In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.
I don't remember much about 1995's Judge Dredd. I did like it, but probably more for the dark and dreary futuristic sci-fi atmosphere it had and the fact that it starred Stallone rather than anything else. I remember Diane Lane, Armand Assante, Max Von Sydow, and even Rob Schneider (*bleh*). I remember those kick-ass Lawgivers, some really cool set pieces (a prison out in the middle of a desert, I think), and that's about it. Needless to say, I was just a kid back then and my cinematic sensibilities have grown a lot since that time, which brings us to this reboot. The world has irradiated itself from nuclear war. The earth is all but a barren wasteland, with its remaining inhabitants crowded into Mega-Cities. Mega-City One's population is 800 million, with its territory stretching from Boston to Washington D.C. Amongst the crowded chaos stands one force to bring order; a force that serves as jury, executioner, and Judge. On a day when Dredd (Karl Urban) is assigned rookie, Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), for assessment, they would get more than they bargained for on her first day. In response to an initial homicide call at the city block of Peach Trees, they also discover a drug ring run by a woman called Ma-Ma (Lena Heady). But she won't have the Judges taking one of her men into custody. And in an attempt to thwart them, she seals the block's blast doors, leaving the Judges to fend for themselves as they battle to survive.
Since the old Dredd, I've discovered a lot of interesting titles that make this movie the bleak and desolate sci-fi actioner that it is. Not that I'm saying any of these films are directly responsible for what you see here, but I like to think they helped contribute. These movies are: Blade Runner, Training Day, V for Vendetta, and Punisher: War Zone. This new Dredd takes some of the dystopian elements of Blade Runner, not so much the sense of prowess and ingenuity for its time, but similarly in that the future is a dirty, grimy, and post-Apocalyptic one. The Training Day reference is seen in how Dredd teaches Anderson to make her own judgement calls, how those decisions can turn out (for better or worse), and ultimately ponders the morality of what can and can't be done within the legal system. The Punisher: War Zone similarity comes in the excessive style and mentality of the hyper-violence. Here, you have Dredd working on the side of the law. But the law, in fact, allows him to brandish his own (bloody) justice based on their rules and his own judgement, much like the Punisher does as a vigilante, only the Punisher worked outside of the law. Then, there's V for Vendetta which, for the most part, was about anarchy (or anarchy in the sense of "freedom," if you go by the movie). Where V fought to break out of authority, I see Dredd as the exact opposite in that he fights to achieve it. As lawless and degenerate as the world of Dredd is, I'm fascinated by this contrasting view that manages to tell all of these things in 90 minutes of action-packed goodness. And because of that, I now regard this as one of my all-time favorite films.
Dredd was shot using 3 kinds of digital cameras: the Phantom Flex, which shoots at a rate of over 3,000 frames per second capturing every little detail for slow-moving, jaw-dropping clarity, as seen from all the obvious effects in the Slo-Mo sequences; the Red One MX, which captures images at 4.5K resolution and is currently the highest-quality camera of its class at the moment; and the Silicon Imaging SI-2K, a favorite of DP (director of photography), Anthony Dod Mantle, that shoots at a native resolution of 2K and was used in collaboration for both of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours (of which the first won an Oscar for its cinematography). Case in point: they shot this movie using some pretty top-notch cameras, and it definitely makes a difference. Not to mention, with such a masterful and skilled DP like Mantle working on, frankly, the most popular comic book franchise to ever come out of England, a visual feast is to be expected. The result was an excellent 2D image. But the fact that this was shot in 3D is what makes the film even more of a unique experience.
I saw Dredd in theaters twice, of which both viewings were in 3D. So seeing it at home on BD is actually my first time ever seeing it in 2D. That being said, the 2D presentation is near-perfect. The beauty of Dredd being shot with all these cameras means that the negative format is completely digital, so transferring it to BD was a cinch. Clarity is spectacular showing all the little lines and details in the sets, props, costumes, and texturing. Dredd's face (at least what's shown of it) and all the Judges uniforms look razor-sharp. In particular, I really like how you can see the stubble on Dredd's face and the lines above his lips with that signature scowl. The black levels give the film a very gritty feel and and balance perfectly with the contrast to show just enough detail within the frame, but also withholds enough to give the movie a kind of edginess. The color scheme is very monochromatic, though I'd say it helps create the bleak, desolate atmosphere that Dredd is supposed to be. It consists mostly of dark reds, blacks, dingy greys, and mustard greens, but I like the effect it gives the story. Alternatively, the colors become very exaggerated during the Slo-Mo sequences, where the crew wanted to create a surreal, almost artistic, sense of depth in conjunction to what the the drug is actually supposed to do to your brain. On the downside, since the movie was shot in Stereo (Stereoscopic 3D), it gives way for some video anomalies: the non-Red One MX-shots have a little bit of digital noise in them, colors and detail seem a bit off in some shots, and the obvious 3D effects simply don't register on a 2D viewing plane. So if you can, I highly recommend you watch this in 3D by default.
