Blu-ray News and Reviews | High Def Digest
Film & TV All News Blu-Ray Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders 4K Ultra HD Reviews Release Dates News Pre-orders Gear Reviews News Home Theater 101 Best Gear Film & TV
Blu-Ray : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $191.7 Last Price: $ Buy now! 3rd Party 191.7 In Stock
Release Date: November 6th, 2012 Movie Release Year: 2012

Universal 100th Anniversary Collection

Overview -

For 100 years, Universal Pictures has been entertaining audiences all around the world with some of the most unforgettable movies ever made. The collection features a selection of 25 unforgettable films that helped shape the legacy of one of the most successful movie studios of all time. Featuring prestigious Academy Award® winners such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Sting, genre-defining classics like Dracula and Spartacus, captivating storytelling such as Field of Dreams and Do the Right Thing, blockbusters like Jurassic Park and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and pure entertainment with franchises including The Bourne Identity and The Fast and the Furious, these movies continue to have an enduring impact throughout the world.

The Universal 100th Anniversary Collection includes an exclusive “100 Years of Universal” 72-Page collector’s book chronicling the history of Universal over the last 100 years including rare photos and memorabilia from the studio’s archives. The collection also includes an exclusive 15-track music CD containing a selection of the most popular music scores from Universal films including Psycho, The Sting, Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Out of Africa. Featuring hours of bonus features including an exclusive bonus disc, including 8 “100 Years of Universal” featurettes, vintage cartoons and rarely seen shorts from the Universal archives.

Boxed set includes:

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Dracula (1931)
Drácula (1931)
Buck Privates (1941)
Pillow Talk (1959)
Spartacus (1960)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Birds (1963)
American Graffiti (1973)
The Sting (1973)
Jaws (1975)
National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Scarface (1983)
Back to the Future (1985)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Out of Africa (1985)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Field of Dreams (1989)
Jurassic Park (1993)
Apollo 13 (1995)
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008)
Despicable Me (2010)

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
72-Page Collector's Book
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p/Multiple
Length:
0
Aspect Ratio(s):
Multiple
Audio Formats:
Multiple
Subtitles/Captions:
Multiple
Special Features:
Multiple
Release Date:
November 6th, 2012

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Just in case you haven't bought most of these on Blu-ray already, Universal has seen fit to release a gargantuan set that includes 25 films throughout the ages of their existence. The movies that date pre-2000s are some of the most iconic and memorable films the studio has to offer. Many of them are classics in every sense of the word. Comedy, drama, action, adventure, it's all in here. The problem is you might have purchased all, or most, of them in standalone releases.

Since we've already reviewed every film that can be found in this set, we'll simply link to the previous reviews below:

1930: 'All Quiet on the Western Front'
1931: 'Dracula'
1941: ''Buck Privates''
1959: 'Pillow Talk'
1960: 'Spartacus'
1962: 'To Kill a Mocking Bird'
1963: 'The Birds'
1973: 'American Graffiti'
1973: 'The Sting'
1975: 'Jaws'
1978: 'National Lampoon's Animal House'
1982: 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial'
1983: 'Scarface'
1985: 'The Breakfast Club'
1985: 'Back to the Future'
1985: 'Out of Africa'
1989: 'Field of Dreams'
1989: 'Do the Right Thing'
1993: 'Jurassic Park'
1995: 'Apollo 13'
2001: 'The Fast and the Furious'
2002: 'The Bourne Identity'
2008: 'Mamma Mia'
2010: 'Despicable Me'

Personally, I take issue with the inclusion of 'Fast and the Furious,' 'Mamma Mia,' and 'Despicable Me' being placed in the same collection of movies as 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Jaws.' It's obvious that in the later years Universal seemed to be reaching to include some newer films. Better picks might have included 'The Deer Hunter,' 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High,' or even Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' for more recent releases. A great selling point for this set would've been for Universal to include an exclusive release of 'Schindler's List.' I know it's a pipe dream at this point, but think of how much more coveted this set would be if it was the only place, for now, to get a Blu-ray of one of the last great anticipated Blu-ray releases.

However, the set does contain a large number of cinematic classics. Directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Mulligan, John Hughes, Robert Zemeckis, Sydney Pollack and Brian De Palma are featured. Many of these films, their actors and directors are the who's who of cinematic icons. While the pickings get slimmer after the year 2000, this is still an extremely solid set of movies.

The problem still remains though, that a set like this is cost prohibitive to some people, especially because they've already spent the money picking up many of the movies as they've come out. Even with the extra goodies, like the booklet and restored shorts, it's hard to justify spending so much money for many movies that are sure to be duplicates of stuff already on your shelf.


The Blu-ray: Vital Disc Stats

The packaging of the set is pretty much identical to Universal's packaging of the 'Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection.' It comes in book form, with each page constructed from somewhat sturdy cardboard material. Discs slide into a side slot. Packaging discs this way almost makes it impossible to not get fingerprints on the disc when you remove them. I've only had the set a couple days and have already had problems with the discs slipping all the way through and into the binding of the book making it impossible to shut unless you can slip your finger in and push the discs back out of the binding area. It's quite an annoyance if it ends up happening. It's certainly hard to justify the high sticker price for packaging that seems pretty flimsy from the outset.'

Each section of the package has a nice display though. On the left side we get the release year along with a classic one-sheet from the movie's theatrical run. On the right side is where the disc is stored along with an introduction to the movie (what makes it special and inclusion worthy), a few interesting factoids about the movie, and a list of the bonus features included on that particular disc.

