Platoon's long-awaited 1080p Blu-ray debut transfer will satisfy most fans, but leave many more wondering if it could have been a little bit better. The image retains some grain -- a bit here, a noisy spike there -- but at other times it appears a little too clean, perhaps suggesting a touch of noise reduction in some scenes. The print is in fair shape, exhibiting a few minor and random pops and scratches but otherwise appearing stable and accurate throughout. Fine detail is decent; facial textures often look good but not amazingly intricate, but the 1080p transfer does pick up a few little surprises that longtime Platoon viewers with well-worn VHS and LaserDisc editions will note for the first time, whether additional face paint, grime, bug bite makeup, or other mostly inconsequential textures that never really stood out on lower-resolution releases. The image also benefits from a boost in clarity and stability, which also accentuates finer details in uniforms and foliage. Additionally, detail increases in brighter scenes when the image isn't trapped in nighttime shots or under the relative darkness of the jungle canopy. Colors are pretty much limited to shades of green in many scenes, with the camouflaged uniforms blending in with the surrounding jungle but with just enough differentiation in shading to allow viewers to clearly make out what's going on in most scenes. Brighter colors are limited to a dash of red in a pack of Marlboros or a red bandana Taylor wears at the end of the film. Black levels could stand to improve a bit; slight crush is evident at times, but at the same time blacks never wash out or brighten up, instead remaining inky dark, a critical component in accentuating the dangers and nighttime environments. Chances are most Platoon fans will be pleased with MGM's transfer given the right expectations. It would be nice to think that this could look like some brand new release, but the reality is that a sometimes wishy-washy transfer that settles on the positive side of "good" -- which this one most certainly is -- is probably about the best one could hope for.

Unfortunately, Platoon's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is the unequivocal weak point in this release. Much like the video presentation, it's simply unrealistic to expect Platoon to suddenly sound like Saving Private Ryan just because it's on Blu-ray and plays through a lossless soundtrack. The results are decidedly mixed, with part of the perceived problems appearing to be inherent to the source, and a few other problems perhaps the result of an engineering misstep on the transfer-to-Blu-ray process. The track seems inherently shallow and limited in range; music always plays with a subtly cramped feel to it. Clarity is fair, but whether the opening Adagio for Strings selection or The Tracks of My Tears by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, music always seems a little bit less-than-ideal, struggling to stretch naturally across the soundstage or even play at an expectedly higher volume. Nevertheless, various sound effects maneuver around the soundstage effortlessly enough, whether a chopper traversing from side to side, a jet screeching through the sky, or weapons fire tearing through the listening area. None of these enjoy pinpoint clarity, but the raw sound effects are nicely handled by the 5.1 soundtrack. Jungle and general atmospherics are nicely and tastefully implemented; whether singing birds or always-buzzing insects, Vietnam's jungles spring to life in most scenes. On the flip side, a few scenes featuring heavy falling rains sound clumpy and indistinct, while weapons fire is usually mushy and lacking in power, particularly evidenced in the scene where Chris fires at the foot of the crippled villager; the shots sound more like they're coming from a cap gun rather than a full-powered rifle. The most disappointing aspect of the track comes in dialogue reproduction; while most of the film features balanced and clear speech, far too many lines sound unbalanced, sounding too high or too low or even unnaturally detached from the image. There also appears to be an inconsequential lip-sync issue in a scene where Taylor and Crawford are charged with cleaning the latrines. A medium-distance tracking shot featuring Crawford speaking while dragging the waste receptacle away is clearly out of sync with his mouth movements. This problem appears to be limited to this single shot. Platoon's soundtrack is never going to play as exponentially better than this, but there does appear to be some room for improvement.