3D - 5.0
And now to the good stuff. Lately, I've been going through and sampling a lot of 3D movies to compare depth, pop, and overall effectiveness just to see how one 3D movie can differ from another. Most of the 3D movies I own were shot in native 3D, with I think, The Avengers being being the one lone converted-3D title I tried out with the rest. And after lots of sampling, I've come to the conclusion that for all the excuses I hear for 3D merely being a "gimmick," it ultimately comes down to artistic creativity and how the director and production crew decide to present their movie. In the case of Dredd, after watching the special feature on the movie's visual effects, I have to say I commend the approach Mantle took with his first-ever attempt at filming in 3D. The world of Dredd is a confined one. The world was blown to hell, and what remaining 800 million people there are have to bundle into one Mega-City that only stretches so far along the Eastern Seaboard. Knowing this, Mantle purposely utilizes the effect of closeups to help accentuate the nature of this confinement and isolation. I feel this gives the film an extra sense of depth just by itself and that it does a great job creating separation between the fore-, middle-, and background.
As for the more commonplace 3D elements (i.e. the "pop" effect). The film takes advantage of this mostly during the Slo-Mo sequences. Smoke floating, bullets flying, and blood, glass, and water splattering, shattering, or splashing look especially breath-taking when combining the frame rate of the Phantom Flex, the exaggerated color scheme, and the layering of 3D to create a true thing of beauty in an otherwise "ugly" world of a story. This particular visual aspect adds a whole new dimension to the storytelling, and provides a great counterpoint to the hyper-violence rampant throughout. Coincidentally, all the digital noise and off-color anomalies that are present in the 2D version are pretty much absent in 3D. And I have to say that in comparison to what I saw in theaters (which used a Sony 4K projector), seeing this on an LED flat-panel screen looks even better. The brightness of the LED lighting makes a huge difference in detail, which I'm willing to sacrifice a little size and blacks for, so definitely give this a chance in a home theater setup if you thought the video was a little too murky back in the cinemas.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Neo:X
- English: Dolby Digital 2.0
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
- English, English SDH, Spanish
Being an action movie on top of everything else, Dredd has a remarkably aggressive audio design that really puts the viewer in a bubble of sound throughout its entire duration. While guns firing, bullets ricocheting, and structures crumbling make up the forefront of this chaotic mix, it's Paul Leonard-Morgan's pulsating electronic score that really enhances the mood. Much like Hans Zimmer's work for the action sequences in The Dark Knight, the score acts as a sound effect in itself to help give the film a unique sound. In the case of Dredd, I feel the music gives it a sort of "driving force" that can double as either a representation of Dredd, the character, or the kind of world he's living in and trying to defend. The rhythm of these pieces, in turn, end up making a good portion of the movie fly by before you know it. But of course, as a fan of action movies I won't deny the bad-assery of all the shooting, explosions, and blood splattering all over the place either. In terms of pure immersive audio, you couldn't ask for anything better.
As for the actual quality of sound from the speakers, it's perfect. Dialogue is at a very clear and discernible level that not only emanates from the center, but occasionally through the front, side, and rear channels as well. Dynamic range is stellar from the piercing sound of bullets to the low end of the music making for a sonic treat. Separation offers up some pretty intense moments when the Judges are having shootouts with stuff blowing up from this and that speaker and the music resonating through or along with it from the others. Side and rear channels have excellent directionality dividing proper placement of effects such as bullets flying from one side of the screen to the other, crowds of people scrambling to safety, or vehicles driving across the road. And last, but not least, are the LFEs (low frequency effects). Bass is pounding from the constant rhythm of the score and the frequent discharge of the Lawgivers, with an even more boisterous display of this when Ma-Ma and her gang are shooting up a floor with motorized .50-caliber Gatlings. This is definitely a reference track for showing off your home theater setups.
