James Bond on Blu-ray/4K

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Comments

  • eddychaputeddychaput Montreal, Canada
    Posts: 364
    It feels as though if any of the older films were getting new supplements (such a QOS commentary) the press release would have advertised it by now, no?

    What I can't fathom is the price difference between the ultimate collection and the 23-disc collection. The ultimate collection is a whopping 65$-70$ more, but all it seems to include are the HD copies, the EON documentary and a pocket sized version of the 50 Years of Bond Posters book. Honestly, it's 70$ more expensive for that stuff?!?
  • edited July 2015 Posts: 11,119
    Quite interested in some of the new steelbooks, but can I justify buying FRWL and OHMSS yet again?! hmmm thinks…

    I will give you an advice: Buy them! :-)

    Steelbooks for me are not just...metal casings. The "Steelbook" company, who produces the casings, used to get licenses from movie companies who only wanted big popcorn blockbusters to be released with such casings.

    Things have changed considerably though, and now even indie arthouse films get steelbook versions. I myself own steelbooks from "Moon" (Duncan Jones, Sci-fi), "Ex-Machina" (another great indie Sci-fi flick), "Easy Rider" (the cult film whom George Lazenby thought that was going to be the new popular franchise) and Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey".

    But most importantly, steelbooks are smaller, more tangible collector's items that either represent movie poster classics or other graphical art that is in any case more beautiful than the cheaper looking blue plastic casings/covers.

    And.....steelbooks also vary from how craftsmanship has been performed. The four Bond steelbooks I have so far each have a different finishing touch. The "Casino Royale"-one is completely shiny, whereas the "Skyfall"-one has a more matted steelbrush shine. The "GoldenEye"-one has an even more matted shine as compared to SF. Even the titular font type is completely embossed inside the steel, making it a slightly more difficult to produce steelbook. The "Goldfinger"-one is my favourite: It has the title embossed, but if you put it in the sunlight, you'll see a shiny "50"-logo over a more matted overall shine.

    Simply put: Steelbooks are beautiful. And in any case way more better than those cheap cover inlays in blue plastic casings. Yes, I know everything is about the film, and people say one should not be bothered too much about steelbooks. Thing is, we are Bond fans. And Bond fans collect the weirdest stuff, if you ask my mother ;-). I have two framed posters in my flat, but I seriously think steelbooks are the modern-day pocket-sized 'posters' of today.

    And on top of that, the 9 new Bond steelbooks look beautiful, but we don't know yet what quality of workmanship has been executed on them. Will they have embossed Bond title logo's? Are they both shiny and slightly steelbrushed? But don't worry, they will look better in real as on pictures. In any case, these four not only look beautiful, they FEEL beautiful too ;-):
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    Will I consider buying the entire big 23 disc collector's set? Absolutely not. Those extra's (new feature about syndicate S.P.E.C.T.R.E., new feature about Craig storyline so far) will also be included as a code on the 9 steelbooks, so you can retrieve these extras online. And again, steelbooks are IMO the REAL collector's items. If you also keep the steelbooks wrapped in plastic foil, then in 30 years time from now you need to insure your precious steelbooks ;-).

    By the way, the old 50th anniversary collector's set is also sold in The Netherlands WITH "Skyfall". Especially the newer releases.
  • Posts: 11,119
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  • Posts: 152
    I have decided to upgrade my Bond DVD collection to blu-ray, I'm planning to get the steelbooks when they are released later this year. BUT CAN SOMEONE HELP ME? I have been looking at the blurays in the local store and some differ in the special features. Some such as Moonraker have the audio commentaries on them that the DVDs have and some such as Tomorrow Never Dies don't have the commentaries listed. I obviously want all of the features but find it confusing that some have the commentaries and some don't. Are there two different editions? Any help in what are the best versions to buy would be really helpfull.
  • Posts: 381
    I just ordered the Bond @50 set. Does it include the special features, like the documentaries from the 2006 dvds?
  • Posts: 152
    So if I'm going to buy blu-rays is it better to buy them in either the new box sets coming in September or does the single films make the best purchase? I want all of the special features that were on the 2006 DVDs but noticed that many of the blurays singulary don't have them included. It's very confusing.
  • Posts: 1,181
    Acidie, I've got both sets, Bond 50 and the individuals. They are exactly the same other than the collector's edition of Casino Royale I have. You will get all of the documentary and audio commentary(if available for that film). You'd probably get a better deal on one of the sets than the individual blurays, unless you could find the for $5 a piece.

