Metallica Through the Never's 1080p/MVC-encoded presentation and 3D experience impress, both on the stage and off. Beams of light, sparks, flashing video monitors, lasers and belching flames are vivid and white-hot, while vibrant swaths of blue, green and purple douse the band and crowd. Skintones are nicely saturated, black levels are satisfying, and delineation is quite good. Detail also delivers, although not with the consistent crispness or clarity you might expect. Softness, artifacting, noise and other minor, infrequent eyesores creep into the concert, as do other anomalies tied to a few low-res, steadicam shots; all attributable to the various cameras and source photography, sure, but a bit distracting all the same. The only real downside, though, is that each distraction is exacerbated by the 3D presentation, as any unsightly nuisances are that much more in-your-face than they are in 2D.

Even so, the 3D experience is a proficient one. Filmed in native 3D, stage shots are striking, with notable depth and pop (particularly when the stage is bathed in light), while scenes that take place throughout the city exhibit excellent dimensionality. Aliasing and crosstalk are rarely a problem either, and the 3D encode fares as well as its 2D counterpart. Trip's journey still steals the show, though, with more cinematic 3D than the slightly gimmicky 3D of the concert stage. Darker and grittier than Metallica's live show, Antal's war-torn cityocalpse looks great, with deeper, richer hues, an earthier palette, more refined edge definition, more exacting fine textures and more remarkable 3D prowess. Clearly the cameras employed are of a higher quality. Fewer issues plague the story sequences as well, and close-ups are more revealing. Surprisingly, it doesn't result in an erratic image, and the stage show dovetails neatly into the segments starring Trip. All told, there's little here to complain about, and even less to worry over. Metallica fans will certainly get their money's worth.

Contents is all mint

The box that everything goes in showed normal wear

Contents:

3 Blu-ray 3-D discs

(2) 12” x 10” lithograph’s made from pictures taken at the show

(1) sealed bandana

(1) hologram lenticular card of the album cover

Box set box with black inserts