Cliffhanger Blu-ray

Cliffhanger

 (1993)

Action | Adventure | Thriller



For Rocky Mountain Rescue, the mission is almost routine: locate five climbers. With the woman he loves and his best friend , Gabe Walker braves the icy peaks only to discover that the distress call is really a trap set by merciless international terrorist Eric Qualen. Now millions of dollars and their own lives hang in the balance. Against explosive firepower, bitter cold, and dizzying heights, Walker must outwit Qualen in a deadly game of hide-and-seek.

For more details about Cliffhanger on Blu-ray, see the Cliffhanger Blu-ray Review

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner
Director: Renny Harlin

Cliffhanger Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Cliffhanger ascends onto Blu-ray with a good, but not great, 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. This is a film that's grandiose in scale and, combined with the improved resolution of the 1080p imagery, demands the largest display possible. Sony's catalogue transfer isn't quite as pristine as a fresh-from-theaters release -- though many of the blatant visual anomalies are inherent to the level of effects in the early 1990s -- but it nevertheless earns its stripes from top to bottom in most every frame. Colors are exceptionally vibrant yet natural in tone throughout; a bright red helicopter or the multicolored winter jackets contrast nicely with the mostly white, gray, and bright blue backdrops. Additionally, fine detail is generally solid. Roughly-textured rock faces, fine lines in clothing, and facial detail are nicely rendered throughout. There's a noticeable lack of visible grain, and while Cliffhanger features smoothness about the image, the film has always featured something of a slick and clean visual appearance, particularly considering its bright white-dominant visual appearance. Still, many effects shots stand out like a sore thumb, and some backgrounds can look a bit muddled and undefined. There's a fine sense of depth to the image, and flesh tones are accurate if not a bit pale throughout, though that's likely due to the frigid conditions. Artifacts are few and far between, the print appearing in generally pristine condition. Cliffhanger's amazing photography translates well to Blu-ray, and the end result is a transfer that's no doubt the best the film has looked for home consumption.

Cliffhanger Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Cliffhanger explodes onto Blu-ray with a top-notch DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. From the get-go, listeners will find plenty of sonic goodness to enjoy, and much like the film's amazing opening segment sets a visual and thematic tone for the film, the DTS track -- with a helicopter buzzing through the soundstage, its rotors slicing through the listening area in a cacophony of surround-sound goodness, and music swelling in every speaker -- opens up immediately and never relents, engendering a sense of anticipation for how the track could top the exceptional opening minutes. If it doesn't best the open, it never descends to a lesser place, either. Cliffhanger's Oscar-nominated sound creates a seamless sonic environment where both light ambience and aggressive action-oriented effects deliver a one-two-punch of aural delight. Whether distant booming thunder, the aggressive beats of fully-automatic gunfire, or hefty explosions, the track handles everything that comes its way with exceptional ease. The low end, as one might expect, is rather active throughout; an avalanche, for instance, seems primed to plow over the home theater's seating arrangements, leaving listeners everything but in a snow-covered, frozen daze. As expected, dialogue reproduction is never problematic. Cliffhanger's lossless soundtrack is easily befitting the tone of the film and proves an exceptional and exciting listen from start to finish.

Cliffhanger Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Last Action Hero, Cliffhanger on Blu-ray for January - November 2, 2009

Cliffhanger Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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