Included with the set is a 71-page, full-color, booklet that is dedicated to showcasing Universal Studios and their films throughout the past 100 years. Not only does it discuss most of the movies included in the set, but it covers a vast expanse of Universal's history. It's only a cursory view of the history of the studio, since it's been made to fit into a small book, but it's an interesting read nonetheless.

Also, included are two bonus discs. The first is a disc of exclusive special features that include vintage shorts, vintage cartoons, and the collection of the "100 Years of Universal" featurettes. Some of which can be found on random discs throughout the Hitchcock set. The other bonus disc included is a CD that contains some of the most famous musical scores included in this set, and also a few movies that aren't. You'll find music from 'Psycho,' 'Airport,' 'Scarface,' 'Jaws,' and 'Touch of Evil' just to name a few. There are 15 tracks in all on this disc.

This is a 27-disc set. All of the Blu-ray Discs included (25 total) are 50GB discs. The bonus disc with the vintage shorts and cartoons is, disappointingly, a standard DVD. The last disc is the CD mentioned above.

Finally, the entirety of the set's contents slip nicely into a sturdy outer case which is classically adorned with famous artwork from the included movies. Even though it contains 25 movies, Universal has done a good job keeping the set as compact as possible. Although, that does mean a tradeoff with the packaging and doing away with disc hubs and using simple slide-in disc holders.


Video Review

Ranking:

Because these are all repurposed discs, and no new remasters have been done for this set, we'll refer you to the reviews that have already been written for each respective movie. You can visit the original review by following the direct link in the Movie Itself section. Or you can take a quick glance below at the list we compiled below of the scores that each one of these movies received in the video department.

1930: 'All Quiet on the Western Front': 4.5

1931: 'Dracula': 4.5

1941: 'Buck Privates': 3

1959: 'Pillow Talk': 4

1960: 'Spartacus'

1962: 'To Kill a Mocking Bird': 4.5

1963: 'The Birds': 4

1973: 'American Graffiti': 2

1973: 'The Sting': 3.5

1975: 'Jaws': 5

1978: 'Animal House': 2.5

1982: 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial': 4.5

1983: 'Scarface': 3.5

1985: 'The Breakfast Club': 3.5

1985: 'Back to the Future': 4

1985: 'Out of Africa': 3

1989: 'Field of Dreams': 3

1989: 'Do the Right Thing': 4.5

1993: 'Jurassic Park': 3.5

1995: 'Apollo 13': 4.5

2001: 'Fast and the Furious': 4.5

2002: 'The Bourne Identity': 4

2008: 'Mamma Mia': 4

2010: 'Despicable Me': 5


Audio Review

Ranking:

Because these are all repurposed discs, and no new audio mixes have been produced for this set, we'll refer you to the reviews that have already been written for each respective movie. You can visit the original review by following the direct link in the Movie Itself section. Or you can take a quick glance below at the list we compiled below of the scores that each one of these movies received in the audio department.

1930: 'All Quiet on the Western Front': 3.5

1931: 'Dracula': 4

1941: 'Buck Privates': 3

1959: 'Pillow Talk': 4

1960: 'Spartacus'

1962: 'To Kill a Mocking Bird': 4

1963: 'The Birds': 4

1973: 'American Graffiti': 3

1973: 'The Sting': 3.5

1975: 'Jaws': 5

1978: 'Animal House': 3

1982: 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial': 4.5

1983: 'Scarface': 4

1985: 'The Breakfast Club': 3.5

1985: 'Back to the Future': 4

1985: 'Out of Africa': 3.5

1989: 'Field of Dreams': 3

1989: 'Do the Right Thing': 4

1993: 'Jurassic Park': 5

1995: 'Apollo 13': 4.5

2001: 'Fast and the Furious': 5

2002: 'The Bourne Identity': 4.5

2008: 'Mamma Mia': 3.5

2010: 'Despicable Me': 5


Special Features

Ranking:

Please visit the direct links in the Movie Itself section to take a gander at the film-specific special features that are included. Listing them all out would make this review unnecessarily long. For a quick reference on the scores each received check out the list below.

1930: 'All Quiet on the Western Front': 3

1931: 'Dracula': 4

1941: 'Buck Privates': 1.5

1959: 'Pillow Talk': 3

1960: 'Spartacus'

1962: 'To Kill a Mocking Bird': 4

1963: 'The Birds': 4

1973: 'American Graffiti': 2

1973: 'The Sting': 1.5

1975: 'Jaws': 3

1978: 'Animal House': 2

1982: 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial': 3

1983: 'Scarface': 3.5

1985: 'The Breakfast Club': 2.5

1985: 'Back to the Future': N/A (the score was given on trilogy as a whole in the original review)

1985: 'Out of Africa': 2.5

1989: 'Field of Dreams': 4.5

1989: 'Do the Right Thing': 4.5

1993: 'Jurassic Park': N/A (the score was given on trilogy as a whole in the original review)

1995: 'Apollo 13': 3

2001: 'Fast and the Furious': 3

2002: 'The Bourne Identity': 3.5

2008: 'Mamma Mia': 2.5

2010: 'Despicable Me': 3


When weighing whether or not to buy a set like this, there are a few factors to consider. First, you need to think if there are enough movies in the set that you don't already have to make the purchase worth it. Secondly, you need to examine the packaging. Is the packaging up to your standards? Or is it sub-par considering the high sticker price for the set? Personally, the slide-in packaging has a lot of drawbacks, and the cardboard nature of the book that contains the discs appears that it won't age well at all. Third, you have to weigh if the exclusives provided are worth the overall investment. Since there are no new films to the format included, this means simply taking into account the bonus disc. Are the inclusions of the vintage cartoons and shorts (which are only included in DVD form) enough for you to splurge on this set? If you don't have the included discs already then this set is highly recommended.