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The Jack Ryan Collection (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

3K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Franin 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )
83





Studio and Year: Paramount – 1990, 1992, 1994, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG, R, PG-13
Feature running time: 135, 116, 141, 123 minutes
Genre: Thriller

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.20:1, 2.35:1,
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Starring: Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, Patrick Bergin, Sean Bean, Richard Harris, Thora Birch, Willem Dafoe, James Earl Jones, Donald Moffatt, Henry Czerny, Alec Baldwin, Sean Connery, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Bridget Moynihan, Live Schriber, Alan Bates
Directed by: John McTiernan, Phillip Noyce, Phil Alden Anderson
Music by:Basil Poledouris, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith
Written by: Larry Ferguson & Donald Stewart, W. Peter Iliff, Steven Zaillian, John Milius, Paul Attanasio & Daniel Pyne (based upon the Novel by Tom Clancy)
Region Code: A,B,C

Blu-ray Disc release Date: December 3, 2013
"Available together on Blu-ray for the first time"


Film Synopsis:
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER: Based on Tom Clancy's bestseller, directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard) and starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, The Hunt For Red October seethes with high-tech excitement and sweats with the tension of men who hold Doomsday in their hands. A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Connery). The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack. A lone CIA analyst (Baldwin) has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it - because the entire Russion naval and air commands are trying to find him, too. The hunt is on!

PATRIOT GAMES: Harrison Ford stars as Jack Ryan in this explosive thriller based on Tom Clancy's international best-seller. His days as an intelligence agent behind him, former CIA analyst Jack Ryan has traveled to London to vacation with his wife (Anne Archer, Fatal Attraction) and child (Thora Birch, All I Want For Christmas). Meeting his family outside of Buckingham Palace, Ryan is caught in the middle of a terrorist attack on Lord Holmes (James Fox, The Russian House), a member of the Royal Family. Ryan helps to thwart Holmes' assailants and becomes a local hero. But Ryan's courageous act marks him as a target in the sights of the terrorist (Sean Bean, Stormy Monday) whose brother he killed. Now Ryan must return to action for the most vital assignment of his life: to save his family. Costarring James Earl Jones (The Hunt For Red October).

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER: This is the third film based on Tom Clancy's high-tech espionage potboilers starring CIA deputy director Jack Ryan. Harrison Ford, returning to the Ryan role after his first go-round in 1992's Patriot Games, is assigned to a delicate anti-drug investigation after a close friend of the President (a Reaganesque Donald Moffat) is murdered by a Colombian drug cartel. When Ryan discovers that the President's wealthy friend was in league with the cartel, the President's devious national security adviser (Harris Yulin) and an ambitious CIA deputy director (Henry Czerny) send a secret paramilitary force into Colombia to wipe out the drug lords. The force is captured and then abandoned by the President's lackeys. It falls to Ryan to enter Colombia and rescue them, aided only by a renegade operative named Clark (Willem Dafoe), with both his life and career on the line.

THE SUM OF ALL FEARS: Ben Affleck is ready for action, commanding the role of CIA agent Jack Ryan in this thrilling adventure based on the Tom Clancy bestseller. America's Cold War fears are rekindled after the President of Russia dies and is succeeded by a man with a cryptic past. But East-West tensions erupt when the CIA suspects that renegade Russian scientists are developing more nuclear weapons. Mobilized into action by CIA Director William Cabot (Morgan Freeman), Jack Ryan (Affleck) follows a danger-ridden trail to a shocking conclusion: terrorists plan to provoke a war between the U.S. and Russia - by detonating a nuclear bomb at a championship football game! Costarring James Cromwell and Liev Schreiber, The Sum of All Fears adds up to the year's most explosive entertainment.


My Take:

I reviewed each of the Jack Ryan films in this collection when they were originally released on Blu-ray in July 2008. This release comes in anticipation of the upcoming debut of the newest thrilling Jack Ryan drama Shadow Recruit starring Chris Pine and makes an ideal holiday gift for those that may not already own the original releases. Since these are identical to the original releases I have included links to my 2008 reviews and will tally their combined scores in this article. For the details refer to the links below:

The Hunt for Red October - Official AVSForum Review

Patriot Games - Official AVSForum Review

Clear and present danger - Official AVSForum Review

The sum of all fears - Official AVSForum Review




Parental Guide:



Patriots Games (R) - The rating is for violence, sexuality, and language. The remaining PG/PG-13 ratings is for intense action, violence and language.


AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


Audio: 82

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:






Video: 84

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:


Bonus Features:


  • Hunt for Red October:

  • Commentary with Director John McTiernan

  • Beneath the surface – cast and crew interviews

  • (HD) Theatrical Trailer


  • Patriot Games:

  • Patriot Games up close - Feature

  • (HD) Theatrical Trailer


  • Clear and present danger:

  • Behind The Danger - Cast and Crew interviews

  • (HD) Theatrical Trailer


  • The sum of all fears:

  • Audio Commentary with Director Phil Alden Anderson and Cinematographer John Lindley

  • Audio Commentary with Director Phil Alden Anderson and novelist Tom Clancy

  • The making of The sum of all fears: Cautionary Tales – Production - Casting

  • Creating Reality: The visual effects of The sum of all fears

  • (HD) Theatrical Trailer




Final Thoughts:


As a fan of the Jack Ryan films based on the book series by Tom Clancy I recommend The Jack Ryan Collection for newbies or fans that may not already own the original Blu-ray releases. I can’t say with certainty that we won’t see them re-released in the future (perhaps with re-mastered audio/video and more extras) but the upcoming debut of the new Jack Ryan film Shadow Recruit starring Chris Pine is sure to renew interest and this offering provides a viable option for now.












Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





Reference Review System:



JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector

(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal )

Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System

Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor

Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier

B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier

Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)

Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control

Canton "Ergo" Series speakers

Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers

SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)

APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector

Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling

Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
 
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#2 ·
The Hunt for Red October is the only book that really holds up well versus the novel, but the other movies are entertaining, nonetheless. The one I like the least is The Sum of All Fears because the butchered the book it was based on, but that's bound to happen given the length it. I'm interested to see what they do with Chris Pine as the lead. Nice reviews Ralph.
 
#3 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Vaughn  /t/1501463/the-jack-ryan-collection-blu-ray-official-avsforum-review/0_20#post_23991860

The Hunt for Red October is the only book that really holds up well versus the novel, but the other movies are entertaining, nonetheless. The one I like the least is The Sum of All Fears because the butchered the book it was based on, but that's bound to happen given the length it. I'm interested to see what they do with Chris Pine as the lead. Nice reviews Ralph.

Greetings,


Agreed. Thanks Dave..




Regards,
 
#4 ·
I remember watching The Hunt for Red October when it was first released on Laser Disc and being really impressed with the audio quality at that time. There were also scenes in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger DVD's that I used to use to demo my system for my friends. But the AQ on the BluRay releases have left me wanting for more. I sure hope that Paramount decides to remaster the discs at some point and improve the audio and video quality. Then I will double dip! However, I do recognize that the movies are comparatively old.


I agree that The Hunt for Red October is the best of the bunch.


Cal68
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Vaughn  /t/1501463/the-jack-ryan-collection-blu-ray-official-avsforum-review#post_23991860

The Hunt for Red October is the only book that really holds up well versus the novel, but the other movies are entertaining, nonetheless. The one I like the least is The Sum of All Fears because the butchered the book it was based on, but that's bound to happen given the length it. I'm interested to see what they do with Chris Pine as the lead. Nice reviews Ralph.

Didn't realise Chris Pine is going to be the new Jack Ryan
 
#8 ·
Own these in a DVD box set and still have a special place in my collection. As movies, yes, they're a fun bunch and agree would make a great Xmas gift for those missing them. Looking forward to Shadow Recruit! Really dig Chris Pine's work--he was even great in Unstoppable opposite none other than Denzel Washington!
 
#9 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cal68  /t/1501463/the-jack-ryan-collection-blu-ray-official-avsforum-review#post_23992804


I remember watching The Hunt for Red October when it was first released on Laser Disc and being really impressed with the audio quality at that time. There were also scenes in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger DVD's that I used to use to demo my system for my friends. But the AQ on the BluRay releases have left me wanting for more. I sure hope that Paramount decides to remaster the discs at some point and improve the audio and video quality. Then I will double dip! However, I do recognize that the movies are comparatively old.


I agree that The Hunt for Red October is the best of the bunch.


Cal68
The potential is there, I remember seeing Patriot Games in 70 mm and thinking the picture quality was pretty good. If they can remaster and capture what is on that film stock I think it would impress a lot of people.
 
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