Even though on the packaging the Dolby Surround is listed as 5.1, it's really 4.1. The other choice worth thinking about is a DTS 5.1 audio track. Realistically both are 4.1 but in the case of the DTS the same surround channel has been encoded as right and left, thus making it 5.1. As is usually the case, DTS sounds both tighter and richer to my ear. That said, the overall presentation is solid on both tracks and neither disappoint.
Dialogue is well mixed, music is never overpowering, and special effects are heard to good effect.
No one is going to confuse this sound design with something like The Haunting , but it is certainly representative of the film and the period. Harold says all the tracks sound the same, but he didn't say anything about the matrixed 2.0 surround. It is far inferior to the digital tracks. I find it difficult in this age of Super Duper Special Editions to look at any release as definitive, but in the case of Big Trouble in Little China , I can't imagine a future version being any more complete. As produced by David Prior, who was also the brain behind Fox's Fight Club and The Rocky Horror Picture Show , things start off with some really clever and appropriate menus that are pretty easy to navigate and fun to look at.