Extras - 2.5
- Mega-City Masters: 35 Years of Judge Dredd (HD; 14:27)
A brief, but very detailed overview of Judge Dredd since his first appearance in Britain's weekly comic book publication, 2000 A.D. The creators and various other writers/artists talk about Dredd's origins (much of the influence coming from Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry), the symbolism and representation of his character (a stranglehold on order, justice, and authority), and get into particular detail about his design and how they wanted it to be simple, yet macho enough to be the complete embodiment of the law (his helmet mimicking a medieval executioner's mask, with the eagle on his shoulder representing America, or in some cases, fascism). They also discuss Dredd's rise in popularity over the tenure of his existence and how the character itself became an icon amongst British comic book lore. In addition, they also discuss the general worldview of Dredd, the various characters and scenarios he faced, and the different types of stories written over the years (i.e. satires, metaphors, etc.). I honestly wish this segment were double the length, as I'm really interested in learning more about the franchise, now.
- Day of Chaos: The Visual Effects of Dredd (HD; 15:21)
This segment talks mainly about the production design of the movie and the specific style of 3D they wanted to shoot. Initially, all the art and production crew had to work with was a storyboard script (that coincidentally looked like a comic book itself), but still managed to achieve the look and vision that was asked for by using a lot of practical shots throughout South Africa and incorporating sprinkles of CG to make it look like the dirty, grimy, yet massive set piece that is Mega-City One. The inside of Peach Trees was constructed to scale as a set, but only had 3 floors and a quarter of the actual coverage, which they later redressed for different shots and angles. Meanwhile, the 3D aspect was something the crew wanted to do a little differently than most other 3D films. Here, they had more so an intention of creating a surrealist perception of Dredd's world using lots of closeup shots, the occasional Slo-Mo sequence, and other effects to give the viewer a more "wondrous" feel, as opposed to the gimmicky "pop" most other films have become acclimated to producing. It's a damn shame this and the first segment were all they could afford to make in terms of extras, as I feel there's a lot more work that went into the actual movie that we'll never get to learn about.
- Dredd Featurette (HD; 1:53)
A promotional piece that gives a very basic overview of the film's setting and plot. And it's not even as intriguing as the theatrical trailer. I would say it feels more like those promos they play in the theater like a commercial before the lights go out and the actual trailers even start.
- Dredd's Gear (HD; 2:31)
Again, too brief of a segment that talks about Dredd's police gear, Lawgiver gun, and motor bike.
- The 3rd Dimension (HD; 2:00)
Some quick tidbits about shooting in 3D. Most of it is rehash from the Visual Effects segment.
- Welcome to Peachtrees (HD; 2:33)
Talks about how the production crew wanted use the entire city block set as a "character" in the movie.
- Dredd Motion Comic Prequel (HD: 2:57)
Gives a little background info on Ma-Ma and the man that created Slo-Mo.
- Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:30)
Overall - 4.5
I didn't even know they were doing this remake, let alone how awesome it would be. Dredd is a visually stunning and thoroughly engaging sci-fi actioner with a lot of subtle influences that I feel make it a perfect setup for the world of Judge Dredd. And as well-received as it was by fans and critics alike, it sadly has yet to break even of its production budget to show any kind of profitability. But if you've seen this movie based on a recommendation (mine or someone else's) and like it, do me the favor of spreading the word to anyone you think would like this and try to help the home video sales for a possible sequel. In fact, it's rumored that screenwriter Alex Garland wants to make this a trilogy which, given how great this first installment is, would be a sight to behold. The video specs are excellent in 2D. But the fact of the matter is that you should see this in 3D at least once in your life. Meanwhile, the audio will definitely rock your theater room, so be careful not to disturb anyone if you're watching this late at night. And it's a shame the special features couldn't include more content (like an audio commentary). But hopefully enough word will get out, people will buy this, and we'll see that trilogy yet!
Warner Bros. | 2005 | 140 min | Rated PG-13 | Region free
| Jul 08, 2008
Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as
a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir
Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the...
Prior to seeing this reboot I only liked Tim Burton's renditions, but more so for them being Tim Burton movies rather than actual Batman movies. I didn't see Batman Begins in theaters and never even considered watching it till the DVD came out because I was so embarrassed at the debacle that is Joel Shumacher's Batman & Robin (though I will say Forever was decent, despite its inclination for campiness). So I blind-bought this on DVD and was blown away by its epic storytelling, characterization, and wonderful production quality. The story starts out with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in a Bhutanese prison meeting a man named to Ducard (Liam Neeson) who works for one Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), the leader of the League of Shadows. In meeting Ducard, he recruits Wayne and mentors him in the ways of the League, instilling and debating philosophies of good versus evil, the power of will, and the arts of deception and theatricality. In becoming one of their finest students, though, Wayne must complete his rite of passage by taking the life of a man who murdered his neighbor in a territorial dispute. But in being who he is, Wayne decides not to take the man's life, and instead, destroys the League's base of operations. He then returns to his home of Gotham City deciding to transform himself into a symbol of justice to fight crime, protect the innocent, and bring down the corrupt, in which he dawns the masked persona of Batman. And through his initial journey, he's assisted by the likes of his long-trusted butler, Alfred (Michael Caine), an old family friend at Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and the one good cop left in Gotham's police force, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman).
