Lonesome Dove [Blu-ray]

It does not get any better than the Blu-ray version! Worth twice what I paid. This is the best example of what Blu-ray is capable of that I have seen. I watched this on a Panasonic 58" 1080p plasma, Sony PS3 and a mid-priced surround sound system. Seeing Lonesome Dove (Blu-ray) made the money I put out for this setup worth every penny!

The Lonesome Dove story is good enough, and the cast is fantastic, but the quality of the images on Blu-Ray vary from ok day-time images to night-time images that resemble the same kind of grainy reception that I used to get on an old Zenith tube television set with rabbit-ear antennas in 1974. The crop-job to widescreen format is fine, I just have a problem with shelling out "Blu-Ray" dollars for "rabbit-ear antenna" images. As I said, it is usually the night scenes where you see this issue.

This is one of the most electrifying mini-series ever made. Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are perfect in their parts. I have watched this series at least 4 times. If you like westerns, a gripping story and strong cast of characters this is the one you don't want to miss.

I am not going to re-hash what other reviewers have said about the Blu-Ray version of this great film, they are very accurate and I agree with all the criticism. I suggest you not waste money on the Blu-ray and get the standard, you will still get the widescreen and all the extras. This is the same problem I found in the new DVD, Les Mis (see my review)VERY grainey, particularly on interior shots and night scenes. Go cheap on this one.

Reviews abound on the quality of the storyline, the cast and the acting, the filming, how viewers who "don't like Westerns" or "can't sit still through a long movie" regard this as a masterpiece. They are correct-no better film's ever been made, in my opinion.

The Blu-Ray presentation of the film is very nice, with good color and excellent sound, both improved over the DVD release. A common complaint on other Amazon reviews has been the cropping of the original film dimensions to fit a 16:9 screen--a process that does end up costing some of the original film (mostly on the bottom of the screen). The trade-off is that all of the screen real-estate on your beautiful, expensive plasma or LCD is filled--no black bars, no stretched faces. For me, it's a worthwhile tradeoff. It's really not noticeable to me, and if you are engrossed in the story and the scenery, you won't notice much either.

If you're a lucky owner of a good TV and a Blu-Ray player, this all-time classic Western belongs in your library. Highly recommended.