a bit too grainy, say, compared to T2 Judgment Day?
It doesn't on my system. It probably should given it's Super 35 origins but it doesn't. The colour and clarity is rather exceptional so it's pretty high up there. I haven't seen Terminator 2: Judgment Day on 4K - actually, I've never seen it all the way through on anything but film and having it on Super 8 in a very nice 'Scope print does mean I don't particularly fancy watching it on video.
John.
If you dont have Atmos and only a 5.1 ch setup, the scene where Mavericks plane goes into a spin is sounds like its in atmos just turn up the sound and it sounds like you have a Atmos setup. Just a litte tip :-)
You probably won't be surprised to hear this Niels, but when we watched Top Gun for the review, I had it up so loud it was actually difficult to stay in the room. It is THX though so a little more impressive than most systems and because it's not a big room it doesn't lend itself well to any more separate channels. I did try when 6.1 and 7.1 first came out for the home market about 20 years ago but it did nothing for the overall sound and if anything actually spoiled it a little. Having the tripole rear speakers up high was the only option as they're that big they don't fit anywhere else but the effect is a completely enveloping sound. All of the Kef THX speakers in this system are big so there's not any room left to add anything else and if I did, they wouldn't be exactly timbre matched.
John.
Great show as always. I bought top gun, days of thunder and war of the worlds on day one of the tom cruise releases. I've not got round to watching top gun yet. I was a little disappointed in dats of thunder. Some scenes looked great and some looked quite bad. I watched revenge of the sith the other day and I thought that looked stunning in 4k
They must have done something with HDR for 'Sith' to look good in 4K then because I just looked it up - www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/technical?ref_=tt_dt_spec - and it was a 2K (i.e. HD) master. I'm increasingly finding that it's hard to tell the difference and the colour enhancements with HDR is all that stands between them. Now your task Bilko is to let me know what you think of your Top Gun 4K disc compared to Days of Thunder because I was so impressed with Top Gun that I'm very tempted to take a punt with Days of Thunder. Currently it seems like you're not too impressed with it so see what you think of Top Gun and report back... pronto!!!
@@moviecollector5920 will do . May not be pronto though. 🤣👍
@@bilkoprince4222 You just can't get the staff these days!!!
I think the best UHD film I've seen is Blade Runner 2049. Crisp and beautiful. Have you seen it John?
I have Maxation but it's no better than the Blu-ray on either of my systems. I'm sure there's a bit more life in it owing to the HDR but perhaps the Blu-ray is that good that there's not much more to squeeze out of it. If you don't already have Murder on the Orient Express you may find you have the same results on your system as I do on mine. It's 65mm origin is what makes the difference.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I'll keep an eye out for it and pick it up! Sounds like one I need to see in order to fully understand. I felt 2049 was a lot crisper on UHD compared to the Blu-ray but I haven't done a proper comparison :)
Cheers!
@@Maxation Spartacus and Le Mans 66 (Ford vs. Ferrari) are another pair of really good 4Ks. And Le Mans 66 wasn't even shot on film so it does prove that video cameras are eminently more capable now.
@@moviecollector5920 More for the list, really keen to see Le Mans 66. Just picked up Total Recall though so I'll have to watch that before I buy anything else.
Google a site called "caps-a-holic" that compares blu-ray and 4K screen caps, very interesting results for some films, you might enjoy it!
@@Maxation Total Recall is very good. Don't listen to the moaners about a particularly red scene that gets a bit of digital blocking which some have fixated on. It's a video, not a film and with so much red it seems that video still cannot fully deal with it despite the high resolution but it's hardly noticeable.
I'll take a look at 'caps-a-holic' but I'll keep in mind that results on each of our systems tend to be different. When I get a newer, better 4K player I expect I'll get slightly different results to what I see now.
Enjoy Total Recall. A great sci-fi classic.
John.
I saw this movie when it was first released and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, but like yourself think Deja Vu just toped it, and that's only because of the fantasy element. Another great review, you're the only one I subscribe to, so keep up the good work.
Thanks Ged. I just wish we were still getting top-notch Derann product so I could include more moving reels in these vidoes. But I do have a reasonable collection to keep me going!
The reviews are just getting better and better. So I don't even realise there wasn't a mention of super 8 or Derann.
