Marginal movie updated to Fantastic 3D
594741
This movie is marginal at best.  No, really....it's sappy, it's got a dumb love story, and it's not exactly realistic.  All that said, the flying is pretty awesome, and it's easy to see why the Navy LOVED this movie as a recruitment tool.  But, time marched on....and while everybody remembers Top Gun, no one actually had watched it forever.

So as a 3D freak, I've seen some GREAT 3D, and I've seen truly godawful 3D (Alice in Wonderland, anyone?).  So it was with some trepidation that I placed the order for this remastered version.  And I gotta tell you, glad I did.  While I wouldn't call this a truly GREAT 3D conversion, it's pretty damn good.  The flying sequences ARE truly great...it's the crowd shots and the dialog scenes that are left wanting.

But, the price is right...if you want a 3D version of Top Gun, absolutely you won't be disappointed.  By the 3D, that is.  The movie?  That's another story.  :-)
2460082
Great movie worth the upgrade price for the documentary alone
1941212
Sometime back, Alpha Video released Giant of Marathon in a letterboxed presentation that I praised for at least trying to get it right.  It wasn't a beautiful presentation by any means.  In fact, it was a pretty darn awful film print that was used, with a great deal of scratches and jump-cuts, popping and hissing in the soundtrack, and even scenes that were washed out with print damage.  In that review, I praised the low-budget company Alpha Video for at least releasing the movie in a truncated widescreen version (no animorphic enhancements, of course) and until that release, I had not had an opportunity to see this entertaining Sword-and-Sandle epic in widescreen. It wasn't great, but it was at least watchable.

I also said I'd step up and buy a future, digitally remastered, animorphic widescreen version, if a studio would release it.  I still say good job Alpha Video.  However, that was then, this is now, and now Retro Media has released The Steve Reeves Collection, a double feature that includes both, Giant of Marathon and War of the Trojans, both in fairly nice prints (though still with some apparent age related problems).

At last, fans of Steve Reeves can enjoy a very decent print of Giant of Marathon.  It is lightyears ahead of the Alpha Video release.  It now appears to have it's correct 2:35:1 Scope which is also enhanced for widescreen TVs.  The colors are vivid and lush.  The black tones are deep and full.  The sound is clear, although it does appear to be the original mono stereo, it's fine, and it no longer has the distracting hisses that were prevelent in the Alpha Video version.  Both movies are more than acceptable in this release, though not perfect.  There still appears to be some popping and small jumps in both films that are probably related to damages from aging (these movies are nearly 50 years old!)  But for anyone who has tried to get good copies of any Steve Reeves movies, both films are presented in very attractive, colorful, widescreen formats, with good sound.

Out of the two movies included in this collection, Giant of Marathon fairs the best.  War of the Trojans seems to have more print damage, though still looks very nice and is an entertaining action movie from the same era as Marathon.  I'd give both movies a B+ here, and a big Thank You to RetroMedia for an attractive package for Steve Reeves fans.
2518232
The 3D is done really well, they planned it out to shoot in 3D but then didn't (that's my understanding) but that helps it look really good as a 3D conversion. Among the best 3D for home movies I've ever seen.

The movie actually has a plot. Really good.

The disc is worth buying over renting due to the extras. It is hard to believe how much was not CGI. Great to see the car construction--I'd have liked more of that. The interviews were good. Good behind the scenes stuff. More would be nice. I think a movie could be made about making this movie.
4694105
The movie speaks for itself and the 3D really works well.

I've been waiting for the 3D version to come down in price for a while now and at $30 it is worth the price. This comes with 2 DVDs, a standard DVD and a BLURAY that includes both the 2D and the 3D Version.
4580432
3D conversion looks surprisingly good - great film but you knew that. Can confirm it is not bluray region locked and plays A&B for sure.
3197722
Thought the movie was great in 3D and you can see it on a regular TV but, if you have a big screen TV, it would be so much better. It works on regular, don't get me wrong, but my son sits pretty close to the TV to really get the effect.
Thom
2743629
This fairly obscure movie has some of the best 3D out there--don't know why they haven't released a 3D blu ray in the US yet, but&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sammy-s-Adventures-The-Secret-Passage-3D-2D-versions-Blu-Ray-Region-A-Hong-Kong-Version/dp/B0057I4TYS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sammy's Adventures: The Secret Passage 3D + 2D versions Blu-Ray (Region A) (Hong Kong Version)</a>&nbsp;will play on U.S. 3D blu ray players (and it has the option to watch the English soundrack, though the default is Cantonese). If you like 3D it's definitely worth getting this one. Depending on the used price at amazon you may be able to find a cheaper copy elsewhere though--for example, DDDhouse dot com currently has it for $31, and shipping was just another $4 or so. For some reason if I try to search for "sammy's adventures" on that site it doesn't show up, but you can also search for the subtitle "secret passage."
1476891
This remake of Journey to the Center of the Earth is a pretty good version.  No stellar performances, special effects are good.  The blu-ray is crisp and clean.  The adaptation of 3-D for blu-ray has a few issues though.  It uses an unusual combination of red and green lenses, and the green will often get too dark and you'll find yourself adjusting the glasses to try and get a better view.  I'm not sure if the glasses are what cause the movie to become so devoid of color, but it almost appears to be a black and white film in 3-D.  Though entertaining, some of the 3-D tricks are the oldest in the book, and you almost feel like you've been there - done that.  You WILL appreciate the ability to choose between the 3-D and the standard versions of the film.