As many times as it's been done through Batman (or any other kind of comic book/fictional writing, really) what draws me to this film the most is its presentation and symbolism of Bruce Wayne, his inner conflict with himself over the responsibility of his parents' death, his willingness and fortitude to act upon that tragedy, and his continuing efforts to be Batman and live his life for a greater cause by continuing to fight for Gotham City. My favorite aspects of the film are its dark and gloomy atmosphere, the especially wonderful cast, and an extremely well-written script that manages to amaze and inspire for both the characters and overall narrative. For an origins story, I really like how it fills in the gap of Bruce Wayne's time away from home, the lessons he learned, and how it slowly molded him into the eventual persona of the Caped Crusader. In addition to some excellent plot development and character exposition between him and his one-time mentor, I also thought it made for a great climax and clashing of ideals between two similarly-minded people, but with completely different approaches. However, being only an origins story, there's just so much depth one can expose, as this is just the tip of the iceberg until the real meat of the story shows itself in The Dark Knight.
Video - 4.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Some people say HD-DVD is to blame for the apparently weak presentation seen here on the BD, but I disagree. While it's true HD-DVD does have its technical limitations in terms of disc space and attainable bit rates, their have been some pretty good ports of other films including 300, Blade Runner, The Departed, I Am Legend, The Matrix, or Troy, just to name a few. This transfer for Batman Begins is more a result of video-tinkering from the people at Warner Bros. And after seeing The Dark Knight Trilogy in IMAX, I believe I can now give a more accurate assessment to how this BD faithfully preserves the theatrical presentation. To start, let's talk about detail. From what I saw in the theater and what we're given on the BD, it's not "softness" in the picture, so much as it is a"subdued" look. Despite the image not having razor-sharp detail, Wally Pfister's photography is duly represented here and is as sharp as I saw in the theater. Very intricate weaving in the costumes and fine texturing in facial features and skin look excellent.
Colors are about as bold as they should be, while blacks are almost perfect. The problem, however, lies in two factors: contrast and saturation. In seeing the SD-DVD, the BD, and the IMAX versions of the film, I've determined that the main color palette is supposed to be somewhere around a "Fall, seasonal orange." The IMAX version looked best with a very balanced dose of orange/tan, whereas the BD appears to have a more reddish/pale appearance. And because of the slightly-boosted contrast and de-saturated skin tones, it seems as if everyone is either blushing, coming down with a cold, or just got angry and is trying cooling off. It's not a bad presentation by any means, but I distinctly remember (and admired) the darker, more dreary look the film had in its IMAX presentation. And as a result of the minor tinkering, colors aren't quite as striking, and blacks aren't as deep and inky. Nonetheless, it's a much better job than what they did to The Dark Knight. Unless Nolan just really feels the need to remaster this himself for some kind of anniversary edition down the road, don't let the stigma of "HD-DVD port" fool you. It's still a pretty good transfer.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
- English: Dolby Digital 5.1
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track may not show much in terms of numbers averaging around just under 2Mbps, but the sound quality is deceptively top-notch. Dialogue is clear and never distorts through the center. Everything from the various voices of Bruce Wayne, to his Batman growls, to Lucius Fox's echoes down in R&D, to Dr. Crane's synthesized voice are reproduced perfectly. Separation is stunning from the get-go of the opening sequence with the immersion of bats flapping around, and especially later on during the discovery of the Batcave and breakout at Arkham. The Bhutanese prison fight does a good job of a "silence and isolation" effect between Wayne's beating up of the prisoners and when Ducard confronts him with the proposal for joining The League of Shadows. Directionality is also well-placed to the rears during action sequences in the form of (more) bats, a scene of rainfall where all the drops are nicely-divided, and of course the final battle sequence on the monorail.
The score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard keeps up great pace and mood between all the action and drama, though not nearly to the effect of their work in The Dark Knight, but that's for another review. Low Frequency Effects, by the way (as per the score), are booming. The crackling ice on the frozen lake is the first example of subtle, but good, bass levels, while the Batmobile chase, and the various explosions at the end of the movie all make for reference material with some excellent fidelity and dynamics in oomps and thumps. Part of the difference between what I thought I heard the first time and now, though, lies completely in the newer home theater setup I have. In fact, it makes a big difference in a lot of the movies I watch these days, so make sure you're somewhat up-to-date on your gear. My favorite scenes for reference are any of the bat immersion scenes (opening title, discovery of the Bat Cave, or when he's breaking out of Arkham), the training sequence on the frozen lake (awesome directionality and bass in the ice cracking), and the Batmobile chase (lots of booms and a great chance for the music to shine as well).
