Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Let me start off by saying, yes these are both the remastered 50th anniversary editions of Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments that are sold separately for the same price as this double feature. Yes there are four Blu-rays in the case, two for Ben Hur and two for The Ten Commandments. And yes this is really is as good a deal as it seems. If you are looking to add these two movies to your collection, this is the one to buy. The only thing that you are giving up by buying this double feature is having one extra case on your shelf. As far as the movies themselves go, the remastering job on both is incredible. The video quality looks as good as movies that are filmed today, and the audio has been remastered into DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and sounds awesome. The films are also complete, with parts of the films, especially Ben Hur, that I've never seen before. The two films did get different treatment though, and I must admit that I like the remastering on The Ten Commandments better. Ben Hur which was shot on 65mm film, maintains it original theatrical ultra-widescreen aspect which requires letter boxing at the top and bottom of the screen. If there is a let down for me, it is the audio remastering. While it is remastered in DTS-HD 5.1, the EQ was not reworked to give the voice track especially, as well as the music tracks the depth and bass that we are used to in todays films. Instead they have more of a tinny sound that was the norm for films of their day. The Ten Commandments is presented in a 16x9 aspect ratio which eliminates the black bars on the top and bottom and fills the screen completely. The other big difference is the audio EQ was done so that the full depth of the sound, which does sound as good as films made today, fills the room with the DTS-HD 5.1 surround sound. The full presence of Charlton Heston's voice is faithfully reproduced, as well as the magnificent music throughout the film. So in short, if you are wanting to add these two classics to your library, this is a no brainer.