The Natural in 1080p HD

THE OTHER DAY I watched The Natural in high definition on my father-in-law's 55" Samsung 1080p LED/LCD TV. It was nothing short of amazing as the picture quality was so sharp that it felt quite real, as if I was actually on the movie set standing next to the director with his video camera. But therein lies the problem. See, while it felt like I was priviledged enough to be on the set with the director and one of the greatest actors of our generation in Robert Redford, it also felt, well... fake.

See, if I feel like I'm on the set, then I'm no longer being drawn into the movie, relating and emoting with the characters. Instead, I found it fascinating, in virtual reality, to be observing the actors acting on the set. And I found myself quite critical of them. In particular, I thought Wilford Brimley, the manager, exaggerated a bit too much, almost coming across as being too cliche. On the other hand, I thought Redford's acting stood up quite nicely to the virtual reality of 1080p.

I don't necessarily feel like 1080p ruined movies for me. If anything, I'm enjoying the feeling of being on set with these great actors and in a baseball setting, so much the better.

NOTE: The Natural came out in 1984, that's 26 years ago, but you can still feel like you were there or at least 26 years younger. I also watched Back to the Future II (1989) and Jaws (1978). Have you ever watched a 32 year old movie from the 70's and felt like you were standing next to authentic and plaid polyester? I'm telling you, it's pretty amazing.