    The September set will have one advantage over the Bond 50 set. It will also contain digital HD versions in addition to the blurays. If that's important, I would recommend waiting.
  • Posts: 152
    Thanks for your help Ed83 :) I will wait and see what comes along, I just didn't want to buy the wrong thing and end up missing out on something.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 7,966
    My still not sure about upgrading to BD. Four out of the six sixties movies are in my top 5 and they are supposed to be the ones that see the most improvement from what I'm told. That being said my UE DVD's still work fine, I don't really see the need to upgrade until I have to...
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    @Mendes4Lyfe, you really won't ever "have to" upgrade, it's just a choice you have to make in terms of audio and video quality. Personally, I noticed a big spike in quality difference from my DVD copies to blu-ray, especially playing them on my 48" HDTV. It all boils down to you, but most fans say it's totally worth the upgrade. If these steelbooks don't concern you at all, you could always pick up the 23-film set for $80-90 somewhere. I see it on sale for $99.99 a lot, and going for even less on sites like eBay and Amazon from time to time.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    you really won't ever "have to" upgrade
    Personally, I do not 'upgrade', I acquire additional audio/visual venues.
    :))
  • eddychaputeddychaput Montreal, Canada
    edited July 2015 Posts: 364
    acidie wrote: »
    So if I'm going to buy blu-rays is it better to buy them in either the new box sets coming in September or does the single films make the best purchase? I want all of the special features that were on the 2006 DVDs but noticed that many of the blurays singulary don't have them included. It's very confusing.

    It'll depend on the price the box set is sold and If you're picky about how you organize your film library. Obviously, if you like the idea of all your films being neatly alphabetized in order, then you'll have to purchase them individually.

    When it comes to huge collections like Bond (or Hitchcock, Halloween series, etc), I personally just want the discs at the least expensive price, so I bought the Bond 50 set back in 2012. Purchased individually, you'll pay a bit more, even if they're only 9$ a pop.
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    edited July 2015 Posts: 2,630
    And it seems like (at least in Canada) each film will be re-released on Blu Ray with new covers.
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  • Posts: 11,119
    I must say, that cover art is a huge improvement from many previous "newly designed, though fantasized" cover designs. I especially like the business-like attitude on the covers. Simple, black-and-white, not to cheesy. You cleary feel the grittier of the Craig era. Also beautiful are the title logo's that appear on the original posters. Lovely done. I still like the title logo's from FRWL, LALD and OP. Lovely title logo's as they also use some artifacts from the film. The cover photos are for once actual scenes from the film.

    By the way, where's the CR cover?

    Still, I'm looking more forward to the steelbooks. Now those are beauties ;-).
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    @AgentJamesBond007, Moore looks horribly airbrushed in that LALD cover.
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    edited July 2015 Posts: 2,630
    I must say, that cover art is a huge improvement from many previous "newly designed, though fantasized" cover designs. I especially like the business-like attitude on the covers. Simple, black-and-white, not to cheesy. You cleary feel the grittier of the Craig era. Also beautiful are the title logo's that appear on the original posters. Lovely done. I still like the title logo's from FRWL, LALD and OP. Lovely title logo's as they also use some artifacts from the film. The cover photos are for once actual scenes from the film.

    By the way, where's the CR cover?

    Still, I'm looking more forward to the steelbooks. Now those are beauties ;-).

    http://m.bestbuy.ca/defaultpage.aspx?lang=en#/catalog/productdetails.aspx?ajax=true&sku=M2217934&lang=en-CA

    @Creasy47 I agree. SirRog looks too smooth to be real there.
  • Posts: 152
    I love those covers! Really looking good. I'min New Zealand so iI'm hoping that the steelbooks get here before I make my decision on what is available here in NZ.
  • Posts: 5,767
    My still not sure about upgrading to BD. Four out of the six sixties movies are in my top 5 and they are supposed to be the ones that see the most improvement from what I'm told. That being said my UE DVD's still work fine, I don't really see the need to upgrade until I have to...
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    @Mendes4Lyfe, you really won't ever "have to" upgrade, it's just a choice you have to make in terms of audio and video quality. Personally, I noticed a big spike in quality difference from my DVD copies to blu-ray, especially playing them on my 48" HDTV. It all boils down to you, but most fans say it's totally worth the upgrade. If these steelbooks don't concern you at all, you could always pick up the 23-film set for $80-90 somewhere. I see it on sale for $99.99 a lot, and going for even less on sites like eBay and Amazon from time to time.
    And I can assure you, @Mendes4Life, that even on my small 32" tv set, I saw Bond films I had never seen before when I switched from DVD to BR. The restaurations are really that amazing. And, I am Aware that some People describe the first six or so films as the best-looking, but that doesn´t mean the others would look less good. In fact, the space Station in MR Looks at least ten times more impressive on BR.

