Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies and Titanic finally get digital and 4K Blu-Ray release dates

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Had a feeling it wouldn’t get approved because of the Rat scene. Good job that 4K’s Disk are region free :)

Couple of comments from Reddit -

It’s illegal to show real animal cruelty in the UK, so it wouldn’t be acceptable even at 18. They can’t cut around it as James Cameron has stopped them from doing that.

I don’t think any of the UK versions have had the rat sequence in full. Ever since DVD days if you wanted to see the full movie you needed to be imported. At least they stood up to the BBFC even if we have to still import

Just done some more digging even the VHS versions were cut too


I feel like i've seen it before and i've previously seen this at Cinema, VHS and DVD etc, so not sure about the cut from VHS, unless it was cut right down. Strange that they wouldnt do that again for the 4k if thats whats been done on previous releases or are the BBFC refusing to recertify the scene as it was in older UK versions ( do they need to do that for remasters ? ) .
 
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Couple of comments from Reddit -

It’s illegal to show real animal cruelty in the UK, so it wouldn’t be acceptable even at 18. They can’t cut around it as James Cameron has stopped them from doing that.




I feel like i've seen it before and i've previously seen this at Cinema, VHS and DVD etc, so not sure about the cut from VHS, unless it was cut right down. Strange that they wouldnt do that again for the 4k if thats whats been done on previous releases or are the BBFC refusing to recertify the scene as it was in older UK versions ( do they need to do that for remasters ? ) .

Apparently it was shown uncut on Channel 4 - the legal issue only applies to film / retail.

The way it was edited in the UK version, zoomed in shots etc, was a mess and would look even worse in 4k.


edit -
The BBFC commented about the legalities

The issue for consideration was whether in the Board's view, the sequence contravened The Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937. Specifically whether it was organised or directed for the purpose of the film in a way that involved cruelty to the rats (five of which were used in the sequence). The RSPCA's advice was that it did contravene the act.
 
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This guy has the physical copy. It’s certainly going to take some getting used to as it’s lost that 80’s look but certainly not a waxy mess as some have been raving on about.

This will certainly be down to personal preference.

 
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The comments on that YouTube video are hilarious - people saying it’s ruined etc… get a grip.

It objectively looks clearer and cleaner. Whether that’s better for making a film look cinematic or not is subjective, sure.

I think a lot of modern films struggle with CGI effects because the film is so clear and crisp, making it a lot harder to be convincing.
 
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This guy has the physical copy.

His comment in the replies are very concerning regarding the lack of physical copies available in March -

I only have the physical versions and this is thanks to my distributor. And I think that some fans will not have the chance to get the Blu-ray on March 12 because it's already out of print and to my knowledge it has been postponed until June or even July.

When added to the ridiculousness of the Abyss being cancelled too, this looks to be turning into a very large let-down!
 
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The de-noising of True Lies from above looks to be far better than the usual "smeary" effect seen on previous upscales, but I'd still want to see it in video form rather than stills, just to see how much the AI based sharpening filter has made things look unrealistic.
 
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BBFC response to The Abyss Uhd cancellation in the UK.

I read it as the BBFC indicated they would require the same cuts to the rat sequence as per previously released UK versions since 1989 - as a result Disney / Lightstorm declined to submit a version for classification.

 
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BBFC response to The Abyss Uhd cancellation in the UK.

I read it as the BBFC indicated they would require the same cuts to the rat sequence as per previously released UK versions since 1989 - as a result Disney / Lightstorm declined to submit a version for classification.


Don't think I've ever watched Abyss where that scene wasn't included.

Watched it recently, always worth a watch.
 
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