I was hoping not to purchase the latest Harry Potter Blu-ray,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1, yet. Unfortunately I have the emotional quotient equivalent of a goldfish (LOL). While driving home after the purchase, I was trying to convince myself that the purchase was worth it–costs Php 1,850.00 here. (For some reasons Blu-ray discs here in the Philippines are much more expensive that outside the country–$16.95, roughly P850.00 on Amazon.com!)
After rummaging through the movie and watching contents, I’d have to say: It.Was.Awesome!
Here’s my review after the break:
IMAGE/PICTURE QUALITY – 5/5
No qualms here. As expected everything looked as good (even better) than what I remembered it to be on the big-screen. The clarity and crispness of everything just looks overwhelming!
SOUND – 4/5
The sound quality in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 is quite amazing. The film truly makes good use of the 5.1 sound channels. Every detail is taken into account: from Nagini’s slithering across the wooden table, to magical spells woozing from front speakers to rear speakers, to the ambient sound; all these coupled with an awesome soundtrack gives this Harry Potter the epic ending it definitely needs.
My only problem with the sound quality is the consistency it has for the bonus materials–some just use a 2 channel output. I had to fiddle with my volume control every now and then. (When we watch DVDs, we shouldn’t have to fiddle with the volume!)
EXTRAS & BONUS – 4/5
Aside from the usual bonuses that comes with most films (i.e. Deleted Scenes, Behind the Scenes, Trailers), the real treat for me is this thing called MAXIMUM MOVIE MODE wherein the film is literally dissected giving the viewer fresh insights and behind-the-scene takes as the movie goes along. In the case of this film, our host is Sir Jason Isaac (Lucious Malfoy) who is later on joined by various cast and crew members.
It’s not the first time that movies did this, but this is the first time that I literally enjoyed re-watching the film again. The MAXIMUM MOVIE MODE makes the whole experience fresh and unique only available in Blu-ray (the DVD format does not have this mode). It feels like a whole new film!
The only problem I have with the MAXIMUM MOVIE MODE is the jump in sound quality when you jump to various points when you press enter on your remote button (for those watching this on the PS3 it’s the circle button). The sound became soft and I had to adjust the volume to high, then re-adjust it to low when the film goes back where it left off.
The bonus disc has the same bonus content of its DVD counterpart but everything is shown in full stunning HD [High Definition].
The deleted scenes are splendid. They make you question why the director chose not to include them. There were a couple of heart-warming scenes where the Dursleys are redeemed; an extended cut when Ron, Harry and Hermoine where in the Ministry of Magic and a sweet-funny moment when Ron was teaching Hermoine how to skip rocks.
For uber Harry Potter fans, the bonus disc also includes a sneak peak preview of a scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 DVD and Blu-ray also comes with a special raffle where you can get a chance to win various HP-related products including the very coveted Elder Wand replica. 😀 The Raffle is exclusive to Astro Plus / Astro Vision and Odyssey Music Stores. Deadline of submission of entries is on July 31, 2011 at 9PM or until end of store hours.
