Buster [DVD] [1988]

Excellent film but bluray remaster is dreadful, especially the night scenes. Unnatural looking colours and green tinge. Avoid

Film is still a classic . Though the Blu-ray is hardly a significant upgrade on the DVD . Obviously an old film like this will not be up to the same standards as the newest Avengers movie . Though it could be better . A good standard is the Arrow version of The Long Good Friday . Its an old film and it looks like an old film , but it is a massive improvement over the DVD .Its just a shame . Thjs film deserves better

I’m a big Phil Collins fan and love this film

This was a film I've seen a few times in the past, and it seemed like something to watch with a glass or two and think back to better, safer times. Felt good to be back in the 80s and 90s for a couple of hours. Comfortable, like a pair of well-worn slippers, but enjoyable nonetheless. If you don't know the story - as I realise that as time goes by fewer and fewer people will remember the actual event, or have been aware of it - then it's a fairly grisly robbery of a mail train, but that is more or less glossed over in this film in favour of some light-hearted relationship stuff for Buster, who is after all the star of the show. Phil Collins does a decent enough job of playing the lead, and one of my favourites, Julie Walters, is Mrs Buster. Well worth a watch, just don't expect a lot of in-depth looks at the actual crime.

As a big Phil Collins fan, I was delighted when I heard 4Digital Media were preparing a 'special digitally remastered edition' of Buster in high definition, having owned the DVD for years. Sadly that delight turned to disappointment when the Blu-Ray arrived from Amazon.THE GOOD NEWS: This Blu-Ray is the original theatrical version of Buster, with a running time of 102 mins in 1.85:1 widescreen as originally seen in cinemas in 1988. All DVD releases and British television screenings of the film have been 4:3 full frame and cut down to either 93 or 98 mins, losing scenes of Buster and June in Switzerland and later on a boat trip in Mexico, so in these respects the Blu-Ray is easily an improvement on any DVD. Audio is presented as both 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (surround) and original 2.0 Stereo LCPM (lossless) and the quality is generally very good.THE BAD NEWS: For a film advertised as 'specially digitally remastered' for Blu-Ray, the picture quality is absolutely shocking. Yes, it's a genuine high-def transfer, however 4Digital Media have clearly sourced an old release print that is several generations down from the original camera negatives. The result is a very soft picture with tons of visible damage and missing frames. The digital grading is poor throughout, with reds and green oversaturated and whites blown out. There are also no extras on this Blu-Ray whatsover (the UK DVD release has the theatrical trailer and 'Making Of Buster' featurette) and there's not even subtitles, which should be mandatory for any film on Blu-Ray in 2020.In conclusion, if you want to own Buster uncut in its true widescreen format, it's worth adding this Blu-Ray to your collection, but sadly there's nothing special about this remastered edition.

This is more a review of the 2020 Blu-ray released by 4Digital Media than a review of the film itself, which you can find elsewhere.The transfer is certainly a big step up from the old DVD copies, though falls well short of some of the better examples of films of this era, such as Withnail and I. The image is quite soft and fuzzy, though detail is more prevalent in closeup shots. There is often a distracting "flicker" when cutting between shots, and I don't know what causes that. This is also prevalent in an early scene of Collins running down the street, and may be an artefact of the digital restoration process. The soft transfer certainly makes the film look older than its 1988 vintage, though considering it was set in the early 60s, this may not necessarily be a negative point.The sound is good, with a DTS-HD 5.1 mix, and a PCM 2.0 stereo mix both present on the disc. Disappointing, there are no subtitles, which shouldn't be happening in this day and age.There are no special features at all on the disc. It's a shame that not even a trailer could be included, or any contemporary interviews.

A massive opportunity has been missed for this to be properly restored and remastered and released with a stack of extras.However, as a fan of the film, this is still a huge step up from the DVD releases. Still the odd crackle and jump but it's colourful and clear for the mostpart and the audio is superb. I'm happy to have this and would recommend but I'll still be waiting for a much improved, restored, special edition with extras one day.

Always liked this film