Movie Collect...... Another A1 review of yours Sir can't wait for your next 4K review videos, i had Top Gun on LASERDISC (US) may first two DOLBY DIGITAL LASERDISC movies back in 90s TRUE LIES + CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER love both Tony + Sir Ridley would like to have BLACK RAIN including Ridley..commentary on UHD to me is BLACK RAIN one of his best movies one of the best Michael Douglas movies and one of the finest Hans Zimmer score works
I think Black Rain is another one of Ridley Scott's best - and Michael Douglas's best now that you mention it. Tony Scott tended to do the more commercial films such as Top Gun but brother Ridley would turn what were largely arthouse films into commercial films simply by making them so well. Some may not have done too well ('Legend' for example) but he has succeeded with niche market productions where no one else would have.
I haven't seen Clear & Present Danger for many years so you've just added another one to my shopping list!!!
John, what Projector do you use in your theatre ?
Sorry Ernest, I think I missed this comment at the time. The video projector is an Optoma UHD550X. The Super 8 projectors are three versions of the Elmo GS1200: a standard machine, an HID lamp converted machine and the HTI machine used at the BFCC for years. The 35mm in a Ging Gan Shan Spectra 90.
Your technical knowledge is superb are or were you in the film business?
No, just heavily involved with the British Film Collectors Conventions for many years where so many people from the industry were involved or simply came along. Maybe this channel will help to resurrect the BFCC when we're through this pandemic.
John.
Rest In Peace tony scott
Well said Jacob. One of the greats.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I recommend looking at the recent 4K release when it comes out the Castle of Cagliostro which is a beautiful Animated film
@@luckykennedy7364 I don't think I'd heard of that one so I'll keep an eye out to snap one up. Cartoons do lend themselves well to exhibiting exceptional picture quality owing to the lines around everything. Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' was a good illustration of this when it was first released on Super 8 and looked exceptional... like a good 16mm print at the time and you could own it forever for just £239.95!!! Actually, I still have my print and must run it again soon because it is a thing of beauty to project on the wall.
John.
merci french top video
Merci beaucoup!
John.
Wait, what? You think DEJA VU is better than Top Gun and Crimson Tide? Deja Vu is an enjoyable movie, but it falls into the category of 'better than I expected for watching a movie on TV'. Crimson Tide and Top Gun are both teetering on the brink of masterpiece level filmmaking.
The proof is that you can watch Crimson Tide and Top Gun OVER AND OVER again, fully enjoying every minute, while Deja Vu would be hard to watch more than twice.
I tend to get that feeling of deja vu every time I watch err... 'Deja Vu'. But I love time travel, mind twisting films and that's probably why I think it's his best. I do love 'Top Gun' and 'Crimson Tide' too so we're largely in agreement I think. A great director who went before his time. Heartbreaking.
John.
Top Gun is still fantastically watchable even today. Still ridiculous. Still extremely gay. But unmissable fun.
I think it's getting better as the years go by. Let's hope the sequel is almost as much fun later this year.
John.
I can't watch a Tony Scott movie without seeing how much Michael Bay has copied his style.
There's certainly appears to have been an influence Darth. I don't recall Tony Scott using shaky cam though but please correct me if I've missed that or forgotten it in a Tony Scott film. John.
@@moviecollector5920 So Michael Bay's only style is "shaky cam" and nothing more?? There's a lot more that goes into a director's style than one type of shot lol I must have hit a nerve by evoking the dreaded and hated Mr. Bay!
Days of Thunder has plenty of shaky cam. This Tony Scott movie looks like it's full of shaky cam czcams.com/video/9WTMFghxvXo/video.html Although, I wasn't really talking about that aspect of Bay's style, but whatever lol
@@DarthHater100 I'll have to take another look at the shaky cam in Days of Thunder. That could be where Michael Bay picked up on it. It is a shame it's still in vogue with some directors though because it can destroy a film when it gets used in ever action shot, much like Michael Bay's 'Ambulance'. Thanks for pointing me to Days of Thunder which will be interesting to see again. Another one that's completely ruined by this technique is J.J. Abrams first film 'Mission Impossible 3'. I think that's the worst I've ever seen for it and had to look away a lot of the time while the action shots were on screen. To be fair though, it may be the director of photography who has insisted on shaking the camera while shooting action. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Yeah, Ambulance had a lot of shaky cam. But if you look at say Transformers 3, there's literally less than 20 shaky shots in the entire 2.5 hour movie. Although Bay has admitted that he didnt do shaky cam in Transformers 3-5 because it didn't work well with 3D. Just saying, you can't just paint all of his work as "shaky cam".
