Below is a portion of the review by Mike Spring on the DESPERADO SUPERBIT in the DVDAngle site.
Look & Listen:
While the original Desperado DVD presentation was a very good one, the picture on the new Superbit DVD is nothing short of incredible. This high-definition transfer is presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen, and it is, in a word, breathtaking. Image clarity is razor sharp, with the cleanest lines I've ever seen grace a DVD. The big difference between this and the previous Desperado DVD's is evident in the finer details. While the earlier discs were very clear and sharp, the Superbit transfer gives an incredibly lifelike, picture-perfect image. The razor stubble that is evident on nearly every character in the film, every grain of dirt on the ground, every drop of blood…all are outlined in near infinite detail. Even in scenes that are edited together in an "MTV-on-acid" frenzied style are so clean and clear that is impossible to lose track of the action, allowing you to continuously follow every character and object on screen. Also, the picture exhibits no noticeable excess grain, visual noise, or pixelation of any kind, which only lends to the intense clarity of the picture. Color saturation levels are perfect and spot on. There is a vibrant brilliance to the entire film, giving it a very three-dimensional and lifelike look. There is no color bleed or color shifting, and contrasts are excellent as well. Blacks are as deep and inky as possible, and shadow delineation, which can often be a disc's weak point, is stunningly good here. No matter how dark or shadowy a scene gets, every little detail is as noticeable as those that are evident in bright sunlight. Unlike many Columbia/Tristar discs, edge enhancement is virtually absent here, and the print as a whole is remarkably clean. The earlier discs featured a very minor amount of dust and debris, but the Superbit transfer is entirely devoid of any nicks, specks, scratches, or blemishes. Overall, there is no denying that this is simply one hell of a transfer, and Desperado has never looked better.
Desperado has never sounded better, either. Another superior aspect of the Superbit collection is the fantastic audio elements it presents. Viewers are presented with the option to watch the film in Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1 (at the "lower" rate of 754 kbps). Interestingly enough, while I am almost always a major proponent of DTS soundtracks, I found the two on this disc to be remarkably similar. The only real difference between the two is a slightly deeper bass presence in the DTS track (Editor's Note: This is most likely due to the 4 dB gain over the Dolby Digital track), but for the most part, dialogue and effects levels are almost identical in every aspect on both tracks. Whichever one you choose, however, you are in for a treat. This is one of the most aggressive and spatially spread out soundtracks that I've ever come across, and the result is absolutely stunning. First off, dialogue is incredible, with a smooth, natural timbre, crystal clear tones, and a lifelike quality to them that make it sound as if the performer on screen is actually in the room with you. But that's just the icing on the cake. The really incredible stuff is in the utilization of the surround channels. While the earlier discs did include very impressive Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes, the soundtracks on the Superbit disc are simply incredible. Panning and directional effects are pushed to their very uppermost limits, and not a single action onscreen goes unmatched by a corresponding sound effect. Footsteps, bullets, explosions, hand claps, breaking glass…this incredibly discrete mix places all of these sounds in a very widely spread soundfield. In an early dream sequence, as a villain walks through a room as the only person clapping, you can hear his hand claps travel 360° around the room before settling in the center channel. LFE usage is fantastic as well. Not only does the discrete bass channel lend its weight to every gunshot and explosion, but even to simple things like the sound of a booted footstep walking across a wooden floor. The gunshots sound like cannon fire, so imagine what the explosions sound like. Even simple foley effects, like the spurs on Antonio Banderas' boots jangling on the floor, are incredibly crisp and clear. To say that these tracks will (pardon the pun) blow you away would be a severe understatement.
Extras & Highlights:
Ummm… well, there's a cover box, and a little booklet, and a neat-o slip cover… ahh, never mind. There are no extras of any sort on any Superbit releases.
Menus & Interface:
Keeping with the "every spare fraction of space will be given to the sound and picture" tenet, the interface on the disc is as bare as can be. Menu options are presented against a brushed steel background that looks as if it would be much more at home on a Terminator DVD. There are no transitions, animations, sounds, or even photos of any kind, except in the scene selection menu, which simply offers static chapter previews. I can't say I'm terribly surprised that these aren't more impressive, but frankly, they're a little on the ugly side.
