Tombstone Blu-ray
The story of the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona and the subsequent chase down of the bandits responsible for the mayhem of the gunfight and lawlessness of the old west, Hollywood style.
Film making 20/25
Video 18/25
Audio 22/25
Bonus Features 18/25
Total 78/100
Matching the release of Armageddon, Tombstone also hits Blu-ray some fifteen years after its theatrical release with some controversy still ringing about the film. While it was not completely true to the history of the OK Corral and general tales of Wyatt Earp and subsequent happenings the film is very close and entertaining.
The film follows the real life history of Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan with Doc Holliday played by Kurt Russell, Sam Elliot, Bill Paxton and Val Kilmer. Other prominent actors/actresses are Dana Delany as the future Mrs. Earp with Powers Booth as Curly Bill and Michael Biehn as his side kick Johnny Ringo.
The film starts with the trio of Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan entering Tombstone to seek their fortunes in the new possibilities of the booming gold rush town. Everyone upon finding out he is the legendary lawman from Dodge City asks either for an autograph or if he would assume the duties of law in the lawless town.
Wyatt only wants to earn an honest but more lucrative living and he winds up taking the position as dealer in one of the many gambling establishments. After several incidents with the Cowboys, a local gang of outlaws, the Earp brothers find themselves drawn back into the law and order business.
After the fight at the OK Corral the Cowboys fought back as they did not see eye to eye with the outcome of the fight or how the Earp's took on the marshal jobs in the town. After some Cowboy's try to kill Virgil the brothers take things personally and end up fighting for their lives as well as bringing some justice to the old west.
The turning point of the film from the Earp's protecting the innocent in Tombstone to hunting Cowboys for the sake of revenge comes when some Cowboys kill younger Morgan. A few Cowboys who have seen the light so to speak turn to help Wyatt and Morgan as they seek their revenge and run down every last Cowboy until they are either dead or give up their loyalty to being a Cowboy.
The films end comes after Doc Holliday finally succumbs to his tuberculosis and Wyatt rides off into the sunset with his newfound love Josephine. The film does a great job of telling the tale of the OK Corral, actually the fight was nearby but it sounds better in the headlines, and later events.
Tombstone is a really good film approaching great and Blu-ray really brings out the best in the movie with really good video and well done color but it could have been better. The video looks really good with excellent color but things could have been a little more consistent throughout the film in quality.
Unlike other reviewers and reviews, I am not quite up to what all the terms for things are in video and am not really sure it matters or that you would care. Main colors look really good for the most part but at times some variations of colors like those common black hats and shadows under them are a bit odd.
Other things happen in video that are not really standing out but do happen often enough to notice that something is amiss but overall things look really good. The sweat dripping down Doc Holiday's brow or the gray to green sheen to his pallid face, even the lone drop of sweat on the face of Doc's girlfriend is easy to pick out.
Video looks good for the most part and audio is as usual for Blu-ray even better with excellent surround sound from DTS-HD Master 5.1 audio. The surround sound is really prominent for a real old west feel from the gunfights to the casual walks through town the littlest sounds are there to hear.
Whether it's the hoof beats of the horse a street over as Wyatt walks through town taking in the sights or the cocking of that revolver just before the bullets fly the audio is great. Surround sound is also very prominent with good use of rear speakers and bass for an overall well done audio experience.
Bonus content is better here than the companion Armageddon release with a half hour making of feature and a few other features. All the extras are the same as the 2002 DVD release with a few missing features but it does make for at least some bonus content that is worth watching.
The gunfight at the OK Corral is very close to historical accounts but of course like other parts of the film there is some deviation for dramatic effect. You can't talk about film and movies without deviating from history at least some to make things not only interesting but to help the flow of the story.
Tombstone is one of those films that while it is a bit different than real life gives you an understanding and feel for the times and makes a must have media collection addition. If you don't have Tombstone on DVD the Blu-ray edition with its better video and great audio is well worth the addition to any movie collection.