Barb Wire (1996)
Science Fiction, Action, Adventure • 1h 38m
Director: David Hogan
Cast: Temuera Morrison, Victoria Rowell, Jack Noseworthy, Udo Kier, Steve Railsback, Xander Berkeley, John Paxton, Joey Sagal, Candace Kita, Ai Wan, Clint Howard, Jennifer Banko, Mark Collver, Nicholas Worth, Patti Tippo, Nils Allen Stewart, Tommy Lister Jr., Andre Rosey Brown, Shelly Desai, Dominique Vandenberg, Tina Cote, Rene Stahl, Salvator Xuereb, Loren Rubin, Tony Bill, Mary Anna Reyes, Vanessa Lee Asher, Alex Bookston, Amir Aboulela, David Andriole, Gil Borgos, Ron Balicki, Vinnie Curto, Jack Wright, Marshall Manesh
Best video format
UHD tiers
Overview
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.
2D version: Universal 4K Blu-ray
3D version: Turbine Germany 3D Blu-ray
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Director: Zhang Yimou
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Director: Peter Jackson
Arrow 4K Blu-ray teased for many years, will come out once Turbine's exclusivity rights expire
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Turbine 4K Blu-ray has the better encode. Paramount 4K Blu-ray is disappointing review. But both have DNR?
Director: Tony Scott
2D version: Paramount 4K Blu-ray (OOP Steelbook Edition for included Blu-ray)
3D version: Turbine Germany 3D Blu-ray
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Director: Rob Cohen
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · YouTube (opens in a new tab)
comparison between the Turbine and Kino grades. The former is director-supervised.
(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.
The Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray was recalled shortly after inital releases for unknown reasons.
Director: David Twohy
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Original 5.1 is included on the Arrow 4K Blu-ray and the Old Universal Blu-ray
More Science Fiction on Blu-ray
Director: Luc Besson
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray vs 2017 Sony 4K Blu-ray (20th annivesary) vs 2025 Sony 4K Blu-ray (Luc Besson Box Set). The first two have totally different texture.
StudioCanal: More natural looking. Better defined grain. The white balance is rather yellow/orange. Some say it is closer to the original theatrical release.
2017 Sony: More vibrant and impactful. The white balance is rather neutral. While color noise and grain can look busy because it had been sharpened and had micro-contrast boosted.
2025 Sony: Supposedly an improved version of the 2017 release? Shows around 20mbps-higher overall video bitrate. caps
2007 Sony Blu-ray or LaserDisc AC3? (TBC) https://fanrestore.com/thread-7303.html
The Atmos on the Sony release is reportedly better than StudioCanal's.
Disc info of the box set discs. This film have recieved multiple encode/versions in different regions over the years. The 2017 Germany4K Blu-ray is encoded differently than the 2017 Sony but not better. Also, the same can be said to 2024 France Gaumont 4K Blu-ray while comparing to the 2020 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. The StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray omits all the extras from previous releases, being barebones.
Director: James Gunn
Commentary is only on Streaming
Criterion Box Set coming October 20th with FiM encode, work done to un-Nolan the 4K master, the first ever appearance of the 35mm mono track on physical media and a new restoration/remastering of the 70mm 6-track mix.
(early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Criterion Box Set coming October 20th with FiM encode, new restoration of mono mix which should be better than what was on the WB 4K Blu-ray and 1999 DVD and revised colour timing to make the film look more like it did in 1971.
WB 4K 5.1: a remix but has higher fidelity
Mono: 4K Blu-ray/1999 DVD
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Bandai 4K Blu-ray? vs 2008 Japan Bandai Blu-ray (BCXA-0085): same video but includes Bandai English dub and original mix
2026 Bandai 4K Blu-ray
Director: James Cameron
Sources: movie-censorship.com (opens in a new tab)
Fox Blu-ray for original cuts without the extra scene added in the re-release and AI upscaling
Newer Blu-ray/4K has the extra scene, but is poor and has excessive AI upscaling
An additional scene was added to the ending of the movie in the 2022 re-release: https://www.movie-censorship.com/report.php?ID=493908
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
For 3D: 2014 Warner Bros 2D+3D Blu-ray
For ATMOS & music-less version: 2024 Blu-ray/2013 Diamond Luxe Edition Blu-ray
For 5.1: 2014 Warner Bros 2D+3D Blu-ray
This film received multiple blu-ray versions since its initial release. Be sure on whether the Dolby Atmos track, newer extras or 3D image is preferred. The 2024 release is a reprint of the Diamond Luxe.
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