Obviously the comparison between this version of Journey to the Center of the Earth and it's original counterpart is going to be like comparing apples and oranges. The technology has progressed so much for this latest version.  You won't need to use your imagination so much now.  I think the newer version of the movie is worth seeing, and definitely does NOT fall under the category of unnecessary remakes.
4702236
I'm generally not a fan of 3D conversions, I always find a terrible couple of scenes that clearly weren't properly budgeted or maybe they ran out of time to do. Not the case with Everybody Wants Some at all. There were times watching this that I actually thought it was filmed in 3D.

Linklater did a masterful job selecting an eclectic range of parallaxes that make the 3D version in my humble opinion, far superior to the original 2D format. Specifically there's a truly cinematic sliding punch out of a baseball in the batting practice scene that totally hits the viewer with the feels. It's difficult to describe how 3D can make the music and mis-en-scene enhanced sometimes, but now I think I can just articulate it by showing my good friends this segment in 3D.

There's also plenty of unique onscreen foreshadowing through subtle metaphor. Pulling out spherical objects gradually, purposefully in front of the main characters was an intrepid move by the director in post. It's a powerful subtle nod to the metaphor of Sisyphus and if your observant, touches on Genesis and Campbell's Mono-myth. It added a level of proficiency to the cinematography that renders it meaningful rather the just plain. The film slugged through it's shot selection before the conversion. Now it shines. I cannot recommend this enough to fans of cinema who are wary of putting on the glasses. The canvas is larger now, and this film has the courage to take advantage. 5/5
483448
This was filmed in 3d back in 2010.  It was not a conversion, instead it was filmed in native 3d.  It was a low budget film to be sure but they made the best of what they had and it's a decent traditional monster on the loose film.  When you do languages on this one it says  'german , Italy , german, but in fact it has NO Italian language tracks , the second one is a English track. Michael Pare leads the cast here and he's the only one you will know. The effects are very good on this one, they are mix of the old traditional robotic ones and cgi , (computer generated effects).  They are quite effective too.  If you enjoyed the MANY low budget films of the past featuring  giant menacing creature then this one is for you.  In this case it's a  eupertrid , or giant sea scorpion. they dominated the oceans , long before the dinosaurs were around.  Some of them came onto land and became the scorpions we know. In fact scorpions were t he first land animals.  The action mainly takes place at a sea platform. Which is fine. I had recently watched 'the carra' or the crabs on dvd and it was made in 1981. It had no cgi but it was a fine low budget monster film.  This is like that , only the effects are much better of course. I am a sucker for those big monsters on the loose films . so this was a fun ride for me.  If you are a snob and don't like those old movies like 'taratula' of the crab monsters. then you might not like this one. In fact I don't think anyone has made a film like this for the big screen, except on tv, mainly the sci fi channel that is. But this is a true b movie , in every way , with a platform of villains and a big monster ready to eat them all.  Theblu ray looks great and the 3d is really excellent.  with NO ghosting on my , active 3d tv and glasses.  I recently got another german film , 'the cargo' and the ghosting on the blu ray was bad. This one had perfect 3d! It is in 2d as well. however 3d always looks better and more natural and that's a good thing.  There are no extras on this disc though.
2688473
The movie is ok. I don't understand the need for another version of Spiderman but it is what it is. Visually this is fairly dark film. If you've got a 3d display device that struggles with dark 3d content, you may have trouble with this one. I played this on a Benq W1070 and a Panasonic plasma and didn't have many brightness issues. I wouldn't pick this title as my first choice to show off 3D but there are some good scenes, the lab scenes early in the film and the climatic bridge scenes for example, that make it a worth addition to a 3D blu-ray collection.
478117
I also got to see an advanced copy of 3-D Rarities.  We projected it onto a 9 foot wide movie screen via a Panasonic 3D video projector, and all I have to say is WOW!  With a run time of almost 2 1/2 hours, there is something for everyone.  I especially liked the scenes of Washington DC and New York shot in the 1920's, the drive across the George Washington Bridge (between NY and NJ) from the early 1930's, The Pennsylvania Railroad and Chrysler (Motor Rhythm) promos from the 1939 Worlds Fair, Doom Town, a short 3D documentary with actual 3D nuclear bomb test footage from the 1950's, 3D trailer from some great 1950's 3D movies, Boo Moon (Casper The Friendly Ghost), the animated Norman McLaren shorts, Sam Space, etc.  I could go on and on, this disc is an incredible collection from the golden age of 3D motion pictures.

