An American Werewolf in London Blu-ray delivers great video and decent audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
The tale of a tourist from the U.S. whose stay in London is disrupted when, after being bitten by a wolf, he turns into a werewolf.
For more about An American Werewolf in London and the An American Werewolf in London Blu-ray release, see An American Werewolf in London Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on October 5, 2016 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5.
Universal has re-released the cult favorite film 'An American Werewolf in London' to Blu-ray, replacing the 2009 disc with a 'newly restored' 1080p
presentation. This release carries over an identical list of bonus features and contains (seemingly) the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless
soundtrack; this is
a picture-upgrade release only. Read on for more detail.
An American Werewolf in London's original Blu-ray release was encoded in VC-1, and Universal has transitioned this re-release to the more
modern-standard MPEG-4. The disc is touted as being "newly restored," but what that means beyond the obvious isn't immediately clear; Universal
did not see fit to provide a screener or press materials, and the press announcement offers up no more clues. But beyond the under-the-hood stuff is a
transfer that more than holds its own and, while perhaps not the prettiest movie on the market, serves the movie well and offers a rather
substantial upgrade over the 2009 release. Beyond the rather processed,
smudgy opening title sequence where terrain is distinctly absent sharpness, the image tightens up with a nicely revealing level of detail and textural
comfort as it wades through a number of places -- a warm, wood-heavy bar; foggy and bleak nighttime exteriors; a relatively bright hospital setting;
some dreary daytime city exteriors --
that all present with honest detailing and definition. Image clarity and stability are very good throughout, with clothes, and particularly the guys' down
jackets, featuring
tangible textures and robust attention to detail. Rick Baker's makeup work is extraordinarily presented as gory sinew, chomped and scratched flesh left
dangling on a mauled body,
and later green, decaying skin are playgrounds for the format to present it all in its tangible, practical gory glory. Colors are rich and pleasing. Those
brightly colored down jackets from the first act are amongst the most prominent, but so too is the nicely established and richly yet neutrally presented
shades from later in the film including, again, plenty of bloody gore and green decayed flesh. Black levels hold up well. Various scenes retain a
somewhat processed and even noisy appearance, which increases in density when viewing the screen up-close, but at normal viewing distances such
rarely
amount to anything more than a temporary distraction. Grain is light but generally pleasing and much more balanced and true than the previous 2009
transfer. Overall, this is a quality upgrade from Universal, though certainly not the peak of picture quality. It's
too bad a UHD wasn't released alongside.
Universal's re-release of An American Werewolf in London carries over the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless
soundtrack from
the previous 2009 issue, or at least one that's very, very similar to it. The bitrate isn't identical, but it sounds more or less the same when comparing
in several key moments. Overall, the track is
effective, if not a bit dated and muddled. Dialogue can sometimes sound rather shallow and detached, but it's effectively placed in the center channel
and neither prioritization nor intelligibility are ever serious issues. The track makes some fair use of the occasional burst of surround detail or imaged
sound placement. Crackling thunder when the boys leave The Slaughtered Lamb rolls around nicely enough. Werewolf growls preceding their encounter
shortly thereafter are effectively scattered around the stage. A few public address announcements over a hospital loudspeaker float about off to the
side with realistic presence. Heavier rain and thunder later on saturate the stage nicely enough. Musical clarity is fair, whether score or popular tunes,
playing with a slight hard edge but well positioned spacing. The track is certainly not a revelation, but it offers a good foundational listen with a few
nifty
tricks up its sleeve. Note that, for this release, the studio has removed several audio and subtitle options that were available on the old disc.
An American Werewolf in London carries over all of the supplements from the previous release and adds nothing new, easily the most
disappointing aspect of this new release. Below is a list of
what's
included. Please click here for more information. Also note that this
set does not included a DVD copy of the film or (inexplicably) a digital copy code.
Beware the Moon
I Walked with a Werewolf
Making An American Werewolf in London
An Interview with John Landis
Makeup Artist Rick Baker on An American Werewolf in London
Casting of the Hand
Outtakes
Storyboards
Photograph Montage
Audio Commentary with Cast Members David Naughton and Griffin Dunne
Universal's re-issue of An American Werewolf in London may not contain anything new outside of the video transfer and reworked cover art.
The 1080p presentation is quite good, not perfect but a solid upgrade from the older release and certainly a near-revelation that should please
longtime fans and newcomers alike. It'll likely prove a bit more divisive than some of the
other recent definitive remasters/restorations from Universal and other studios, particularly with not wholly unfounded claims of the appearance of
gentle to sometimes moderate noise reduction, but most will agree it is, at bare minimum, a good presentation and
easily the best
the film has ever looked for home viewing. Recommended.
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