Cliffhanger [Blu-ray]

..but also not a reference title. I had high expectations in "Cliffhanger". Being one of my fave movies, especially a great work from acclaimed director Renny Harlin, this blu ray release does not hold up with my hopes, but does not dissapoint either. The good news: the newly remastered picture and the overall transfer look definetly better than the DVD version. The bad news: It does not really give a thrill while watching the picture quality. Tough some scenes look pretty clear and sharp, and even occasionally touch the quality blu ray stands for, the all-in-all picture throughout the movie appears to be a bit un-sharp, somewhat with a loss of crispy clear pictures. There is no 3D-Feeling that some reference titles may give you.

Its hard to really judge on the pic, but it is not what i expected for a movie with glorious nature shots and breathless action. The compression of the 2,35:1 aspect ratio works very well, filmgrain is visible but does not disturb. Colours are saturated, but do not peak out. Close ups sometimes look awesome, sometimes blurry. The quality is changing a lot within the movie and left me behind with mixed feelings. All in all,
i'd give

65% out of 100% for the picture quality.

The audio does not come up any better. The music score is fine and supports the action, but dialogues sound often faded, while the whole work was done by my two front speakers and a bit by the bass speaker. At some point you can hear a bit wind and snow around the rest of the audio setup, but thats all. Shame is, there are NO subtitles available!

Thats 55% all in all.

The menu looks nice and works well, alongside with a bunch of extras that Optimum Releasing put on the disc, like personal introduction by Renny Harlin, Interviews, Behind The Scenes, Trailer etc. Especially the Audio Commentary work of Renny Harlin, together with his friendly and informative drop ins of the deleted scenes are worth a try. Thats 75% of 100%

Parting thoughts: "Cliffhanger" could have been a killer blu ray, if only the transfer and sound would be better. If you don't own the DVD, you may be very pleased with the blu ray, but if the title is already in your DVD collection, you better save the money.

I'm not going to bother reviewing this movie - It's one of Stallone's best, so enough said. But I will say that this appears to be the uncut version! Fans of this film should avoid the 2001 Momentum Pictures (106 minute) version and get this 2008 Optimum Home Entertainment (108 minute) version instead.

The anamorphic 2.35:1 picture quality is pretty good (sometimes too good - it can be obvious what scenes are shot on a set!) and the audio doesn't let the movie down either. Add in some commentary and some extras, and you have a great package. Highly recommended!

Sly Stallone at his (almost) best. It's been awhile since I have revisited this movie, so I was more than happy to receive this as a gift on Bluray.
Cliffhanger is a fantastic thriller & will have you on the edge of you're seat from start to finish. With a strong supporting cast including Mickey Rooker, John Lithgow & our very own Craig Fairbrass.
The Bluray is an absolute delight for the eyes & ears. Studiocanal have done a 2nd to none job of putting new life into this action adventure. If you haven't got this movie, or if you're thinking of upgrading you're dvd, then you will not be dissapointed. A must have..? You bet you're life.