This release comes with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix and according to the Criterion Booklet, it was created in 2004 by Universal Studios from the original 35mm magnetic track. Additional work and restoration were performed by Criterion. This track has a surprising amount of low-end bass, mostly from vehicle engines revving up and the killer soundtrack by the popular rock bands of the time.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High comes with a brand new 1080p HD transfer to Blu-ray in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. According to the Criterion Booklet, this new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution from the original 35mm camera negative where thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed. All of this was supervised by director Amy Heckerling.
This new transfer is by far the best Fast Times At Ridgemont High has ever looked and is a gigantic upgrade from the previous releases on Blu-ray and DVD. The previous releases had quite a few issues with colors bleeding, harsh grain that fluctuates, and visual problems that made the image look rather dated and bad. All that is fixed here with this new Criterion transfer. The color palette is more vibrant and organic, revealing all the primary colors of the interiors inside the mall, the hamburger joint, and in the classrooms. Everything from Spicoli's open shirts to the football team's uniforms, and even the light blue pool water looks exquisite with the contrast of Cate's bright red swimsuit. The yellow and greens inside Mr. Hand's classroom look richer than before as well. Again, top-notch color correction this time around, making this film look brand new again.
