A Better Tomorrow II

DVD Released by : Media Asia

Player reviewed with : Sony S3000

Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925

Features:

Interactive Menus

Scene Access

Filmogrophies and Bios

Trailer

Cantonese or Mandarin Soundtracks

English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia, and Thai Subtitles

Dolby Digital

A BETTER TOMORROW II continues the story of Ho and Kit who team up with Mark's twin brother Ken to help a former gangster find out who betrays him and tries to strip him of his legitimate business that he has worked so hard for.

First we'll take a look at the Media Asia version.

The same comments about the Media Asia ABT DVD apply here. The picture is too bright and during the dark scenes the picture gets a little hazy looking. There are some very noticeable artifacts. I would put the brightness lower on my TV and the picture didn't look so bad but I don't believe in going crazy changing the TV controls for every different DVD I play. Not every scene looks bad, just the night ones.

The sound is also mixed pretty bad. There are times when the guns sound like they are in the distance when they are right in front of the camera. There would have been nothing wrong with a mono mix of this movie.

The subtitles have a few spelling and grammatical errors but nothing that will distract from viewing. They are easy to read and are in sync with what is being said.

The menus aren't bad. Actually I like them better than some big Hollywood releases. The extras are adequate, though not anything to write home about. It has the film bios of the actors and director as well as the trailer.

All in all, the Media Asia DVD isn't horrible but it is lacking on all fronts when compared to the Anchor Bay version.

The Anchor Bay version is probably the best the film has ever looked. The picture is miles ahead of the Media Asia release. Anchor Bay did a great job on this transfer. The colors are rich and the picture holds up well during the dark scenes. There are a few scratches or tears in the film but these aren't bad. The picture is even better than the Anchor Bay version of ABT I. This would have to be due to the source print that was used. Overall, the picture looks great.

DVD Released by : Anchor Bay

Player reviewed with : Sony S3000

Receiver reviewed with : Sony 925

Features:

Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1)

Enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs

Scene Access

Filmogrophies and Bios

International Theatrical Trailer

Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer

Cantonese Soundtrack (Mono) with optional English

subtitles or English dubbed soundtrack (Mono)

The soundtrack is offered in mono only. I prefer this over the 5.1 remixes. The sound quality is very good. It's great to have the original soundtrack the way it was supposed to be heard.

The subtitles, like the Anchor Bay version of ABT I, are very well done. The translations are great and they are in sync with what is being said. They are easy to read and never get erased by the background. I watched some of the movie with the English dub and I noticed it is a little different than the subtitles. I noticed it sometimes changes the meaning of what is being said.

The extras include two trailers. The Hong Kong trailer is the one that has scenes from ABT I. There is also an international trailer with a narration in English that I hadn't seen before. The DVD also includes the same bios and filmographies that were included on the ABT I DVD. I would have liked to see more extras on the DVD. To be honest, I am just happy it has a good picture and the original soundtrack.

This DVD is definitely one to get. This is so much better than the Media Asia version. The picture is great with the exception of a few minor scratches. The quality is close to what THE KILLER and HARD BOILED look like on the Criterion or Fox Lorber releases. Anchor Bay did a great job on this movie.