Ghost Blu-ray delivers stunning video and solid audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
After a man is shot and dies, he—as a ghost—teams with a psychic to uncover the truth behind his murder, and to save his sweetheart from a similar fate.
For more about Ghost and the Ghost Blu-ray release, see Ghost Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on July 8, 2020 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Paramount has re-released Director Jerry Zucker's 1990 supernatural romance film 'Ghost' to Blu-ray with
newly
remastered 1080p video. The disc also
includes a new supplement. Paramount previously released the film to Blu-ray in 2008. This new release is part of the
studio's new "Paramount Presents" line.
Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore star as lovebirds Sam Wheat and Molly Jensen. The happy couple renovates a loft and plans for the future, but
one night Sam is murdered in cold blood. A heartbroken Molly struggles to move on with her life, but it would seem that, even in death, Sam's love
will not let her go. He remains behind in this world as a spirit, visible only to other lost souls still roaming the Earth. But one day, he stumbles upon a
fraudulent
medium named Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) who can actually hear him. Sam convinces her to connect with Molly and warn her that she too is
in danger, that Sam's death was no accident, and that a larger conspiracy has directed his death.
For a full film review, please see Dustin Somnner's review of the 2008 release here.
Ghost's new 1080p Blu-ray presentation comes sourced from a 4K restoration which was supervised by Director Jerry Zucker, and it's
gorgeous. The
image holds fast to a satisfyingly film-like texturing, bolstered by a pleasantly organic grain structure. The picture yields impressive textural finesse, a
perfect film-based sharpness that breathes organic, effortless life into facial textures, for one, which are showcases for intricate skin qualities and
makeup. Likewise, environments are very satisfying, particularly dense and rough city exteriors but also considering more comfortable and manicured
interiors, such as Molly's loft and Sam's office seen in early scenes. Various optical effects shots go soft, but such are inherent to the source. The picture
additionally offers a well defined color palette. Primaries are appropriately bold without pushing too intense or overly saturated. Tones are found in both
balance and abundance, with clothing one of the highlights but also, again, various splashes seen in city exteriors serving as some of the best examples
of the image's excellent color saturation and carefully tuned temperature. Skin tones are excellent and black
levels are precise and deep. The picture suffers from very few source or compression anomalies; Paramount has delivered another first-rate
presentation for a treasured catalogue title.
As for how the image compares to the 2008 Blu-ray, this represents a fairly substantial improvement to sharpness and color accuracy. Whites are
crisper, blacks deeper, and grain is more refined and the entire picture appears more inherently filmic. One can only wonder what further improvements
a UHD
might have brought with it, but as it is this Blu-ray stands well above the otherwise solid 2008 outing.
For this new release of Ghost, Paramount has simply repurposed the original disc's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. For a full audio
review, please click here.
For this new Blu-ray release of Ghost, Paramount has included a single new supplement, marked as such below and reviewed. For coverage
of
the included carryover content, please click here. Note that three supplements from the 2008 disc -- a photo gallery,
Inside the Paranormal, and Cinema's Great
Romances -- are not included here, so repeat buyers have an incentive to hold onto that other disc. No DVD or digital copies are included. A
brief
breakdown of the
packaging is included below.
NEW! Filmmaker Focus: Director Jerry Zucker on Ghost (1080p, 6:24): Zucker's retrospective covers his response to the
script,
the Swayze-Goldberg-Moore character triangle, the film's tonal balance, Goldberg's performance, the film's digital effects, the film's Oscar
nominations,
and the
picture's timeless message.
Ghost Stories: The Making of a Classic
Alchemy of a Love Scene
Theatrical Trailer
Audio Commentary
The packaging is just unique enough to stand apart but not so unique as to draw extra attention towards it. It's basically a slipcover over a
transparent,
rather
than blue, case, all the same essential dimensions as any other case plus slipcover presentation. The outer slipcover is unique in that the front half
folds
open to reveal an additional image, which is oriented 90 degrees from the front panel, making, essentially, a two-panel vertical that for
Ghost shows original poster artwork in a larger format. The interior image includes the text "Before Sam was murdered he told Molly he'd
love
and protect her forever." A billing block additionally appears at the bottom. The front image is a more generic Photoshop creation that
includes the "Paramount Presents" symbol top left and a small banner bottom right displaying the year the film was released. The front panel is
identical to the Blu-ray case front artwork, depicting Sam and Molly embracing. There are some alterations between slip and case on the rear panels;
the former includes a blurb about the
Paramount Presents line while the latter features a billing block and additional stills from the movie. The Blu-ray case is clear and there's an inner
print
inside that includes stills running
along left and right hand sides, a larger
shot in the middle depicting Sam and Molly embracing in passion (the same image used for the old Blu-ray case and the main screen for this disc),
and
a Jerry Zucker quote within. It's nothing fancy but it is at least a little meatier than the run-of-the-mill
slipcover and blank interiors that add almost no additional value. Both the slipcover and the case artwork depict the number "8" at the bottom of the
spine, denoting the
eighth film in the line, clearly an
effort to entice completists to gradually buy the entire series.
Ghost has not lost its spiritual center all these decades later. Defined by its supernatural flavors but grounded by its heartfelt romance and
supported by three terrific lead performances and an unforgettable score, the film has not lost its touch to time. Ghost was
nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing, and it won two for Best Supporting Actress and Best
Original
Screenplay. Paramount's new Blu-ray delivers highly impressive video quality while retaining the original lossless soundtrack. One new extra has been
included. It's disappointing that a film of this stature did not earn true 4K UHD release, but the Blu-ray looks very good as it is. Highly recommended,
even for those upgrading from the original release.
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