Aside from Bay admitting it, the reason I can say there are less than 20 shaky cam shots in Transformers 3, is because I watched it just last night, and I was watching for it. For the most part, when he did use shaky cam, it made sense in the context of the shot, such as a shot from the water, that makes it look like the camera is moving with the waves. Or when something goes rumbling by, a shake augments that. But aside from a few car shots that were blatant pointless shaky cam, it always served the action, and wasn't just shaky to be shaky.
Both directors use lots of Americana in their work. Lots of military, police, and ambulance stuff, lots of American flags, farm houses, sunsets, airplane hangers etc.
Their use of source music. The teal-orange style of lighting. Practical high energy car stuff.
If you've seen Pelham 123 that I posted previously, I bet anyone could intercut footage from that movie and Ambulance, and you would hardly be able to tell which shot is from which movie, they are so similar.
Sure, there are still lots of stuff Bay does that Tony Scott does not. For instance, I don't think Scott does big CGI stuff, nor has sophomoric humour, among other differences. But there are still a lot of similarities. Maybe Top Gun isn't the perfect movie to showcase the similarity, but if you look at some of Scott's other movies, it becomes more apparent.
@@DarthHater100 I didn't classify Michael Bay as only 'shaky cam' but it's a trait and it means good films get ruined. 'Ambulance' would have been terrific but you have to watch it on a telly to be able to fully enjoy it as it is. I expect I've seen a few Michael Bay films that I've really enjoyed but The Rock is the only one that springs to mind. The Island is one I need to watch again though because I only ever saw it in the cinema and remember enjoying it despite some hectic action that may have been shaky cam. Unfortunately, Transformers is not something I'd ever be likely to take a look at but you never know because I did get talked into watching Justice League. 3D isn't particularly appealing to me unless it's for a sequence or two in a film. As a complete film I struggle with 3D but if the latest 3D fad had have gone down the LCD glasses route then I think I'd have been much more enthusiastic for it. Hude, deeply curved screens and LCD glasses flickering in synch with infra-red signals from the projector was the way to go but I suppose it was too expensive so we got the polarized 3D version yet again.
John.
Tom Cruise said...
"I feel the need, the need to Bombay-Roll Pauline Hickey"
i've just looked her up and she was a lovely looking young lady. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Indeed she was John, absolutely astounding.
John, if i`m not mistaken didn`t i also leave an absolutely hilarious "Mission Impossible/Pauline Hickey/micky-take/parody/dialogue variation" com-girl-t on here a couple of hours ago ! ?, i was just wondering if it made you and your wife fall off your chairs in completely uncontrollable fits of uproarious, raucous, rollicking, and side-splitting laughter (as is always my objective with my truly brilliant Pauline Hickey related com-girl-ts of course) before you so unceremoniously and rather borderline condescendingly deleted it ?. Always keep in mind John, i`m a comic genius of the highest order and level, but my love for rare Hyper-Technirama 70 screenings of "Song of Norway" is almost as great as my lust for Pauline Hickey ! ! !.
Well I didnt' delete anything Barry so if you put it up there then I read it. i've had a good laugh with a few of them but I don't think I recall one on Top Gun. I am getting on a bit now though so I may have temporarily forgotten and it will all come back to me later.
Just thought, it may be hiding in the comments section that need reviewing before they appear. Haven't looked for a few days. Last time I tried to rescue comments out of there they just disappeared so stand by. John.
@@moviecollector5920 Cheers John, understood. I was actually thinking it had something to do with the fact that i post some of the com-girl-ts on my phone and others on my laptop, it shouldn`t make a difference but then again of course the complexities of the internet know no bounds. Its just that the "MIssion Impossible/Pauline Hickey" com-girl-t was one of my most brilliant and hilarious (he said modestly ! ! !) and i just didn`t want you to miss out on all those laughs. The reviews on here are always superb John, i really look forward to them. BTW John, i`m actually considerably older than you and i still act like i`m 17 most of the time, it must be my obsession with Pauline Hickey, it ensures that i keep acting and thinking young.
@@ALLMIMSYWASTHEJABBERWOCK Like me you don't mind getting old you just don't ever want to grow up!
The Pauline Hickey Mission Impossible comment wasn't in the 'waiting for review' section but there was another perfectly decent comment that I gave the all-clear and it then disappeared, nowhere to be found so I can't respond to it. Very frustrating.
Did you ever meet Ms Hickey? Maybe she does autograph conventions these days and you could go and get a signed photo. I suspect you'd love a quick chat with her. Some of these people are really quite pleasant when you meet them and appreciate being able to talk about their past careers. John.