Bruce Lee: The Legacy Collection [Blu-ray] [US Import]

Prior to October 2013, there were a lot of negative reviews about this product because early pressings of the set did not include true HD transfers. However, as of October 2013 (roughly somewhere between Oct. 7th and 11th), Shout! Factory corrected the issues which makes all the negative reviews listed on Amazon.com obsolete. As of right now, they are sending replacement discs for those who received a faulty set. Cheers to Shout! Factory for making their customers happy.

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet:

Basically, you will want this set if you're a Bruce Lee film buff, plain and simple. They way they are presented here - high definition, multiple audio tracks (chinese and english), commentary, etc - is the best I've seen them (trust me, I've owned Bruce Lee DVDs and Blu-rays from other countries). You even get a load of extra features, documentaries and a bonus disc that contains even more features!

This collection is decorated with rare photos (I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan and even I haven't come across photos like these) and a nice book with some Bruce Lee history. I'm not particularly a fan of the bookcase-packaging, but at least it goes well with my James Bond (Bond: 50 Blu-ray collection) set.

Again, ignore the negative reviews and purchase Shout! Factory's Bruce Lee Legacy Collection with confidence!

I have been a huge Bruce Lee fan since the 70's when his movies first started showing. I had previously purchased BL movies on DVD and was extremely and HIGHLY disappointed. A total, complete waste of money. I purchased this collection based on the reviews of previous buyers. I AM NOT DISAPPOINTED AT ALL. This collection was well worth the money. Considering the horrible, horrible picture quality of previous DVD purchases, the picture quality of this collection is absolutely incredible. The sound quality is still not the greatest, and certainly not at today's standards, however is good, and clear enough to hear and understand. If the sound quality was as incredible as the picture quality I would give this 10 stars.

The collection book with extra photos and background information is an added plus, plus. The DVD's are very hard to remove from the pockets, and one would have to be VERY careful not to scratch/damage the DVD, or rip the pocket. So as not to cause any damage to the DVD or the book, I used a very damp paper towel, which helped to get a good grip on the DVD and be able to give a really good but slow gentle pull to remove. The abrasion of a dry paper towel may cause scratches to the DVD, so make sure it's damp.

Would I buy this product again? You darn right I would. Would I recommend this product to others? You darn right I would. Because I am so impressed with this product, I am seriously considering purchasing it for my ex-husband, who is also a huge BL fan. And that's saying a lot!

This is not a bluray review but rather an update I want to share.
Shout! Factory's `Bruce Lee Legacy Collection' arrives in `true' high definition on October 22! "Bruce Lee Legacy Collection" Blu-ray & DVD Booklet Packaging After weeks of delays and "quality" concerns, we are happy to report that a corrected version of Shout! Factory's highly-anticipated Bruce Lee Legacy Collection now has a release date set for October 22nd. In addition to the mislabeled discs being fixed, the set will contain what was promised from the beginning: True HD remasters of all the Bruce Lee movies. Shannon Lee also posted on Facebook: From Shout! Factory: "We discovered that we had not been given the recently restored transfers used for the Blu-rays in Hong Kong and Japan, but rather the original masters done a few years ago in Canada. We therefore acquired the improved masters, and have included them on this new set, for a truly definitive Bruce Lee collection." With that said, you can now pre-order the set with a smile on your face. From a post by Mighty Peking Man on September 7, 2013.

PLEASE READ ALL THE ADDENDUM NOTES, BEFORE POSTING A COMMENT. THANKS!

ADDENUDUM 1: As of 1st August 2013, Shout Factory have pulled this set from distribution, and are in the process of doing... something. No one is quite sure what is being done, but something is being done. (Shout Factory seem extremely reticent to tell anyone what they are doing, more's the pity.) The new release date is supposed to be 17th September 2013. I will update my review as-and-when I have further news! In the meantime, do NOT buy this version of the set, otherwise you will almsot certainly regret it!

ADDENDUM 2: The New, Revised Edition of this set, can now be pre-ordered from Amazon from this link here...

Bruce Lee Legacy Collection (4 BluRay/ 7 DVD) [Blu-ray]

However, we still have NO DETAILS YET as to what has been done to rectify the previous sets problems. So please be aware of this!

