Hacksaw Ridge - Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook (UHD) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: November 2, 2021
Rating: R
Film: 5/5

Plot
One of the bloodiest battles from World War II happened on Okinawa in 1945 and it definitely wasn’t the place you wanted to be if you didn’t carry a weapon. But for contentious objector Desmond Doss, this wasn’t an option. While he believed the war was justified—which is why he volunteered—his personal belief was that killing was wrong and he wasn’t going to be a party to it. He was in the war as a Medic, and he was there to save lives, not take them. And save lives he did—75 of them over the course of one night when he was stuck behind enemy lines.

My Thoughts
Mel Gibson must have finally been forgiven by Hollywood for his past bad behavior and delivered one of the finest films of 2016  and arguably the best war film since Saving Private Ryan. The first act does an excellent job of exploring how Doss came to his beliefs and how he met his beautiful wife, which really personalizes him. The second act follows Doss as he enters basic training and shows the challenges he faced to get to the horrific battle in the Pacific. When all is said and done, it’s easy to see why Doss won the Medal of Honor.

Although the film was originally finished with a 2K DI and unconverted to 4K, one would be hard-pressed to complain about the presentation. Detail is exquisite, especially in close-ups, and it looks like much of the 3.4k source format is somehow retained through all the digital processing steps. The wide color gamut is on full display with deeper hues of red and blue, more natural looking east coast forests, and of course, the hell on Earth that was Okinawa.

The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is a crowd pleaser from the opening scene until the credits roll. The battle scenes contain a plethora of discrete effects that encompass the room and when the battleships unleash hell upon the enemy, batten down hatches because it’s going to get loud with copious amounts of thunderous bass. Like Private Ryan, the audio on this disc is definitely demo material and really showcases how great Atmos can sound in the home.


Video 9/10

Audio 10/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

·        Deleted Scenes
·        Veterans Day Greeting with Mel Gibson
·        Theatrical Trailer
·        The Soul of War: Making Hacksaw Ridge
·        Steelbook Packaging
·        Digital Copy





Conclusion
If you already own this film on 4K, there’s no need to upgrade unless you’re a collector of Steelbook packages. The artwork on this case is fabulous so if you’re interested, venture down to your local Best Buy since it’s an exclusive to that retail chain. As a film, it’s easy to see why this film garnered six Oscar nominations and ranks up there as one of my favorite films in the past 20 years.


Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
SVS SB-3000 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD  controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[AVSCraig]

Love this film!

[David Vaughn]

Love this film!

Me too...I love it for demos as well. When the battleship opens fire is one of my favorite scenes. 

[Paul Heroy]

Grabbed it a few years ago when it first came out on 4K and it took me a year or two to get to it, obviously I'm an idiot lol. Great movie, great story, well made and impactful on several levels.

[bmoney]

Love how it’s like a two part film. Def demo worthy material both audio and vid