NOTE: This review is of both 'True Lies' and 'Clear and Present Danger'. Both discs were the first Dolby AC-3 Digital titles to be released, within a few weeks of each other.
The two highest-grossing action films of 1994 are both flawless THX-produced discs and rank right up there among the best laserdiscs I’ve ever seen. Both titles have also been mastered for the new Dolby AC-3 Digital Surround system (the hardware for which (at the time of writing) is not yet widely available). In a nutshell and in simple terms, AC-3 not only offers a left/right separation on the surround channel, but it allows for the use of powerful rear speakers (instead of the wimpy 30-40W speakers of today’s surround systems). The drawback is that the memory needed for digital AC-3 takes up one of the analog audio tracks, meaning that if you have an older laserdisc player that doesn’t play digital tracks, you’ll either have to settle for listening to these films in mono, or finally get around to upgrading your player. All AC-3 titles are compatible with—and will play normally on—the current Dolby Surround and Dolby Pro Logic Surround systems; AC-3 players and receivers are on their way.
'Clear and Present Danger' is also available in a non-THX panned & scanned version, though the letterboxed disc is the only way to go. 'True Lies', like James Cameron’s recent films, was filmed in the flawed Super-35 format; there’s extra picture information added to the sides here, but lots of vertical information is blocked out above and below the image to make the picture look wider.
Like all of Cameron’s films on disc, the image is just a tad too sharp for my taste, leaning heavily on the grainy side. The over-sharp image on all of his movies on disc ('Terminator 2', 'Aliens' and 'The Abyss') somehow provides for a futuristic feel; this subliminal effect lends 'True Lies' a more high-impact, balls-to-the-walls punch, serving as a constant reminder that the entire production did indeed cost a pretty penny. A major plus: Fox has included both the theatrical teaser and the trailer following the film on Side 3. However, inclusion of the trailers prevented Fox from presenting the Harrier/Bridge and Harrier/Skyscraper sequences in CAV. I’d have gladly sacrificed the trailers in return for a CAV finale to this special effects extravaganza. But then, of course, I’d be complaining that the trailers weren’t included. Oh, well.
In 'Clear and Present Danger' a special effects cable which was clearly visible in theaters (when an RPG is fired at one of the cars during the ambush scene) has been almost entirely digitally erased on the letterboxed THX version. The wire remains uncorrected—and still highly noticeable—on the pan-and-scan version.
Vital statistics: 'True Lies': Fox Video, THX Pan & Scan or THX Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Stereo Surround, AC-3 Digital, Chapter stops, $49.95.
'Clear and Present Danger': Paramount Home Video, Pan & Scan or THX Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Stereo Surround, AC-3 Digital, Chapter stops, $44.95.
S. Damien Segal.
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