Product: The Last Unicorn (1982)
Rating: 4.0
BLU-RAY review - The Last Unicorn
It's a shame that Amazon is just mixing in all the VHS, DVD, and blu-ray reviews into one huge pile. There are over 500 reviews now for this title, and the blu-ray has only been out a couple of days. If I was reviewing the film, THE LAST UNICORN, then I would give it a 5/5. But I'm not, there is the entire blu-ray release experience to consider:PACKAGING: In a word, poor. This is one of the "Security Device Enclosed" blu-rays. Once you get shrink wrap off, you get the adhesive sticker that closes the case on both the top and bottom. After it's opened, you have the magnetic strip across the inside and you also have the flat RFID circuit sticker. Try to remove them and you are in for a huge mess. I even had the help of adhesive remover and it still damaged the case removing them. You're better off just buying a new case if you want ugly security tags removed. A couple of advertising inserts, one pretty cool, the other junk. Nothing else inside except the two disc, one DVD and one Blu-Ray. Both are stamped with beautiful color artwork.BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: When you put the disc in, you are exposed to several trailer advertisements before you can get to the movie menu. The title menu is locked out if you try to select it with the remote. You can however click 'next' to skip past each trailer. You must hit 'next' on the remote 5 times, each time waiting for the disc to load the new trailer. This should have been a category in the special features section, not force-fed when the disc is inserted.The disc will also phone-home as soon as you put it in claiming to "Check for Updates".As the final credits draw to a close you once anticipated a curtain drawing over the theatre screen. On this blu-ray, however, you are unceremoniously dumped onto an FBI WARNING page using bold red text that threatens to lock you in a cage for 5 years and bankrupt your estate if you even think about copying the movie. It's out of place, changes the mood, and shouldn't be at the end of the credits.The special features are nice. There is a short "making of" documentary that was shot in 1080p. Some of the people interviewed are recorded over the telephone, but this doesn't distract very much. There is another section that resembles more of a "CD-ROM" type experience where you use the remote next buttons to click through the pages. This section reveals the history of the author in quite a bit of depth. I found this section equally interesting. Another section features artwork from a recent contest that is a nice bonus.THE MOVIE (no spoilers): 5/5 stars. Everything comes together to create a melancholic and nostalgic quest through some truly spectacular artwork. Each frame of this movie was hand drawn on film and then shot with a camera. There are ZERO digital effects in this film. EVERYTHING is done by hand. And it makes a considerable difference. In fact, I don't think you will ever see this type of film made again. This technique is too expensive and time consuming for contemporary film-making and the temptation of digital shortcuts is certainly irresistible to those funding the project. Couple this in with an emotional musical score by "America" and you have something that is truly unique and it will not, cannot, be reproduced again.The film is often grainy, but I'm ok with this. I prefer as pure a transfer as possible and I sense that purity was a goal in this blu-ray transfer. It looks crisp and sharp. There are imperfections and sudden color shifts occasionally in certain frames, but it is not distracting. The artwork in this film is so powerful that any small blemishes or imperfections are easily overlooked.SUMMARY: Marketing greed and anti-theft zealously scuff up an otherwise competent blu-ray experience. The bonus features are solid but the real reason you're buying this blu-ray is the movie itself. And it's worth it.