Extras - 4.5
- The Dark Knight IMAX Prologue (HD; 6:36)
Presented in MPEG-2 and Dolby Digital 5.1, this is easily the most attractive feature on the disc. Back when I bought this BD I must've watched the Prologue a good 7 or 8 times before the The Dark Knight even came out in theaters a couple of weeks later; it was that awesome. But yes, fans of the Nolan franchise had every right to be ecstatic, as the movie itself in its entirety is beyond any real description with this being just the opening sequence. And while it was only encoded in MPEG-2, the picture quality actually looks a lot better than what they give us in Begins (then again, it's an IMAX shot with absolutely zero tinkering, outside of the aspect ratio).
- In-Movie Experience
A rather chopped up Picture-in-Picture commentary that takes most of its content from the other special features and splices them into different parts of the movie. Some of the material is exclusive to this mode, but none of it is really that insightful as a lot of the interview segments are only 1 or 2 minutes apiece on average. The presentation of said material also feels very disjointed, 1) because the audio mixes in and out of the movie's soundtrack going from a 2-channel field for the commentary into the boisterous 5.1 lossless track of the movie (which can be a bit jarring), and 2) there's not even a lot of material in the first place.
Topics discussed include: the writing, Liam Neeson's emphasis on scripts, filming in Iceland, a brief interview with Ken Watanabe, the costuming of the opera scene, interviews with Katie Holmes, Tom Wilkinson, another Neeson bit about the sword training, a blurb with Emma Thompson on the ninjas being shorter than Neeson, an interview with Michael Caine about playing Alfred, Nathan Crowley and how he built the Bat Cave, an interview with Rutger Hauer, some character analyses on Lucius Fox, Jim Gordon, Alfred, and Bruce Wayne, an interview with Cillian Murphy and talk about the Scarecrow's mask, how Christian Bale approached the role of Batman, how the music was composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, and a couple of other things I don't care enough to remember. Overall, since Maximum Movie Mode wasn't around at the time I would've liked a full-blown audio commentary instead, as Nolan is very good on those. But the actual special features are still pretty informative about the production itself.
Note: The extras menu has everything lined up kind of weird with the "Additional Footage" being aligned on the left side all by itself for some reason instead of on the right where it should've been. The more important features (outside of the Tankman parody) are straight down the middle. Aside from the Dark Knight Prologue and theatrical trailer, everything else is presented in SD.
- Tankman Begins (SD; 5:12)
MTV's lame attempt at trying to be funny for their movie awards show thingy starring Jimmy Fallon, Andy Dick, and Jon Heder. A couple of parts are funny, but the rest isn't so much.
- The Journey Begins (SD; 14:16)
Shows how the concept and story were developed, then eventually written, and how they went about casting. Nolan actually approached Goyer, which I thought was interesting because Goyer said he was set to direct and I never even knew he did (actually, looking at his résumé I see he did Blade: Trinity... Yeah, he's a much better writer, definitely).
- Shaping Mind and Body (SD; 12:49)
A look at Christian Bale's preparation for the role of Batman. Previously, he had lost 70 lbs. for The Machinist (weighed about 120 at the time), but then had to gain around 100 lbs. back for Batman Begins the following year. He says he took Nolan's words to heart to just "gain as much weight as you can," and apparently got a little too plump for the role. But they eventually toned him up by the time filming started. Big props to the guy for dedication, though I'm sure that kind of drastic change in that amount of time won't be good for his health later on.
- Gotham City Rises (SD; 12:48)
Shows how they made some shots of Gotham City from CG and others from scratch on a studio lot. Nathan Crowley talks in particular about how they built the Bat Cave, Arkham Asylum, and the Narrows from the ground up, which is actually pretty amazing when you consider a couple of those sets were right next to each other.
- Cape and Cowl (SD; 8:18)
A somewhat short, but informative look at the design of the batsuit by costume designer Lindy Hemming, who I'm just now noticing worked on a handful of James Bond movies (good for her!). In particular, she mentions how she wanted to make the suit more mobile in the neck and head area so as not to give it an awkward turning motion like previous the Batman suits had.
- Batman - The Tumbler (SD; 13:40)
A very interesting look at the Tumbler/Batmobile. It's pretty cool that they also built this from scratch after initially going though a few different designs in Christopher Nolan's garage. This feature focuses a lot on the actual design, mechanics, and practicality of the Tumbler itself and how they were able to get some great shots of it for the car chase sequence thanks to the amazing talents of stunt driver Chris Cottle.
