EL MAGO DE OZ "75th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray"

[Lost hero]

Review



Movie 5.0
Video 5.0
3D 4.5
Audio 4.5
Extras 5.0
Overall 5.0

As for the 3D experience, I was quite surprised. Still am actually. Depth and dimensionality are more convincing than I expected, and very rarely does the film resemble a pop-up storybook. Great care has been invested in making the actors and the world they inhabit look as wondrous in 3D as it does in gorgeous AVC-encoded 2D (side note: the 2009 transfer was VC-1), and the film's elaborate sets -- already a hallmark of color, vibrancy and cinematic craft -- are more immersive than ever before; almost to the point of inviting the viewer to step into the screen and tour the MGM lot. There are some drawbacks, if you can call them that. Every now and then, a face, tree or background painting is too flat; the film's smoke, fire and practical effects don't always play well with the 3D conversion; and the fact that each locale is a large-scale set is made that much more obvious. However, Oz's 3D conversion comes close, so very close, to achieving the illusion of native 3D; as if the production were shot in 3D all those years ago. No small feat considering the challenges the restoration and conversion teams faced. Not only were they tasked with producing a magnificent 8K restoration, they were tasked with justifying the existence of a 3D release of The Wizard of Oz. After all, it's not as if fans were clamoring to see the 1939 classic in 3D. Add to that the precision of the 1080p/MVC-encoded transfer -- the lack of aliasing and other anomalies, as well as the image's near-immunity to ghosting (on displays that are prone to crosstalk that is) -- and you have a striking 3D presentation and a definitive transfer of the film.

It simply doesn't get much better than this, be it in 3D or 2D.

If you already own the 2009 Blu-ray release of The Wizard of Oz and all the special features that go with it, if you have no need or want of further Oz collectibles, and if you'd like to add the film's 3D presentation and new feature-length production documentary to your collection, allow me to redirect you to the more affordable 2-disc Blu-ray edition of The Wizard of Oz 3D. If, however, you haven't purchased the 2009 release, want to feast your eyes on (almost) every special feature thus far, and have a thing for collectibles, the 5-disc Collector's Set may be more to your liking. Either way, prepare yourself for a magnificent new restoration, a dazzling video presentation and surprisingly effective 3D experience, an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and a sprawling series of special features, chief among them the new documentary Warner has wisely seen fit to include with both editions.