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Barb Wire (1996)
Barb Wire (1996) poster

Barb Wire (1996)

Science Fiction, Action, Adventure • 1h 38m

Director: David Hogan

Best video release

Turbine Germany 4K Blu-ray is disappointing review

Updated 1 year ago


UHD tiers


About the film

A sexy nightclub owner, Barb Wire moonlights as a mercenary in Steel Harbor, one of the last free zones in the now fascist United States. When scientist Cora Devonshire wanders into Barb's establishment, she gets roped into a top-secret government plot involving biological weapons. Soon Barb is reunited with her old flame Axel Hood, who is now Cora's husband and a guerrilla fighter, resulting in plenty of tense action.

More from Turbine

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Director: Peter Jackson

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow US/UK 4K Blu-ray or Turbine Germany 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Both will look identical in motion but the Turbine looks marginally better due to a higher bitrate allocation by each cut being given its own disc, whereas Arrow had FiM seamlessly branch the two onto one. However, Arrow has both cuts in Open Matte (on Blu-Ray) and corrected the opening Universal logo's aspect ratio. https://slow.pics/c/McvVcYDG

Best Audio:

Cinema DTS

Directors: Aaron Horvath & Michael Jelenic

Best English-Friendly:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

2D version: Universal 4K Blu-ray

3D version: Turbine Germany 3D Blu-ray

Best Audio:

-

Director: Zhang Yimou

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Germany Turbine Mediabook Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Germany Turbine Mediabook Blu-ray has a superior MPEG-4 AVC encode over the US Sony Blu-ray's MPEG-2 or France/Australia Universal Blu-ray's VC-1. Open matte version also included

Best Audio:

Germany Turbine Mediabook Blu-ray has a Dolby Atmos remix and the original audio in DTS 5.1.

Korea Blu-ray for lossless original 5.1 audio mix.

Additional Info:

Germany Turbine Mediabook Blu-ray is completely uncut and uncensored, having none of Sony US's PG-13 edits or Pathé UK's BBFC horse trip cuts.

Director: Zhang Yimou

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Germany Turbine Mediabook Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Germany Turbine Mediabook Blu-ray has no DNR or sharpening from past releases

Best Audio:

Germany Turbine Mediabook Blu-ray for the Dolby Atmos remix on the director's cut and the original 5.1 mix on the theatrical cut

Korea Nova Media Blu-ray for the original 6.1 mix on the director's cut

Additional Info:

Germany Turbine Mediabook Blu-ray has the Hong Kong English subtitles instead of the censored Miramax subtitles.

Miramax Blu-ray has lossy Mandarin audio and does not have the director's cut.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Turbine Germany Blu-ray, WB DVD(?)

Director: Jonathan Mostow

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Turbine 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Turbine 4K Blu-ray has the better encode. Paramount 4K Blu-ray is disappointing review. But both have DNR?

Director: Tony Scott

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Germany Turbine Blu-ray or Australia Imprint Blu-ray?

Director: Jeff Rowe

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D version: Paramount 4K Blu-ray (OOP Steelbook Edition for included Blu-ray)

3D version: Turbine Germany 3D Blu-ray

Best Audio:

-

Director: Rob Cohen

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Germany Turbine 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Germany Turbine 4K Blu-ray > US Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

comparison between the Turbine and Kino grades. The former is director-supervised.

Best Audio:

(The Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray DTS HD5.1 seems to have stronger bass, but it's yet unclear which one has the original 5.1) Also see thread.

Additional Info:

The Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray was recalled shortly after inital releases for unknown reasons.

Director: David Twohy

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray or Turbine 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Original 5.1 is included on the Arrow 4K Blu-ray and the Old Universal Blu-ray

More Science Fiction on Blu-ray

Director: James Gray

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Fox 4K Blu-ray

Director: Roland Emmerich

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Director: George Lucas

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

OG: "4K77" or "D+77" on high seas.

Special Edition: "4K97_IV" or "D+97_IV" on high seas.

Upcoming Release:

2027 Original Trilogy restoration/50th anniversary rerelease clips leaked plus release confirmed

Best Audio:

OG: LaserDisc audio is the best option for the Dolby Stereo mixes (and usually included in fan restorations). There are 16mm/TV rips of the mono mixes.

Special Edition: Cinema DTS or 1997 LaserDisc for the Special Edition.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Universal 4K

Video Notes:

Dolby Vision grading looks identical to a cinema DCP, which is the highest compliment that could be given. Encode is perfectly solid in motion.

Director: Satoshi Kon

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Sony 4K Blu-ray is very smeary with the upscaling but has correct aspect ratio and very good HDR grade.
UK Blu-ray has wrong colors, and Sony 2007 Blu-ray is the worst (encoding and AR)
See professorwho's review

Director: Michael Anderson

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray scheduled for Dec 2026 release

Director: Mamoru Oshii

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Bandai JP 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

All 4K releases are sourced from the same mediocre transfer provided by Bandai, with various amounts of tweaks. Japanese disc presents it with the least tinkering.

The best attempt at improving it comes from the German/French releases from KSM/All the Anime, both of which use the same master with HDR regrading (original grade is SDR in HDR container), tasteful regraining and sharpening, in an attempt to breathe some life into the middling transfer, making for an arguably more pleasing viewing experience.

All earlier releases are from an even worse transfer, with significant black crush, with the exception of a Japanese TV airing, which doesn't suffer from that issue, but instead is heavily sharpened and suffers from poor encoding.

Comparisons: JPN UHD, USA UHD, FRA/GER UHD, ITA UHD (tonemapped), JPN UHD, USA UHD, FRA/GER UHD, ITA UHD, ESP UHD (PQ), All 1080p BDs, HDTV, HDTV filtered

Audio Notes:

Original matrixed stereo mix: Bandai JP 4K Blu-ray
Most discs include this track with comparable fidelity (which is excellent).

Dolby Atmos remix: Lionsgate US 4K / All the Anime FR 4K
6.1 remix (from Ghost in the Shell 2.0): KSM DE 4K / All the Anime FR 4K

All tracks on the Lionsgate US 4K replace the original ending song with the one heard on the English dub. As the Atmos track on the FR 4K is just a port, it also has this song replaced.

Additional Info:

Japanese 4K includes English dub and subtitles.
French/German 4Ks are not English friendly, with no dub or subtitles.
French disc includes the Atmos track, but the German disc does not.

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering Comparison between the Criterion and WB.

Best Audio:

5.1: WB 4K Blu-ray, a remix but has higher fidelity

Mono: Criterion 4K Blu-ray (restored for the box set)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the WB release without the filtering; WB 4K early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed. Comparison between Criterion and WB.

Best Audio:

6-Track 70mm mix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray (restored for the box set), 1997 MGM LaserDisc, 1998 MGM DVD
35mm Mono Mix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Matrixed Stereo Remix: MGM Japan LaserDisc (1985) [G158F5509]
5.1 Remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Steve De Jarnatt

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2024 Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

UK Transmission 4K Blu-ray in January 2027

Best Audio:

Either the 2015 Kino Lorber Blu-ray or the Arrow Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

The 2024 Kino Lorber Blu-ray is botched.

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Researched and maintained by

vanshady

· last reviewed 1 year ago

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