- Path to Discovery (SD; 14:13)
Covers the filming in Iceland. This was actually around the beginning of filming and, interestingly enough, they had to shoot the training sequence on the frozen lake almost immediately because the ice was supposed to melt pretty soon after their arrival. And from the looks of the terrain, it's pretty amazing they got what they did with so little time to prepare.
- Saving Gotham City (SD; 13:01)
Shows the work they put into the final battle sequence on the monorail and how they wanted to make it look as real as possible with very little CG. The fight between Bale and Neeson was just the two of them with no stuntmen and really goes to emphasize the personal touch they wanted to put on it by getting the timing right. The derailment and explosion of the train itself was a miniature, and they show a few different angles of those shots.
- Genesis of the Bat (SD; 14:53)
A look into the comic book origins of the Batman franchise. Specifically, they attribute Batman Begins to a combination of the Year One and The Long Halloween graphic novels. It's sort of generic whether you actually read the comics or not, but it tells you enough that if you don't know about them, you should check them out anyway.
- Stills Gallery
Pictures.
- Confidential Files
Pictures with text.
- Reflections on Writing (SD; 1:57)
A quick story on David S. Goyer's writing endeavors and how the guy at the comic book store eventually busted him for writing a Batman movie after the large amount of graphic novels he ended up buying.
- Digital Batman (SD; 1:06)
Reveals that the Batman that dropped down and walked out of Arkham was, in fact, completely CG'd.
- Batman Begins Stunts (SD; 2:30)
Shows the Tumbler tests, wire work, and stuntman Buster Reeves being lit on fire.
- Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:13)
A pretty bad trailer considering how epic the movie really is and how much of a better film-maker Nolan has become today.
Overall - 4.5
By now, I'm sure anyone that loves this movie already owns it. The thematic depth here is just the beginning; and the new direction Nolan takes the franchise in is truly a sight to behold compared to its predecessors. It's literally and figuratively dark with excellent writing from the screenplay down to the script, possesses an all-star cast of actors, and is arguably the best representation of the Batman mythos to date (well, outside of its sequels). While the video quality is a little short of excellent, the audio is reference and the extras are as meticulous as its director. Unless Warner Bros. just decides to totally remaster the video for a double/triple-dip down the road, this is at least worth owning for now and a must-see for Bat fans.
Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as
a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir
Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the...
Prior to seeing this reboot I only liked Tim Burton's renditions, but more so for them being Tim Burton movies rather than actual Batman movies. I didn't see Batman Begins in theaters and never even considered watching it till the DVD came out because I was so embarrassed at the debacle that is Joel Shumacher's Batman & Robin (though I will say Forever was decent, despite its inclination for campiness). So I blind-bought this on DVD and was blown away by its epic storytelling, characterization, and wonderful production quality. The story starts out with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in a Bhutanese prison meeting a man named to Ducard (Liam Neeson) who works for one Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), the leader of the League of Shadows. In meeting Ducard, he recruits Wayne and mentors him in the ways of the League, instilling and debating philosophies of good versus evil, the power of will, and the arts of deception and theatricality. In becoming one of their finest students, though, Wayne must complete his rite of passage by taking the life of a man who murdered his neighbor in a territorial dispute. But in being who he is, Wayne decides not to take the man's life, and instead, destroys the League's base of operations. He then returns to his home of Gotham City deciding to transform himself into a symbol of justice to fight crime, protect the innocent, and bring down the corrupt, in which he dawns the masked persona of Batman. And through his initial journey, he's assisted by the likes of his long-trusted butler, Alfred (Michael Caine), an old family friend at Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and the one good cop left in Gotham's police force, Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman).
As many times as it's been done through Batman (or any other kind of comic book/fictional writing, really) what draws me to this film the most is its presentation and symbolism of Bruce Wayne, his inner conflict with himself over the responsibility of his parents' death, his willingness and fortitude to act upon that tragedy, and his continuing efforts to be Batman and live his life for a greater cause by continuing to fight for Gotham City. My favorite aspects of the film are its dark and gloomy atmosphere, the especially wonderful cast, and an extremely well-written script that manages to amaze and inspire for both the characters and overall narrative. For an origins story, I really like how it fills in the gap of Bruce Wayne's time away from home, the lessons he learned, and how it slowly molded him into the eventual persona of the Caped Crusader. In addition to some excellent plot development and character exposition between him and his one-time mentor, I also thought it made for a great climax and clashing of ideals between two similarly-minded people, but with completely different approaches. However, being only an origins story, there's just so much depth one can expose, as this is just the tip of the iceberg until the real meat of the story shows itself in The Dark Knight.
