Cliffhanger appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Don’t expect too many problems in this fine presentation.
Sharpness seemed mostly positive. Mild softness crept into the image at times, but those instances were rare and minor. Most of the time, the picture appeared clear and crisp. No real instances of moiré effects and jagged edges appeared, and I also failed to notice any edge enhancement. The flick lacked source flaws; if any specks or marks cropped up, I didn’t see them.
Colors appeared natural and bright, with no evidence of bleeding or noise. The film stuck to a realistic appearance for hues and they seemed clear and clean. Black levels looked fairly deep and dark, and shadow detail was good. The light softness made this one fall to “B+”, but it remained consistently satisfying.
Virtually no problems affected the excellent DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio of Cliffhanger. The mix provided a tremendously broad and involving soundfield. At virtually all times, discrete audio engulfed the viewer and makes the experience much more exciting than it otherwise would be. The sound designers really had a field day with this one, as they integrated the sounds well. Everything seemed appropriately placed and the entire mix blended together smoothly. It's a simply fantastic example of audio design, with active surrounds that contributed a lot to the presentation.
The quality of the sound seemed equally strong. Although much of it clearly must have been dubbed, dialogue appeared warm and natural, with no edginess or problems with intelligibility. Music was bold and strong and it displayed excellent dynamic range. The effects were the real stars of the show, however, as one might expect. All of the sounds came across as clean and realistic, with virtually no distortion. The track packed a serious punch and bass response seemed excellent. Cliffhanger presented an auditory experience that any listener should find very satisfying.
How did the picture and audio of this Blu-ray compare to those of the prior DVD? The audio was always great, but the lossless track added just a bit more punch. It didn’t blow away the excellent Dolby Digital track, but it came across as a little more dynamic.
Visuals showed the standard improvements. The Blu-ray offered tighter, more vivid picture, and it cleaned up some source flaws from its predecessor. The transfer here came as a nice step up in quality.
Almost all the SE DVD’s extras repeat here. Two audio commentaries appear. One comes from director Renny Harlan and actor Sylvester Stallone. For all intents and purposes, though, it's just from Harlin. The men were recorded separately and the results edited together later. Stallone pops up on rare occasions and offers some interesting comments - especially in regard to his fear of heights and other acting challenges - but Harlin's remarks dominate the proceedings.
For the most part, the director provides some interesting information. He tends to stick mainly to the technical side of the coin, but he makes his discussion engaging, with only a few dull spots. Harlin even attempts to defend his gratuitous violence.
The second commentary works better. It features editor Frank Urioste, visual effects supervisors Neil Krepela and John Bruno, and production designer John Vallone. At least Bruno and Krepela were recorded together, but I think the other two were taped on their own. In any event, the results have clearly been edited into a tauter package. Although the focus here also sticks mainly to the effects and other technical facets of the production, I found the track to be quite stimulating and entertaining. Some technically-oriented commentaries can be very dry and overly stiff, but that's not the case here. Each of the participants relates a lot of good information about the project and about the nature of filmmaking in general. I liked the Harlin/Stallone track, but this commentary is stronger.
A variety of other supplemental features appear on this disc as well. First up is A Personal Introduction from Renny Harlin. This four-minute and 50-second video piece mainly contributes a taped discussion of the film from Harlin, as he explains why he did it and what he wanted to do with the material. We also see brief video interview excerpts of Stallone and actress Janine Turner, plus there's a little footage of Harlin from the set. Most interesting is the clip in which he apparently tries to show Stallone that he can survive the intimidating heights.
Next is a "making-of" featurette called Stallone On the Edge. This 20-minute, three-second program offers a very glossy look at the film. It tries far too hard to be cute and witty - and fails in those regards - but it provides some good footage from the set that's interspersed with fairly inane interview snippets, mainly from Stallone. The featurette was created around the time of Cliffhanger's release, which is why Stallone appears in Demolition Man garb for his narration shots.
Another section includes some deleted scenes. This area runs for eight minutes, 18 seconds, though most of that total doesn't come from actual cut footage; introductory and additional videotaped discussions from Harlin fill most of the time. Two deleted scenes appear, both of which are mildly interesting. Harlin completely explains why he excised them.
Special Effects offers video examinations of two different scenes, "Helicopter Explosion" and "Sarah's Fall". The first shows film clips and some good rough footage of the shoot plus some narration and interviews, while the second presents the finished product accompanied by Harlin's narration. These segments do a nice job of letting us know how the parts were made. In total, these pieces last for seven minutes and 24 seconds.
Storyboard Comparisons provides a split-screen presentation for three different scenes: "Helicopter Explosion", "Air-to-air Transfer", and "Sarah's Fall". It's pretty standard stuff, and will interest those who like that sort of material. The running time for all three combined is 12 minutes.
The disc includes the original Cliffhanger theatrical trailer; it also tosses in a three-minute and 25-second introduction from Harlin. He discusses what inspired him to make that particular clip and explains his general thought processes in regard to promotion. The trailer itself is decent - though my memories of the actual movie prevent me from finding it too compelling – but I really liked Harlin's bit. After all, when was the last time you heard a director discuss a trailer?
Finally, the Blu-ray provides a collection of Previews. It includes ads for Snatch, The Da Vinci Code, Ghostbusters, A River Runs Through It, Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Zombieland, The Stepfather, Armored, Damages S1, The Damned United, District 9, Black Dynamite, Moon and Felon.
This would be a hell of a disc if only the movie itself didn't bore me. The picture and sound are both strong, and the collection of supplements is thorough and engaging. Unfortunately, Cliffhanger itself is a dog; it's a dull, uncompelling attempt at an action film. If you disagree and know you like the film, then you'll want to buy this Blu-ray; it's a solid package.
To rate this film, visit the Superbit review of CLIFFHANGER
