HD DVD Review: Hot Fuzz
Hot Fuzz is the first HD movie I have watched for quite some time. I finished up my very large stack of Blu-ray discs a while back, and just recently I have been catching up with a number of DVDs (excellently upscaled by the PlayStation 3, as I usually cannot be bothered to reconnect my HDMI Pioneer DVD player) for pleasure rather than review.
Not that writing these reviews is a chore, of course. But when you are watching a film for its story, quality, audio, visual aspects, etc it’s very easy for the brain to almost go into critical autopilot and I often find myself thinking up lines and phrases that will end up in a review.
Coming back to reviews with Hot Fuzz has been an absolute joy, as it is one of the best looking and sounding releases of late, with a very worthwhile set of extras..
The Movie
I originally reviewed Hot Fuzz from its theatrical release back in February, and my opinion hasn’t changed one bit since then. Fans of Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright and Nick Frost who are familiar with Spaced and Shaun of the Dead will feel right at home with Hot Fuzz. Rather than repeat myself, you can read my original review of the movie HERE.
Audio Visual
Universal really are the saving grace of the HD DVD format at present. With so many studios releasing nigh on identical encodes on both formats, it’s heartening to see the studio standing by its partner of choice and releasing discs of this quality.
Put simply, Hot Fuzz has joined the Matrix box set as the best looking movie I have seen on either format so far. The transfer is absolutely pristine with solid black levels even during some very dark scenes later on in the movie during the grand reveal.
Filming in Wells means that the movie does swap between glorious sunshine and gloomy skies fairly frequently, and while the outdoor sunshine scenes really sparkle and shine, the duller sections which looked rather washed out on the regular DVD (such as the town centre shootout during the final act) stand out with strong, but never overpowering colour.
The movie has a very slightly grainy, off colour look which really stands out in this HD version. Crystal clear, sharp, you can add your own list of plusses because the disc really sells itself. A stunning example of how good a movie can look in HD, and with only minimal CG in sight.
The sound is almost up to the same standard as the picture, and while there isn’t an uncompressed PCM track or a DTS HD showcase, the DD Plus 5.1Ex track served up here packs a real punch. All of the speakers have their work cut out, especially with the “whoosing” and jump cutting that goes on throughout the film. For the final act of the movie the entire sound field comes alive with all the gunplay, and the subwoofer kicks out some serious bass.
Special bonus points go to David Arnold’s excellent score, along with the usual eclectic choices on the soundtrack.
Having just recently watched the DVD version of the film, I can confirm that this audio makeover compliments the stunning visuals perfectly. For once, I cannot find a single thing to fault with this disc.
Bonus Features
Hot Fuzz serves up an identical set of extras as the 2 disc DVD Special Edition, and it’s a far weightier affair than Shaun of the Dead. Commentaries? Four of them! The first is with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, the second with the actors who portray the Sandford Police force, the third finds Timothy Dalton (a true gem in this movie) as the master of ceremonies along with a number of key village members Edward Woodward, Kenneth Cranham and Paul Freeman. Finally you have a track with a couple of real policemen.
Sorry, no I haven’t suffered for my art and listened to all of them. The track with the actors including Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent and others is the best for enjoyment though.
You then have outtakes, trailers, video blogs (that were originally on Working Title’s web site during the production of the film), a great Making Of, a great info-track called the Fuzz-O-Meter (which is a kind of an extended version of the Homage-O-Meter from the Spaced DVDs), Dead Right (Edgar Wright’s student cop movie), photos, posters, CG effect comparisons and a series of plot holes and comparisons in the style of the 2000AD comic that was used in Hot Fuzz.
I think that’s more than enough for anyone, and these aren’t just your regular thrown together efforts either. The video diaries in particular are very well put together, and there is something of interest to be found in each of the supplements (pay particular attention to Kevin Eldon’s improvised “My Perfect Sunday”).
If you simply can’t read a review without something negative to say then…well, this is just an HD DVD release as opposed to the HD DVD/DVD flipper disc that was released in the US. Hardly a show stopper is it?
Summing Up
I feel I almost need to hose myself down after this obvious fangasm, but to be perfectly serious, this is an absolutely astounding disc. The movie is superb, it looks and sounds fantastic and is choc full of extras. For HD DVD owners it’s a complete no-brainer. Unless you don’t like messrs Pegg and Wright, naturally.
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