"This new, digital transfer of Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior was created at Deluxe Postproduction Toronto from an original 35mm internegative of the film. Color correction, image stabilization, and digital cleaning were facilitated at Deluxe to restore the film and present it in high definition." So says the "About the Feature Film Transfer" tab on the disc's bonus features menu, but this doesn't exactly explain why Ong Bak looks so terrible on Blu-ray, even considering the film's modest budget. I didn't read the above until after I had viewed the film, and I was actually surprised to find out that Ong Bak was, in fact, shot on 35mm. You'd never guess from the ultra-soft, extra-blurry, super-grainy image produced by this 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, which looks poor even by 16mm standards. I'm not really sure what went wrong here in the transition from the original masters to the internegative to this digital transfer, but whatever it was, it left the picture in a smeary, indistinct mess. Fine detail is practically non-existent throughout, even in the tightest close-ups. Take the first scene—the tree fight—for example. The edges of the leaves and branches blur together almost like dampened lines in a watercolor painting. When we move into a closer shot of the fighters, there's hardly any definition in the mud caking their skin, a texture that would normally be quite distinct. Colors are equally weak, and seem sapped of intensity by an oppressive yellowish/brownish cast that covers all but the brightest daytime scenes. While black levels are deep, shadow detail is crushed regularly, and contrast is bland. You'll also notice some pixilation in the colors surrounding light sources, especially in the sky. The image looks bad in general, but certain shots look even worse, with intense grittiness, washed out colors, and a gauzy softness that makes the picture look like it was smeared with Vaseline. I never saw the film in theaters, so I can't comment on what it was like on the big screen, but it had to look better than this.
This review is from Ong-Bak [Blu-ray] [2003]
Posted by RALPH
This one of my all time favorites from the martial arts genre and probably one of the most highly original. Highly recommend!
This review is from Ong-Bak [Blu-ray] [2003]
Posted by Fubalink
I jus lived this movie and Tony Jaa he is the best
This review is from Ong-Bak [Blu-ray] [2003]
Posted by Wassup808
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