MGM gives the film a lossless option with an English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix. What's here sounds good, but don't expect the movie to sound like a more modern war film might on Blu-ray as this track plays it fairly safe and doesn't differentiate from the original mix too much at all. Some background and ambient noise is welcome and helps to fill out some of the jungle scenes nicely, and the levels are well balanced throughout ensuring that dialogue is always easy to understand. This sounds a lot like a stereo mix, however, and at times it is quite front heavy. The film's score never quite opens up the way that you might want it to or the way that it could have, and while sound effects have a bit more punch here than they do on the DVD's 5.1 remix, they never quite hit reference quality levels. For an older mix, however, Platoon sounds good. Not great, but good.

The original English 4.0 mix is also offered in Dolby Digital format. Optional dubbed tracks are provided in Spanish, French, German, Italian and Russian DTS 5.1, Portuguese and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, and Czech and Hungarian Dolby Digital 2.0. Subtitles are provided in English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Swedish, Thai and Turkish.

The Extras:

As far as the extras go, this is essentially the MGM special edition disc as it carries over the supplements from that release starting with the commentary track from director Oliver Stone in which he talks about his own experiences in Vietnam, how they relate to what we see on film, the historical significance of certain events that the film deals with and what it was like shooting on location out in the jungle. Stone's commentary tracks are always interesting and this one is no exception - if you haven't heard it before, it's definitely worth your time. A second commentary from Captain Dale Dye that focuses more on the military aspect of the movie is also included and it too is worth checking out simply because it relays a lot of welcome information as to the realism of the film, the locations, and more as it all pertains to both the film and the war taking place in the film.

From there we move on to the featurettes, starting with the forty-eight minute Flashback To Platoon which is a three part look at the making of the movie that starts off by exploring the late sixties time period in which the movie is set before delving into cast and crew interviews with pretty much all of the principal players involved in the film. It covers a bit of the same ground as Stone's commentary at times but has enough exclusive information that it's certainly worth the time to watch. One War, Many Stories is a twenty-five minute featurette that is made up of interviews with a few different Vietnam veterans who each tell of their experiences in the war, with some stories from Stone himself who recounts his time in the military as well. Preparing For 'Nam is a seven minute piece in which Stone and the other interviewees talk about how they decided to enlist and what they did to prepare themselves for the war they were going to be sent into while Caputo And The 7th Fleet is a two minute bit with author Phillip Caputo discussing the evacuation of Saigon that took place in 1975. In The Dye Training Method Dale Dye talks about how he got the actors ready for their roles as soldiers while the one minute Gordon Gekko explains the co-relation between Platoon and Wall Street.

Rounding out the extras on the disc are eleven minutes worth of deleted scenes (available with optional commentary from Stone who provides valuable context for them and explains why they weren't used in the final cut of the movie), three television spots, a theatrical trailer, animated menus and chapter stops. Since this is a combo pack release, a DVD copy of the movie is also included, both discs fit inside a standard Blu-ray case that in turn fits inside a sleeve cover. All of the extras on the Blu-ray are presented in standard definition except for the theatrical trailer which is the only extra in high definition.

Overall:

Platoon remains an exciting and moving picture, an intelligent war film that focuses not just on the action so often associated with it but on the impact it has on the very real people who have served their country. Emotionally gripping and expertly made, it remains one of Stone's best and MGM's Blu-ray gives it a strong transfer, marginally improved audio, and a good selection of extras making this release highly recommended.

Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.