As to the mastering, it is flawless.  I had previously seen some of these shorts projected at a film festival, and have to say that this blu-ray looks as good, and in some cases better, than the 35mm originals.
2203121
if you like 3D you will love this very nice well made  3D FANTASTIC .
on a par with the best
it did meet my expectations
no problem with delivery as usual
4675519
even though its been out a while I still decided too buy this cause of the 3d option....

for 5 bucks you can't expect much........

works.... kind of wishing I bought blue ray version now :(
4121904
This is for the 4 disc 3D edition:

My shipment arrived yesterday (Saturday), before street date (thanks, Amazon!).

I have to admit that I wasn't really impressed with the 3D when I saw this in the theater, but I can honestly (and thankfully) say that it is MUCH better on my 3D TV than when I saw it in the theater.

The image quality is crystatl clear, and the 3D adds a wonderful depth that, again, I did not see in the theater. I wonder if the theater that I saw it in did not have the proper setup or equipment? In any event, I am thrilled that I got the 3D version of this movie. The restoration/cleanup is fantastic, and the sound is equally dazzling.

This set does come with 2 discs for the 3D version of the film. The 3rd disc is the regular 2D version (including audio commentaries), and the 4th disc contains all the bonus features. The bonus content includes 2 new documentaries, the first being "Reflections on Titanic", which includes new interviews with James Cameron, Kate Winslet, Bill Paxton, Kathy Bates and others. Leonardo DiCaprio is not featured in any of the new interviews but is seen in some of the older footage. The 2nd new documentary is "Titanic: The Final Word", which is a very interesting and informative re-examination of the sinking. Both of these documentaries run about 90 min or so each.

Also in the bonus materials are trailers, tv spots, music video (of course), 30 deleted scenes, 60 behind the scenes featurettes (none running over a couple of minutes), a few "Titanic" parodies, some footage shot by crew members (some is funny, some leaves you scratching your head), and some other archival features from the Special Edition DVD set from a few years back.

This is DEFINITELY worth the upgrade from the previous DVD releases!

EDIT: Also includes code for digital copy.
1876
ORIGINAL REVIEW:

My Optoma HD66 was delivered on December 15th with two green stickers on the box displaying the NVIDIA 3D Vision Ready certification.  So for the gamers out there, the newest version of HD66 has finally been updated.  OK, since I don't game I can only write about the movie experience.  First, I ordered the Vivitek D510 for its low price and the fact I only needed it for business presentations.  After trying it out, its 800x600 native resolution was not that crisp for small text reading on a 50" screen.  Also, when experimenting with cable TV or DVD playback, its picture detail and color accuracy was very poor.  Since I didn't want to spend a lot more money and after doing further research, I decided to try the HD66 because it was entry level high definition with 2500 lumens which is useful for business presentations.

Optoma HD66 works as advertised.  It's a compact machine and with some tweaking with the color adjustments, it gave a very good and crisp picture quality.  A good test came by streaming a movie from VUDU which can display all three versions in picture formats: 1080 HDX, 720 HD and SD (standard definition).  SD was clean and clear but lacking the detail and contrast depth of HD.  720 HD was much better than SD and approached the HD66's native resolution of 1280x800; but VUDU's 1080 HDX had superb detail and color saturation even though the Optoma was down scaling the resolution.  While I was very satisfied with the HD66 picture quality, it DOES NOT equal my Samsung HD flat screen's vivid picture.  For buyers looking for a projector that can display a HD flat screen experience, I am convinced that the 1080p projectors, like Optoma's HD20, is the way to go and well worth the extra cost.

****************************************************************************************************************************

UPDATE: JANUARY 22, 2014

So, after 3-years of owning the Optoma HD66, my projected picture is beginning to look like the Milky Way.  Hundreds of stars shining on my screen.  I see that I'm not alone based on the numerous complaints within the Amazon reviews.  It's too bad because the picture quality without the stars was very good for the price.  But there you go, you get what you pay for.  And for that reason, I have lowered my rating on the Optoma HD66 from four stars to two.  Actually, I should give it a hundred stars because that's whats being projected, and I'll be certain to replace the Optoma with a more reliable brand.