Dragonslayer (1981) 4K UHD Blu-ray Review!
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Dragon slayer is now on 4K ultra HD Blu-ray, here’s my review of the disc.

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Equipment Used for disc reviews:
TV: LG C9 65 inch (4K, HDR, Dolby Vision)
TV: Sony XBR 850c 55 inch (3D Blu Ray)
Receiver: Denon AVR-x4300h
4K Player: OPPO UDP 203
Apple TV 4K (Streaming Content)
Speakers: Floors: R-625FA
Center: Klipsch R-52C
Surround Klipsch R-14S
Heights: Klipsch Reference R-41SA
Sub: Klipsch R-120SW
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Thank goodness Paramount did justice to this movie! Looks and sounds very nice! I know they have had some misses lately, but give credit where it's due.
I was legitimately shocked how well they treated the transfer and audio.
I wonder if that's because this particular title is one of the rare Paramount/Disney co-productions. Future Disney CEO Michael Eisner was COO of Paramount at the time. Plus it might also have helped that ILM (now part of Disney) did the effects for the movie, and they probably had excellent source prints of any sequences with effects in their archives.
Thank you Adam.
Thanks Adam. Saw this one a long time ago. Guess Paramount gave the HDR guy the day off. I’m gonna get this one.
Thank you Adam for the review. I bought Dragonslayer in 4k also and I can’t wait to see it .
I was hoping you would review this movie. I watched this many times in the 80's and always Loved it. I couldn't wait to buy this in 4k. I got the steel book at Best Buy Tuesday and just happened to pick up the"Warm Bodies steel book as well. Can't wait to watch. Thanks Adam
A brilliant upgrade from the DVD I had. Previously, the shots of Vermithrax flying about had a noticeable green tint to her silhouette, but they really cleared that up with this new remaster. What an all-around stellar release! MUCH better than I would ever have expected it to be given, but also very much deserved.
Thank you for this review. I love dragons and never heared of thisone. I just bought the 4k version thanks to your review 😍
My favorite Dragon ever, Phil Tippett’s expertise as an animator is LEGENDARY, VERMITHRAX also used Go-Motion which adds blurring to a moving object adding realism that traditional stopmotion can’t provide. INTENSELY MEMORABLE one of the greatest Fantasy films ever!!!
Adam is my go to guy for physical media reviews. He is always spot on about the movie itself and the picture and audio quality ❤
And unlike other YT reviewers, he gets the job done without constantly repeating himself or stumbling between objective honesty and blind loyalty to the label that sends out freebies.
Got my steelbook the other day but haven’t had a chance to watch it yet. Mine did not include the advertised digital copy, and apparently there are quite a number of these that went out without the standard insert. A quick form fill out for Paramount and they emailed me a code within 5 minutes.
Mine didn’t have one either. Just like you, got a new one from Paramount. Easy.
Same here. Judging by the forums I looked at, this is a widespread problem with this release. But Paramount has been very good about getting codes out to people quickly.
@@MovieGuy365 where do you go to get the digital code if you didn’t get it?
support.paramountdigitalcopy.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Just watched it for the first time with this 4k release. Great movie! Very impressive practical effects and socalled go-motion work. Very interesting bonus material. Sad to hear that the movie sort of just vanished after not doing too well in the theaters.
As a young buck I saw this film in the theater when it first came out at a matinee. I sat mesmerized by the story, effects, drama, and bloody imagery (tame by today's standards) - I was hooked! Had to get this Steelbook the day it came out. Great review!
Will they ever restore Krull in 4K???
God I hope so, and hopefully this caliber
@@davidking498 Also, Excalibur, Conan, the Barbarian and Willow.
Honestly I'm mostly interested in the commentary track with Matthew Robbins and Guillermo del Toro, I wish there was a way I could purchase that independently and digitally.
My only complaint with this release is that it isn't a 4k/Blu-ray combo, it's a minor complaint, but I still get a necessary use out of Blu-ray.
It’s better for a blue ray to NOT be included because it brings down the price considerably. I would rather have cheaper 4K releases without the blu ray since you’re buying it for the 4K best version anyway.
I was trilled to get this release, I have been mentioning that this needs a 4k release on CZcams blogs for some time now. So glad to see that the director had a hand in its restoration, it looks and sounds fantastic. When DVD's first came out they used DragonSlayer as a demo disc to show the picture and sound quality. The dragon never looked better and I'm happy to say that they removed the blue matte lines that were obvious towards the end of the film, look at your DVD to compare the two.
Thank you Adam. I ordered my Steel book as soon as you announced it and I'm so glad I did! It's a great steelbook and I love the slipcover as well. I'm watching it tonight! Thank you!
Enjoy!
Hey Adam! This another on that I got to see on the Big screen. I just picked up the steelbook through your link! It was AWESOME on the Big screen!
Bought this one on day one. Never watched it or heard of it before but blind buy since I love dragon films.
The best on screen dragon I have ever seen. The way it crawls, moves and flies is very realistic. It’s a truly great creation.
Phil Tippet at work, excellent stuff.
Agreed. The look of absolute hate that Verminthrax has, after it realizes that its children are dead, is astonishing. The long shot, directly afterwards, as the dragon moves through the cave towards the camera, is brilliant.
@@richardconnold5207 I love that scene. The close up of Vermithrax's eyes, then the scream/roar, followed by the dragon hauling ass through the cave to look for whoever did it, is such a great moment. So when Galen takes her on, you know she's already pissed off and out for blood. They made the dragon a fully three dimensional character.
@@rogersjgregory Fun fact: Alex North reused part of his rejected score for 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, in this film.