Video - 4.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Some people say HD-DVD is to blame for the apparently weak presentation seen here on the BD, but I disagree. While it's true HD-DVD does have its technical limitations in terms of disc space and attainable bit rates, their have been some pretty good ports of other films including 300, Blade Runner, The Departed, I Am Legend, The Matrix, or Troy, just to name a few. This transfer for Batman Begins is more a result of video-tinkering from the people at Warner Bros. And after seeing The Dark Knight Trilogy in IMAX, I believe I can now give a more accurate assessment to how this BD faithfully preserves the theatrical presentation. To start, let's talk about detail. From what I saw in the theater and what we're given on the BD, it's not "softness" in the picture, so much as it is a"subdued" look. Despite the image not having razor-sharp detail, Wally Pfister's photography is duly represented here and is as sharp as I saw in the theater. Very intricate weaving in the costumes and fine texturing in facial features and skin look excellent.
Colors are about as bold as they should be, while blacks are almost perfect. The problem, however, lies in two factors: contrast and saturation. In seeing the SD-DVD, the BD, and the IMAX versions of the film, I've determined that the main color palette is supposed to be somewhere around a "Fall, seasonal orange." The IMAX version looked best with a very balanced dose of orange/tan, whereas the BD appears to have a more reddish/pale appearance. And because of the slightly-boosted contrast and de-saturated skin tones, it seems as if everyone is either blushing, coming down with a cold, or just got angry and is trying cooling off. It's not a bad presentation by any means, but I distinctly remember (and admired) the darker, more dreary look the film had in its IMAX presentation. And as a result of the minor tinkering, colors aren't quite as striking, and blacks aren't as deep and inky. Nonetheless, it's a much better job than what they did to The Dark Knight. Unless Nolan just really feels the need to remaster this himself for some kind of anniversary edition down the road, don't let the stigma of "HD-DVD port" fool you. It's still a pretty good transfer.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
- English: Dolby Digital 5.1
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track may not show much in terms of numbers averaging around just under 2Mbps, but the sound quality is deceptively top-notch. Dialogue is clear and never distorts through the center. Everything from the various voices of Bruce Wayne, to his Batman growls, to Lucius Fox's echoes down in R&D, to Dr. Crane's synthesized voice are reproduced perfectly. Separation is stunning from the get-go of the opening sequence with the immersion of bats flapping around, and especially later on during the discovery of the Batcave and breakout at Arkham. The Bhutanese prison fight does a good job of a "silence and isolation" effect between Wayne's beating up of the prisoners and when Ducard confronts him with the proposal for joining The League of Shadows. Directionality is also well-placed to the rears during action sequences in the form of (more) bats, a scene of rainfall where all the drops are nicely-divided, and of course the final battle sequence on the monorail.
The score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard keeps up great pace and mood between all the action and drama, though not nearly to the effect of their work in The Dark Knight, but that's for another review. Low Frequency Effects, by the way (as per the score), are booming. The crackling ice on the frozen lake is the first example of subtle, but good, bass levels, while the Batmobile chase, and the various explosions at the end of the movie all make for reference material with some excellent fidelity and dynamics in oomps and thumps. Part of the difference between what I thought I heard the first time and now, though, lies completely in the newer home theater setup I have. In fact, it makes a big difference in a lot of the movies I watch these days, so make sure you're somewhat up-to-date on your gear. My favorite scenes for reference are any of the bat immersion scenes (opening title, discovery of the Bat Cave, or when he's breaking out of Arkham), the training sequence on the frozen lake (awesome directionality and bass in the ice cracking), and the Batmobile chase (lots of booms and a great chance for the music to shine as well).
Extras - 4.5
- The Dark Knight IMAX Prologue (HD; 6:36)
Presented in MPEG-2 and Dolby Digital 5.1, this is easily the most attractive feature on the disc. Back when I bought this BD I must've watched the Prologue a good 7 or 8 times before the The Dark Knight even came out in theaters a couple of weeks later; it was that awesome. But yes, fans of the Nolan franchise had every right to be ecstatic, as the movie itself in its entirety is beyond any real description with this being just the opening sequence. And while it was only encoded in MPEG-2, the picture quality actually looks a lot better than what they give us in Begins (then again, it's an IMAX shot with absolutely zero tinkering, outside of the aspect ratio).
