…And Justice for All appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This wasn’t a killer presentation, but it seemed positive for its age.
Sharpness came across as satisfactory. The combination of drab 1970s film stock and lots of interiors meant the movie often seemed a bit on the soft side, but that wasn’t a real concern. For the most part, the image seemed reasonably accurate and well-defined. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and edge haloes were absent. I noticed no print flaws; we got heavy – but natural – grain and that was it.
Colors were fairly flat, but that was another issue connected to the movie’s film stock and era. The hues lacked much pep or bite, but they seemed adequate and came to life better on occasion. Blacks were reasonably dense and dark, while shadows were acceptable. Some low-light shots appeared a little thick, but they weren’t too bad. Nothing here excelled, but the image was fine given the flick’s vintage.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of …And Justice for All seemed adequate as well. Remixed from one-channel sources, the audio often remained essentially monaural, as most of the material focused on the center speaker. However, some sequences managed to open things up a bit.
Music showed decent stereo delineation, and ambient information sporadically emerged from the sides and rears. For instance, the surrounds added a little environmental material. Nothing special occurred, but the track managed to create a minor sense of space.
The quality of the audio showed its age but was decent. Music fared best, as the score seemed reasonably lively and full. However, the other elements showed problems.
Speech tended to be a bit thin but not bad for its era. The lines lacked warmth but seemed intelligible and only occasionally suffered from edginess. Effects could come across as a little rough and flat. However, they were reasonably clear most of the time. This was a perfectly decent remix.
How did this Blu-Ray compare with the prior DVD? Audio was clearer and a bit bolder, while visuals seemed cleaner, tighter and more dynamic. The Blu-ray showed clear improvements in both areas.
While the DVD included a nice roster of extras, most of these vanish here. In addition to the film’s trailer, we get one deleted scene. Called “Fleming’s Office” (2:43), we see more of the nasty judge. “Office” is pointless, as it just reminds us what a jerk Fleming is; there’s enough of that in the final film.
…And Justice for All wants to impress us with its Big Ideas. Instead, it bores the audience with its simplistic view of right and wrong, and it never coalesces into anything more than a naïve piece of propaganda. The Blu-ray provides good picture and audio but lacks substantial supplements. It’s a shame the Blu-ray drops almost all of the DVD’s bonus materials, but fans will be pleased with the visual/sound improvements.
To rate this film visit the original review of AND JUSTICE FOR ALL