Saving Private Ryan [Sapphire Series] [2 Discs] [Blu-ray] [1998]

Some people advise others to close their eyes during the loooong opening scene of Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. That would be a mistake. Yes, it's carnage, it's horrible, it's relentless, it's bloody, it's random death, it's a portrayal of fear and courage and raw coincidence. But it's also one of the most powerful pieces of cinematography ever filmed. There are many other scenes that have stayed with me during the years since I last saw this unforgettable film, perhaps Spielberg's best ever. Perhaps the most poignant one that comes immediately to mind is the woman whose sons are all away at war. She's on a remote farm, washing dishes, and thru her window she sees the dust of approaching cars. She goes outside to meet the visitors, tenses as she sees military brass and a chaplain step from the cars, then crumples wordlessly to the worn boards of her front porch as she tries to take in the news: all her boys have been killed, except for one: Private Ryan. Another related scene, the one that came just before this one, is equally gut-wrenching (and in both scenes, there is no dialogue, just heart-stabbing visuals that are more powerful than any words could have been) as a woman charged with sending out letters of the We Regret to Inform You variety realizes that she's seen three letters with the same address within the past few days, and she takes this terrible proof to her supervisor - and thus is born the search for the surviving son, to bring him home to his momma. Tom Hanks, with his own persona of morality and honesty, is perfectly cast as the good Captain Miller, a soldier's soldier charged with this onerous task, and of course there is terrible cost. Saving Private Ryan is the film Spielberg HAD to make. Outstanding, in every possible way.

First off, this is a fantastic movie. Hands down. I own the original DVD, blu-ray and now the 4k version. Unfortunately the 4k version is not much different from the blu-ray. Yes, it's definitely more crisp. And the sound is phenomenal. But they're still many scenes where there is a white glow and firery glow trail from fire's. The original DVD did not have this issue. Only the blu-ray and 4k disc have this problem. Also, there's a lot of grain in the 4k transfer. I understand it's an older movie and it was shot on film. But if you watch Leon (The professional) in 4k version. Which is a few year's older than Saving Private Ryan. You'll notice it's a lot cleaner with almost no grain. Personally I wouldn't buy the 4k version if you already have the blu-ray version. On the other hand, if you have a killer sound system like I do. I would definitely buy the 4k version. I give this 3 star's only because of the sound quality. The Dolby Atoms will blow you away.

After buying a TV, A/V receiver and 4k player all with Dolby Vision/Atmos I wanted to try it out. The first disk I bought was the classic WWII movie Saving Private Ryan. I've watched this movie dozens of times and it would serve as the perfect test to see and hear differences in the two formats. Here is my conclusion of Vision/Atmos for this movie. First Dolby Vision. I really didn't see too much of a difference, partly because the color pallet the movie holds to is more monochorme. Therefore Vision didn't "pop". But the movie does have a cleaner look to it, though not too much as to make an impact. On the other hand, Atmos was amazing! Sounds really filled the room. It had more of a natural/realistic sound to it. From the bullet wizzing by to the explosions, it was very immersive. So much so, I couldn't fall asleep for hours after. I brain had to calm down from the sensory overload. I would recommend this movie to all the history buffs out there.

The movie that lost Best Picture to Shakespeare in Love. *sigh*. Anyways, the landmark war film is finally out in HD and it stands as one of the best films ever and one of the best Blu Ray's ever (And DVD.... laserdisc if it was released for that format...) that rightfully earns a place on your shelf at all costs. I am not even going to go over the film because everyone knows about already with the iconic 20 minute opening scene, the use of color that has become synonymous with the film and widely praised as the best war film ever made. It has gone above and beyond the call of duty to deliver some of the best PQ of all time on a Blu Ray disc, replicating the gritty grain structure, muted color palate, and amazing detail to each and every frame displayed across your TV. The sound mix is equally stunning, making you believe the taking of Omaha Beach is happening 10 ft. away from you. The extras are plentiful, and are on the second disc to give plenty of room to the film itself on disc one. Included is a full length documentary about WWII itself and how it was captured on film throughout the course of the war, an intro by Spielberg, several making of featurettes and a series of trailers. Go out and buy this now, no matter how much or format. It belongs in your home.

I originally purchased this title back on DVD and intentionally searched for/purchased the DTS version of the movie over the Dolby Digital just for the sound. I didn't bother with it on Blu-ray only because the audio was so good on the original DVD encoded in DTS. Well, that's the past...this 4K version has both Dolby ATMOS and DTS:X so select your favorite option and have at it. As much of a fan as I was of DTS back in the day, Dolby ATMOS blows away DTS:X in my 5.1.2 audio set up (dedicated height/ceiling speakers in the configuration). This movie won an Academy Award in 1999 for Best Sound Effects Editing and it's absolutely validated here. The picture quality is fantastic and I'm in the camp that likes the grainy film like textures. Remember this won additional awards for Effects and Cinematography and is genuinely enjoyable still some 19 years after it was released. I recommend owning this movie in this format.

While this is still one of the best WWII movies, it's not a movie a tend to watch often due to the nature of the movie. With that out of the way, hows the audio & video in 4K? I surprisingly didn't notice any film grain that stood out while watching it. I'd say the transfer is likely top notch. The HDR impact was minimal, but likely as it should with the type of movie this is. Everything seemed to be really detailed overall. The Atmos track seemed decent but nothing crazy for me. Most youtube reviewers have this in their top 10 for 2018; I don't think it would be in my list though. The only significant base was in the final act with the tanks. It was very impactful in these scenes, but I was expecting a little more throughout the movie.

Classic war movie with a great story line. I watched the film in HDR since my bluray player does not support Dolby Vision. Despite the film being "4K", it was noticeably grainy at times, which is understandable given that it's a film from the 90's. This film does include Dolby Vision but I have yet to see the impact it has on the viewing experience (looking forward to it though). The Dolby Atmos audio was a welcome addition and a joy to listen to/experience. If you are expecting the film to magically look like Blade Runner 2049, you'll be slightly disappointed but if you are a big fan of the film and/or are looking to watch it with a Dolby Atmos, then the 4K UHD bluray comes recommended.

More than likely anybody browsing for this is simply upgrading from an old DVD, so those folks probably need no coaxing to buy this. For everyone else, this is movie that is among the best of any war film produced. It's gritty and holds no punches about the fact that, yes, war is the exact opposite of heaven (and really, Best Buy, you're going to make me censor a review for an R-rated movie?). It's about a bunch of average joes stuck in a situation that nobody would ever want to be in, and doesn't glorify anything in the process. The only reason I give this four stars instead of five is due to this not being a movie one watches very often. It can get pretty rough, but it's definitely something that everybody should watch at some point in their lives to see what many of our ancestors went through.