10 movies that should be on Blu-Ray already, but aren’t

Blu-Ray discs have been around for a while now, and there’s a good range of movies from various time preiods that have received the hi-def treatment. As the TV market is finally starting to shift towards selling 30+ inch high definition screens, and seeing as PlayStation 3s are selling like hotcakes since the recent price-drop, more and more people are browsing that depressingly small blue section of their local video store for some of the biggest hits in cinema history, yet leaving empty-handed.

Gone With The Wind and The Wizard Of Oz were only just released in the past couple of weeks, yet every film released in cinemas in the past few years seems to get a hi-def transfer–even the shitty ones. It is an undisputed fact that Blu-Ray looks infinitely better than DVD, at least on true HDTVs, so why aren’t we getting the movies we demand?

Here’s the ten I think are needed most sorely:

10 – The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Because these are three of the biggest-selling, most critically-acclaimed films in the history of film itself, I don’t really need to tell you why they need the hi-def treatment, but I’m going to anyway: the gorgeous cinematography, the beautiful New Zealand settings, the immense attention to detail evident in every single frame, and the blistering sound and memorable soundtrack would all pop, shimmer and shudder brilliantly in 1080p. Are you starting to get the idea?

9 - Citizen Kane

One of the most overhyped, overrated films of all time (just scroll down to number 1 on any ‘top x films of all time list’ you can find), I think Kane would fare rather well on Blu-Ray. The black and white photography would be crisp and clean, the sound would be ungarbled, and you could throw in a whole bevy of interactive features that actually explain why and how it is so ‘innovative’ and ‘influential.’ If you’re going to heap superlatives onto something, you gotta at least back some of it up with evidence.

8 - Saving Private Ryan

I missed this movie in theatres because I was only halfway to the age demanded by the legal restriction (who would want their childhood ruined by this movie anyway?), so I’ve been living with nothing but the DVD for years and, sure, the sound is okay on DVDs, but the picture is depressingly flat and drab, especially if you try and upscale it for HD. Imagine the gut-wrenching Normandy beach landing sequence in 1080 with lossless 8-channel surround sound … or don’t, and save yourself the nightmares.

7 - Titanic

You’d think the highest-grossing film of all time would have received a Blu-over by now, wouldn’t you? I know that whole HD-DVD / Blu-Ray thing left a lot of messy legal red tape entangling everything, but shouldn’t supply be contingent on demand, not stuffy lawyer bullshit? All those gorgeous shots of the Titanic, Kate getting her kit off, and the chilling but sombre iceberg attack at the end–these things would rock on Blu.

6 - Jaws

Spielberg makes his second appearance on this list, and what an appearance it is. Those jarring and rare flashes of red would be even more effective in HD, and John Williams’ iconic score would give your woofer a workout. The shark would probably look fake in such detail, but who really cares? Don’t feel you need to copy over the sequels though, they can stay in standard def hell for all I care. What I’d really like for the Blu-Ray though is a commentary from Spielberg. I don’t care that he doesn’t like doing them, I want to hear about all the hardships he went through to get this ship sailing, and to hear about the vindication he felt when it went on to write the formula for summer blockbusters for years to come.

5 - Se7en

Dark, gritty, haunting, disturbing and beautiful to watch, all those shadows and textures and fascinating frames would only become more so if it was playing at a 1:1 pixel ratio on your HDTV. Plus who doesn’t want to hear Morgan Freeman’s voice in lossless HD 7.1?

4 - Back To The Future trilogy

Another smash hit bizarrely disregarded, BTTF would sell like bananas, almost guaranteed. I don’t even care if you don’t transfer parts II and III, just give me the first one at least. The DeLorean, the flux capacitors, the hover boards, the Biff–all worth a re-purchase. While you’re at it, get Robert Zemeckis in to explain why the hell he stopped making good movies after Contact.

3 - Jurassic Park trilogy

Dinosaurs. On Blu-Ray. No-brainer, right? Again, I don’t really mind if only the original gets copied over, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Jurassic Park (for better or worse) introduced photorealistic (or, photrealistic enough) CGI into mainstream movies and changed the landscape of film forever. Imagine feeling the t-rex’s footfalls rumble through your living room, imagine that excellent close-up of the rex’s pupil focusing and dilating, imagine the raptor popping through the foliage for the “clever girl” scene … sigh. I wouldn’t mind getting The Lost World on Blu-Ray either (double the dinosaurs, half the plot!), but I’d like a special feature detailing how and why Joe Johnston’s instalment ended up becoming the cinematic abortion that it did.

2 - Aliens quadrilogy

On second thoughts, don’t even bother porting Alien 3 or Resurrection, I won’t buy them. I might rent Alien if you transferred it. But Aliens is where it’s at. The claustrophobia, the feeling of helplesness, the screeches of the aliens, and the oozing of the acid NEED to be in HD. James Cameron’s Terminator films are well-represented, so why don’t we get his really good films?

1 – Star Wars complete saga

Stop editing the originals and just re-release them as they were thirty years ago–it’s the story and the characters we care about, not the number of Ewoks or the appearance of Vader’s ghost! These prints would come alive on Blu-Ray like no other title: from the opening crawl set against the gorgeous starscape, through the wondrous score (again by John Williams), to the beautiful space scenes that open each film–to the kinetic lightsabre duels, the nail-biting dogfights, and, yes, the stupid love scenes in the prequel trilogy–we want it all, dammit. Again, some kind of retrospective wouldn’t go astray, getting George Lucas himself to narrate the history of the films and maybe respond to the vitriolic criticism the first two prequels garnered upon release.

Honourable mention:

Well, you’ve got your other Spielberg flicks to consider (E.T., Indy I – III, Minority Report, Munich, War of the Worlds, and that Schindler’s List everyone seems so excited about); I’m not sure whether The Abyss has been transferred (or True Lies, while we’re with Cameron); and then you’ve got a whole collection of Arnie films to remaster (Conan, Kindergarten Cop); snob-favourites like Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, and Wes Anderson’s catalogue–the list is long, which is why I narrowed it down to the 10 biggest.

Do you give a hoot about Blu-Ray? Do you think there’s even a difference between DVD and Blu? What movies are you looking forward to most?