ADDENDUM 3: Okay, Shout Factory have now officially confirmed that the re-release of this set, due out on 17th September 2013, will NOT contain any new, remastered Blu-Ray discs. The ONLY thing being corrected is two mislabelled discs - an extras disc and the "I Am Bruce Lee" documentary, which had their labels placed onto each others discs.

As such, I can only say this: CANCEL YOUR ORDERS FOR BOTH (OR EITHER) OF THESE SETS, AND TELL SHOUT WHY YOU HAVE DONE THIS! DO NOT PAY THE BEST PART OF $85 FOR SOMETHING THAT IS NOT WHAT IT CLAIMS TO BE!

ADDENDUM 4: It has been brought to my attention, that as of today, 23rd August 2013, the release date for the "new" set has now been put back indefinitely, until some point in October 2013 - possibly.

Whilst it is still possible to pre-order this "new" set, no one from Shout is willing to explain what is going on, and why the release date has been put back even further! The fact that they are NOT announcing their reasons for the delay, does not bode well. I'd like to hope, that this delay is so that they can correct all of the Blu-Ray films. However, I suspect, that they won't be doing anything of the sort, and the delay is merely - as first announced - to correct the mislablled discs.

For now though, you'll just need to sit-tight and wait to hear further updates from me, or hopefully some kind of official announcement.

ADDENDUM 5: As of today, 6th September 2013, SHOUT have now announced that they are working on new "hi-rez" masters for the re-release of the Legacy Collection Boxed Set. (Their spelling error, not mine!) So, in theory at least, it sounds like we should finally be getting what we should have gotten in the first place. The new release date is 22nd October 2013, though this may change!

If I hear anything more, I'll post updates!

ADDENDUM 6: Okay, as of October 2013, the great news is that the new set DOES remaster the films, and they DO now all appear in proper 1080p/1080i HD format, with the exception of GAME OF DEATH, which has always been an upscaled conversion, even in Japan! Alas, no colour-correction appears to have been done, so the films still don't feel as perfect as they should (could) be! However, the audio tracks and subtitles have NOT been corrected, so may run out of sync with the films, on some Blu-Ray players. So, be advised, that whilst the films will certainly look a LOT better, this set is still flawed, and open to criticism. The set is certainly better, but for the money, it's still not completely fixed and correct. This is the last revision, and no further updates will be added. Therefore, it's up to you to decide whether you want to risk buying this set or not.

ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM POOCHJD:
If you haven't been tracking the details of this set via Facebook, then I'm afraid some of you need to pay attention and quick!

Shout Factory have pretty much admitted to a few other Facebook members, that they are NOT 100% certain that the master materials they were sent from Fortune Star, were true, 1080p/1080i HD prints.

If you take a look at this link...

[...]

.. and then look at the two Screen Caps (one taken from the Kam & Ronson HD Blu-Ray releases from Hong Kong, and the other from the Shout Factory Blu-Ray release) you will see a lot of problems. And I mean a LOT of problems!

Simply put, whilst the contents of the set are fantastic, even though much of it is only in Standard Definition on DVD, the fact that the Blu-Rays cannot be guaranteed by Shout Factory to be 100% true HD is absolutely abominable!

The set is lovely, and although I hate the whole concept of discs in cardboard sleeves, which is what you get with this set, the fact is the Blu-Ray picture quality let this set down immensely, and that's one of the major selling points for most Western Bruce Lee fans buying this set in the first place!

As such, I simply cannot allow anyone to pay $75 dollars / £60 pounds on paying for any Blu-Ray discs in which the content may not be 100% truly HD.

Shout Factory are going to get a lot of complaints about this, and rightly so! If you aren't sure whether the master prints you have been sent are truly in High Definition, 1080p or 1080i, then you double-and-triple check, until you are sure.

What you do NOT do, is go ahead and master the discs, create the packaging and charge a premium price, and then let customers go ahead and buy it. By which time, when they've opened the set up and the Blu-Ray's get played, they realise they've spent $75 on glorified drinks coasters!

This is completely unacceptable, and I hope that other Bruce Lee fans do NOT pay their hard-earned money for a set, in which the Blu-Ray's do not contain true HD material!

Avoid this set like the plague, as it sullies the memory of Bruce Lee!

To the people concerned the movies are not in English need not worry because each movie had multiple audio tracks including English. So try not to give something a nasty review without knowing the facts :-)