  • Posts: 632
    I'd love to upgrade the case on my Skyfall as I'm not a fan of the art or stickers on my slip cover at all, but don't want to unless something significant is added. I'm not clear if those two new special features are on every steel book and if they last longer than a recap of a few minutes. I would take the plunge and rebuy Casino Royale if it had the other deleted scenes not featured in the trailer and QOS if it had deleted scenes and commentary.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    @AgentJamesBond007, Moore looks horribly airbrushed in that LALD cover.

    Agreed. Why, even Dalton looks airbrushed in LTK. What's with that? Why can't they just have the from the film? Dr. No looks like they took that frame and brightened it up a bit. Looks perfect, so why not just make them a slight bit better looking, but maintain realism?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,368
    I stated a few days ago that I would be doing it to reduce costs in double dipping, but a recommendation for anyone who is getting the steelbooks and doesn't care about the digital HD codes is to sell them online somewhere. All of them can net you about $40-50 more than likely, as most collectors have been gnawing at the chance to have a digital version of most of the Bond films for quite some time.
  • Posts: 11,119
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    @AgentJamesBond007, Moore looks horribly airbrushed in that LALD cover.

    Agreed. Why, even Dalton looks airbrushed in LTK. What's with that? Why can't they just have the from the film? Dr. No looks like they took that frame and brightened it up a bit. Looks perfect, so why not just make them a slight bit better looking, but maintain realism?

    Mwaah, I don't find that so much of a problem. At least they are scene shots. Which I like way more as opposed to this one:

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  • eddychaputeddychaput Montreal, Canada
    Posts: 364
    Well, I pre-ordered some of the steelbooks. FRWL, TB, YOLT, OHMSS, CR, QOS and SF. The only one of those seven I don't love is QOS, but I'll be damned if that's not a great cover.

    I didn't purchase DAF or FYEO. I really dislike DAF a lot, so cool looking cover be damned. As for FYEO, I'm not a huge fan of the cover and I think it's a sham that they retcon that film into being part of the SPECTRE saga whilst omitting DN for a steelbook upgrade. I certainly like FYEO the film, but I guess out of principle (for what it's worth) I'm not buying the steelbook.
  • edited July 2015 Posts: 381
    I just bought the Bond at 50 on blu ray. The documentaries on each individual films from the 2006 dvds seem to be missing. Is this correct? I can't find them.
  • edited July 2015 Posts: 5,767
    I just bought the Bond at 50 on blu ray. The documentaries on each individual films from the 2006 dvds seem to be missing. Is this correct? I can't find them.
    They are on the Bond 50 blu ray set discs. I think you may have to go to some sub-menu.

  • eddychaputeddychaput Montreal, Canada
    Posts: 364
    boldfinger wrote: »
    I just bought the Bond at 50 on blu ray. The documentaries on each individual films from the 2006 dvds seem to be missing. Is this correct? I can't find them.
    They are on the Bond 50 blu ray set discs. I think you may have to go to some sub-menu.

    Yes, everything from the 2006 ultimate edition DVDs is on there. Not everything has the same video/audio quality. Back in '08 the first wave of blurays actually upgraded the quality of the behind the scenes docs, but not for the remaining blurays that came out in '12 for Bond 50. Regarding, it's all available.

  • edited July 2015 Posts: 1,310
    I'm certainly making a big deal out of nothing, but these new Blu-ray covers...they range from average to fairly frightening. I mean, poor Roger Moore's face with this one...
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    I also just don't care for all that emptiness at the bottom of the case. Like I said, doesn't much matter except for us collectors who put these films on our shelves, but there's my few cents.

    I think the Special Edition covers still have the most appealing design.
  • Posts: 11,119
    I guess, it's a bit like the minimalistic poster design of the Craig era....
    Makes a bit sense. Cover designs from new box sets always reflect the current Bond era....and all its design interpretations. We now live a a moodier, darker, minimalistic Bond era, devoid of big screaming colors and cheesy loud en crowded images.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    Yikes these cover artists have no idea on how to use Photoshop correctly.
  • Posts: 12,242
    Yeah I saw a couple and I don't like the new covers at all. My favorite covers are the ones from the Ultimate Edition line, such as:

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    Most of them were pretty good. Those are the DVDs I own personally, then I have the Bond 50 set on Blu Ray.
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