Thinking about picking up this set. Would like review/comments on whether it is worth it. Is Seven Samurai better??

-Mike

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MyDVDTalkHabitResults

If you don't have 7 Samurai I would personally go with that first. I've only seen the Samurai trilogy once, and to be honest with you it bored me to tears. Usually I like this genre but for some reason I just couldn't get into the trilogy. I'm going to go back and rewatch them though just to see if maybe it was a fluke on my part http://talk.dvdtalk.com/ubb/wink.gif Netflix has them for rental if you are a member.

[This message has been edited by nemein (edited May 12, 2000).]

Thanks nemein. With the 16.99 per prices at buy.com and the coupon, I was thinking of picking up the lethal weapon dts series and either this set or 7 samurai. Though I realized I may get 7 samurai for free from Amazon.

If you watch all 3 movies in one night, you will realize that what a masterpiece the Samurai Trilogy is. http://talk.dvdtalk.com/ubb/smile.gif

hanami: I'm with you on this one. It's a masterful epic, with deep characters and meaningful conflicts. The pace is significantly slower than modern Hollywood thrillers. Also, the fight scenes are sparse, but when you watch it, you'll realize it's not a "Ninja Scroll" kind of movie. When the fight scenes do occur, they're pretty moving. Musashi's battle with a lot of guys at the end of Samura II is stunning.

- David Stein


[This message has been edited by sfsdfd (edited May 12, 2000).]

I watched them on consecutive nights, and each night I enjoyed the series more. The movies built upon each other, slowly defining the personalities of each character, and demonstrating how each one changed in response to the hardships and battles they fought. Definitely slower-moving than we are used to in Hollywood action movies, but the fights are superb and the plotline was quite enjoyable. I'll be watching this series again in a few months, I suspect, and I'm glad I went to the trouble to search out the disks.

Thanks all...Went ahead and got the whole series. Used the 20 off 100 at buy.. Picked up some other stuff too.. Barely made the minimum (less than a buck over)

Going to get 7 samurai too...

Like a cheap @ss, I am buying the Criterions one at a time when they happen to be cheapest for me. So, I only have Samurai I and II so far. And, not being patient, I didn't wait until getting III to watch I and II. Just watched them today in fact.

The initial installment was astounding. I was riveted. Mifune is just fantastic. The story was interesting, the characters were complex and I cared for them. The plot twisted a bit and the fight scenes were not overblown. At the end of the first movie, I just wanted more. So, I watched the second one.

The second movie is not as good as the first, though maybe I'm just getting tired of reading subtitles. I've just never been a great fan of eighty against one fights. And with every woman in the movie falling for the star, the overall effect was cartoonish. The first movie was real, and exciting. The second left me unsatisfied. I guess the second is supposed to be some spiritual quest, but it didn't come off that way to me.

Of course though, now I want to see the conclusion, and regret not waiting until I had all three to watch. And I'm not planning on forking out full price for this item, so I will have to be patient. Patience is the better part something, they say.

The pictures were okay, though I was occassionally surprised by flaws in the prints. Sound... I never though about commenting on sound for foreign films. I have to have them loud, just like any other movie. Sound was good. Extras, extras, my kingdom for some extras. The booklets coming with the dvds were interesting, for the whole four minutes it took to read them. Other than that, all there were were trailers.

On the whole, Samurai I and II are engrossing and worth the dollars I spent on them (I'll be watching them again), but they don't compare to Seven Samurai. They don't compare because of the story, the directing, the extras... they just don't compare. Okay, Toshiro Mifune compares... can't go wrong there.

[This message has been edited by strusinsk (edited July 18, 2000).]