Point Break: Advanced DTS Collector's Edition DVD Review

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen the print is surprisingly good for such a low budget early 90's action flick. The image for the most part is detailed and clean with no signs of obvious print damage or dirt. Only a few scenes look washed out or flat and this seems to be a problem with the master print, not the transfer. There are no obvious signs of edge enhancement and digital compression is kept to a minimum throughout, even though the water effects must be a nightmare to encode. Overall the transfer is nowhere near the quality of today's new releases, but is above average for it's age.

Presented here as an advanced collector's edition, the Japanese disc has the option of both Dolby Digital and DTS sound mixes. Right from the opening fox logo the bass feels heavy and bloated, but soon settles when the titles run. The mix is aggressive and enveloping and certainly not how I remember the film from my old R1 disc. It would appear that some remixing has taken place to enhance the experience and open out the sound stage somewhat. Waves take on a weighty LFE effect which will shake your listening room to satisfying results without too much boom. Comparing the DTS track against the Dolby equivalent results in no obvious differences, both sound almost identical with bass feeling that little bit tighter and the mix a little more ambient with DTS but not a huge difference. Both soundtracks do the job effectively.

The set is described as an advanced collector's edition, but the list of extrs are disappointing to be honest. We get 5 different trailers all marked as separate extras, and a making of which is just an extended trailer. The most annoying thing about this is that all the clips are the same!
Point Break is fun, with excellent action footage with albeit an average plot. Disc presentation is good but the extras are disappointing.