Blu-rays for home cinema nuts: The Expendables

The Expendables - sound choice on Blu-ray
The Expendables - sound choice on Blu-ray

Home Cinema Choice - part of the TechRadar network - has revived its Blu-ray of the week for home cinema enthusiasts and is recommending that you all go out a purchase a copy of The Expendables.

Cut from the same cloth as pretty much any 80s action movie starring, Schwarzenegger and Stalone, the Expendables is a blast on Blu-ray, as Mark Craven, deputy editor of Home Cinema Choice, explains: "Released this week in a sumptuous 'Bullet-Proof' Limited Edition steelbook set, Sylvester Stallone's adrenalin-fuelled 80s action movie throwback is pure popcorn fun.

"The Italian Stallion joins forces with a platoon of genre icons (including Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger) to deliver 103 minutes of stunts, explosions and hammy dialogue.

"Lionsgate's Blu-ray may not offer the most striking picture around, as the AVC 2.40:1 1080p encode is hampered by the film's numerous nighttime locations and interior shots, but it's still a vast improvement on the DVD.

"The audio, meanwhile, is reference-grade stuff, with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix that fills your room with zinging bullets and thunderous low-level bass – the kind of soundtrack that deserves to be played loud and proud."

Expendables

Craven continues: "Another major reason to pick up this steelbook set is that it packs a bonus DVD housing an in-depth 88-minute documentary, called Inferno: The Making of The Expendables, where Stallone takes us behind-the-scenes to see exactly what happens when a group of action movie legends get together to blow things up."

To read a full review of The Expendables on Blu-ray, check out hcc.techradar.com.

The Expendables is out now, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

And for more Blu-rays for home cinema nuts, click here.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.