DVDBeaver skrev:

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray - May 09': I had assumed, without checking, that this was a single-disc Blu-ray release - but it's not - it is, in fact, like the DVD, it is 2 separate discs. The film transfer difference is humungous and can be best described mathematically - the Blu-ray is both more than 5X the feature file size and 5X the bitrate. The disc is chock-full with 48.5 Gig of the available 50 filled. In motion it's glorious and the 1080P is a brilliant way to showcase Claudio Miranda's cinematography. Every visual attribute is superior in the high-definition rendering with notable mention to the depth (see 2nd and 3rd large capture pairings below as case in point - they are guaranteed the exact frame!) which exemplifies the flatter SD-DVD and extols the abundant benefits of the superior format. By todays standards there is too much information in, an almost 3-hour, film of this nature to be sufficiently housed on less than 9 Gig of space for viewing on a standard HD home theater set-up. Compression is affected as are characteristics in the form of color balance and tightness, detail and contrast - across the board. This comparison confidently announces the hi-def a significant winner and for individuals who have seen both it makes returning to the DVD, especially for this film, virtually impossible. Visually the Blu-ray is that good and that much better.

The DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 3588 kbps similarly blows away the lesser format both in effect noise and the liltingly beautiful original music by Alexandre Desplat. At time it is more than just a bit stirring - evoking more feeling and stronger emotion. Both offer French and Spanish-dubbed soundtracks and optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, plus optional French and Spanish subtitles. My Momitsu Blu-ray player tells me this release is locked to region 'A'!

Extras are duplicated as covered below - same good commentary and, also on a second included disc - aside from galleries and trailers - the sole expanded 4-part featurette - running just shy of 3 hours - but here it is in HD! The liner notes are still there with Kent Jones 3-page essay.

As I anticipated, I certainly did enjoy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button more than my first two SD viewings. It is still long but I credit the Blu-ray transfer presentation for a significantly more epic 'feel'. This films has some incredibly beautiful moments that really shine forth in the new format. I'd actually advice against watching this on DVD... and encourage any viewing, outside of theatrical, to be Blu-ray.