I totally agree. Blufans is nice, even the zavvi one is quite ok (especially for the current bargain price), but the Taiwanese one is a narrow winner here!
Where you based @Daubt? Mines apparently landed at an airport destination, but which one I couldn't tell ya! I'm assuming no other UK based ninjas have theirs yet either? I'm guessing a week at least due to Xmas.
Where you based @Daubt? Mines apparently landed at an airport destination, but which one I couldn't tell ya! I'm assuming no other UK based ninjas have theirs yet either? I'm guessing a week at least due to Xmas.
Where you based @Daubt? Mines apparently landed at an airport destination, but which one I couldn't tell ya! I'm assuming no other UK based ninjas have theirs yet either? I'm guessing a week at least due to Xmas.
happy days. finally had the chance to open this up and properly look it over. many thanks indeed to @Wreck for the opportunity to get this via HDN GB. always been one of my favourite films, with a superb crew and amazing cast, and as a 7 Oscar winner, a classic like this deserves a great premium treatement. unboxing below, or you can just go to the photos in the album here.
View media item 27898
ok, let's get something out the way first. this is a huge release. premium retailers, i think this is too big. it even makes a FAC XL look small. i am not sufficiently OCD to worry about this being a different size on the shelf, but it really is massive, large VHS size. here it is next to Braveheart FAC XL, the OAB for Dunkirk, and a standard steel for The Last Duel:
main box
now that's out the way, this really is a terrific edition. the main box is thick and very sturdy, and heavily spot glossed on all sides. the outer main box has the title in flat silver (inside it's heavy spot gloss), and the roulette wheel is nicely marked out with spot gloss. shots of all of that under the spoiler:
when you take out the contents, there's another standard full slip with the steelbook inside, and two FAC-style collectors folders for poster and cards = under the spoiler:
full slip View media item 27882
the FS artwork works well as interior art, not having quite the wow factor of the main box, but it deserves a closer look. the cover has a nice texture to it under the fingers, a sort-of very light sandpaper-y effect. the title on both the front and also the spine is very thick spot gloss, a bit like the MantaLab Se7en full slip. the full slip also houses the main booklet. pics of that under the spoiler:
steelbook
as an OAB release, this is of course the WWA steel. it's titleless, but i don't mind that normally, and especially not when you've already got past two massive titles by this point anyway. the gold roundels on both sides have a nice (light spot gloss/zero finish?) treatment which makes them pop against the matt white background. all the imagery is from original release art and is great. all that under the spoiler:
btw, i have given the discs a spin, and it's another one of those releases where the blu ray is on balance better than the 4K edition, except for bright exterior daylight shots, where the 4K is the clear winner.
booklet
don't know if i am in the minority with this, but i love a good booklet with a premium release - that is, one with info, essays and written content, rather than just photos (which is still nice, but not the same). this one has a good run-down of crew and cast, as well as a bit of social history and the Oscars campaign. examples of that under the spoiler :
folders
finally, there are the two extra folders, one with a few cards, and one with a few more and the poster. these are less vital than the rest of the contents, but they do a good job filling out the release to give it a lot of extra content. the two folder and contents under the spoiler: