Are there any issues with the film? Maybe one, it does seem to slow down before the climax in the story. Only briefly, but enough to be noticeable. When the Baron and group are eaten by the giant fish, the movie tends to take a turn for downward. And it sort of repeats this trend shortly after the fact (when they get out of the fish — sorry to ruin it). Of course, the climax of the film makes you forget the brief moments and praise the greatness that is Baron Munchausen. He’s an old-fashion superhero and it’s really quite cool.
So what’s not to love about this film? Very little is the answer to that question. It’s got action, it’s got romance, you get to see Uma Thurman nearly naked, what more do you want? It’s got comedy, wit and a sense of being, something most films these days lack. You must check this out, without a doubt it’s worth your time and effort.
A proper format for a proper gentleman
To be honest, I think the transition from SD to HD for this particular movie is good. It’s not as great as a Clockwork Orange or The Warriors for that matter, but it’s good. It’s a significant visual upgrade on the Blu-ray format, but it probably could have been a smidge nicer. There is still some slight graininess in the picture, don’t know where from, but it isn’t as pure as previous Blu-rays I’ve reviewed. Still, the colors are very vibrant and it still looks good (better than DVD). The sound is gorgeous in TrueHD 5.1. You won’t find it better on any other format.
As for the special features, here’s what you get on this Blu-ray:
– Commentary with Director Terry Gilliam & co-Writer/Actor Charles McKeown
– “The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen” – An all new 3 part documentary on the making of the film
– Storyboard Sequences with all-new vocal performances by Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown
– Deleted Scenes
– Marvelous World of Munchausen Enhanced Graphics & Trivia Track (BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE)
Okay, this probably doesn’t seem like a lot to look forward to, but the three-part documentary is nearly two-hours in length total. You get to hear about the good and bad from the cast and crew of the film. There apparently was a lot of turmoil surrounding this film that the audience never got to see. Of course, when isn’t there turmoil on a Gilliam film? It’s a very interesting documentary that takes you inside the production and pretty much gives you a full timeline on how everything went down. It’s quite amazing. As for the other special features, not as interesting, but still useful and welcomed. Overall, the documentary makes these features great on their own.
Join up for the fight!
If you’re a Gilliam fan or just want to see a very well put together film, you can’t pass this Blu-ray up. It’s a great movie that looks much better than previous versions (including theatrical). Plus, once watching it, you can see how this beautiful potential disaster of a film was pulled off. Again, it’s quite amazing.
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