I also bought this steel book 4k bluray with digital code, and for those of you , like me, that did not get a digital code with the movie, you have to contact paramount for a code.
I saw this movie when I was 15 in 1981 and the dragon was one of the best on screen dragons Carlin Clark is totally beautiful it is sad we lost her to cancer
I agree. I can’t believe she’s been gone for twenty years already. Definitely a beauty.
possibly the greatest movie score ever written---even John Williams was, IS, in awe of Alex North and his method of orchestration.
Agreed.
This 4k edition is awesome! I liked the slipcover-tho I was surprised it wasn’t plastic; I hope more come like this now. The plastic slipcovers can crack over time.
Love the detail in the 4k but I was disappointed by the Dolby Vision. I was hoping for more color originally but as I watched the disc, i released it is not supposed to be full of color. It’s a muggy, gritty film…but the detail was way more than I was expecting. It looks like it was filmed in the last 10 years! Love this release
Just finished watching this for the first time since the early 80's. I feel like you did this film dirty on the picture quality. I was shocked throughout the entire movie with how clean and crisp the movie was. This movie has no business being this gorgeous. The only scene I remembered from my childhood was the swimming scene early in the film. But this was an absolutely fantastic movie. I am glad that I preordered this, and I highly recommend this movie to anybody that is even slightly curious about it.
He gave the picture quality an A, what more did you want?
Hi , I bought this and "The Sword and the sorcerer" - both great. Have your reviewed "The Warrior and the Sorceress with David Carradine ? I paid a lot of money to import this but can't find any reviews . Have you seen it? Surely this is one to be reviewed along with these??
All the best your friend in London . Edward
No I haven’t had the chance to see or review that one yet.
No probs seems like another great one though! My WALLET is hurting hard . Just pre-ordered Superman and BRUCE LEE ultimate 4K BOX set editions. WE HAVE TO!!!
Awesome review
Thank you Adam as always great review I’m sold i’m going to pick it up.
A favorite 80’s fantasy film for me is THE BLACK CAULDRON. And I was an adult when I first saw it! I know I’m in the minority on liking that movie, but who cares? I don’t watch movies with either the majority or minority. Another great review video, Adam. Keep ‘em coming.
I also like the Black Cauldron, great fantasy feature from Disney.
I was very surprised to hear that this film was coming to 4k. I am not a fan of it, because it scared me when I saw it as a kid. However this release stands as evidence that unexpected titles can come to 4k, so here are a few others that I hope to see arrive:
I,Robot
The Day After Tomorrow.
The Last Samurai
The Man From Uncle
Romancing The Stone
Ali
Ray
Vermithrax Pejorative is still the best Dragon to grace the movie or tv screen! To think she was done back in 1981, with no CGI, shows just how amazing this dragon is! I saw this movie in the theaters and to this day I cannot find a single dragon done before or since that is anywhere near as incredible as this one! Best. Dragon. EVAR!
I absolutely agree.
I've always enjoyed this film!
I prefer the slip edition for $5 cheaper, but yea... this 4K release is freaking superb!👌
I never buy steel books, since it’s just additional fancy packaging. But after comparing the regular 4K version of dragonslayer, to the steel book version, lit’s worth it to consider the steel book because that version includes a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and 7.1 mix, whereas the regular 4k version tops out at 5.1
Incorrect. Both versions have Atmos.
Count yourself lucky. The UK is still stuck with a DVD only release.
So am i the only one that can't accsess Dolby vision on the digital version of this movie? The Vudu app only says "4k" on the screen, when every other movie that is 4k says either HDR or or dolby vision. When I play it in the app, the hdr does not engage on my LG. The disk engages HDR fine. I only ask because my blu ray player only does HDR, and not Dolby Vision. Just wanted to see the difference.
Adam, It's unfair to compare this film to Shakespeare. If you are going to compare any films to Shakespeare how many films would equal in comparison? Except an actual adaptation of Shakespeare, and I'm sure there are some below pare verisons as well. I mean you don't say that about comic book movies and you would be correct to say that they are not Shakespeare. Sorry if I feel a little protective of this movie, I saw it when it came out in the theaters and thought it was great. I was pissed to hear it didn't do so well at the box office when lesser films succeeded. I mean the first 'Star Wars' wasn't all that complicated , and pretty much has the same hero's journey formula. Yes it is a simple story about a young sorcerer's apprentice who has to do battle with a dragon, but then you have details like the dragon being old and crippled and in pain, the politics of the lottery, the twist with the princess and then there's the idea of sorcery ending and Christianity beginning. There is a lot here to appreicate. The music score from Alex North (which was his re-tooled unused score for 2001: A Space Odyssey), the excellent special effects (with the go-motion process for animation), the costumes, the scenery, the sound effects, the matte paintings (which I was totally unaware of until I saw the making of the film) and the wonderful Sir Ralph Richardson.
Can I play it on my regular blu ray player?
The ''It isn't Shakespear'' remark was totally unnecesary.
First
it's a shame that some films could only be made when they were, even though when it comes to the gothicks they shouldnt date, as they are not set in modern times.
there is far too much studio interference and politics involved in modern film making, long gone are the days of experimentation (especially in the 60s and 70s) when they werent afraid to try new things & be controvercial i.e-CLOCKWORK ORANGE,WILLY WONKA, THE EXORCIST, STRAW DOGS, JAWS & others.
now it's all play it safe and aim for a broader audience share, for profits
this movie isn't even on disney plus.
The art work doesnt do the film any justice, I wish they could have got Frank Frazetta or Boris Vallejo to do it they would have come up with something more striking and distinctive, this painting/illustration is weak tea generic.
Avoid this release. Got 2 from Amazon and both locked up on my Sony player and would not play