- In-Movie Experience
A rather chopped up Picture-in-Picture commentary that takes most of its content from the other special features and splices them into different parts of the movie. Some of the material is exclusive to this mode, but none of it is really that insightful as a lot of the interview segments are only 1 or 2 minutes apiece on average. The presentation of said material also feels very disjointed, 1) because the audio mixes in and out of the movie's soundtrack going from a 2-channel field for the commentary into the boisterous 5.1 lossless track of the movie (which can be a bit jarring), and 2) there's not even a lot of material in the first place.
Topics discussed include: the writing, Liam Neeson's emphasis on scripts, filming in Iceland, a brief interview with Ken Watanabe, the costuming of the opera scene, interviews with Katie Holmes, Tom Wilkinson, another Neeson bit about the sword training, a blurb with Emma Thompson on the ninjas being shorter than Neeson, an interview with Michael Caine about playing Alfred, Nathan Crowley and how he built the Bat Cave, an interview with Rutger Hauer, some character analyses on Lucius Fox, Jim Gordon, Alfred, and Bruce Wayne, an interview with Cillian Murphy and talk about the Scarecrow's mask, how Christian Bale approached the role of Batman, how the music was composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, and a couple of other things I don't care enough to remember. Overall, since Maximum Movie Mode wasn't around at the time I would've liked a full-blown audio commentary instead, as Nolan is very good on those. But the actual special features are still pretty informative about the production itself.
Note: The extras menu has everything lined up kind of weird with the "Additional Footage" being aligned on the left side all by itself for some reason instead of on the right where it should've been. The more important features (outside of the Tankman parody) are straight down the middle. Aside from the Dark Knight Prologue and theatrical trailer, everything else is presented in SD.
- Tankman Begins (SD; 5:12)
MTV's lame attempt at trying to be funny for their movie awards show thingy starring Jimmy Fallon, Andy Dick, and Jon Heder. A couple of parts are funny, but the rest isn't so much.
- The Journey Begins (SD; 14:16)
Shows how the concept and story were developed, then eventually written, and how they went about casting. Nolan actually approached Goyer, which I thought was interesting because Goyer said he was set to direct and I never even knew he did (actually, looking at his résumé I see he did Blade: Trinity... Yeah, he's a much better writer, definitely).
- Shaping Mind and Body (SD; 12:49)
A look at Christian Bale's preparation for the role of Batman. Previously, he had lost 70 lbs. for The Machinist (weighed about 120 at the time), but then had to gain around 100 lbs. back for Batman Begins the following year. He says he took Nolan's words to heart to just "gain as much weight as you can," and apparently got a little too plump for the role. But they eventually toned him up by the time filming started. Big props to the guy for dedication, though I'm sure that kind of drastic change in that amount of time won't be good for his health later on.
- Gotham City Rises (SD; 12:48)
Shows how they made some shots of Gotham City from CG and others from scratch on a studio lot. Nathan Crowley talks in particular about how they built the Bat Cave, Arkham Asylum, and the Narrows from the ground up, which is actually pretty amazing when you consider a couple of those sets were right next to each other.
- Cape and Cowl (SD; 8:18)
A somewhat short, but informative look at the design of the batsuit by costume designer Lindy Hemming, who I'm just now noticing worked on a handful of James Bond movies (good for her!). In particular, she mentions how she wanted to make the suit more mobile in the neck and head area so as not to give it an awkward turning motion like previous the Batman suits had.
- Batman - The Tumbler (SD; 13:40)
A very interesting look at the Tumbler/Batmobile. It's pretty cool that they also built this from scratch after initially going though a few different designs in Christopher Nolan's garage. This feature focuses a lot on the actual design, mechanics, and practicality of the Tumbler itself and how they were able to get some great shots of it for the car chase sequence thanks to the amazing talents of stunt driver Chris Cottle.
- Path to Discovery (SD; 14:13)
Covers the filming in Iceland. This was actually around the beginning of filming and, interestingly enough, they had to shoot the training sequence on the frozen lake almost immediately because the ice was supposed to melt pretty soon after their arrival. And from the looks of the terrain, it's pretty amazing they got what they did with so little time to prepare.
- Saving Gotham City (SD; 13:01)
Shows the work they put into the final battle sequence on the monorail and how they wanted to make it look as real as possible with very little CG. The fight between Bale and Neeson was just the two of them with no stuntmen and really goes to emphasize the personal touch they wanted to put on it by getting the timing right. The derailment and explosion of the train itself was a miniature, and they show a few different angles of those shots.
- Genesis of the Bat (SD; 14:53)
A look into the comic book origins of the Batman franchise. Specifically, they attribute Batman Begins to a combination of the Year One and The Long Halloween graphic novels. It's sort of generic whether you actually read the comics or not, but it tells you enough that if you don't know about them, you should check them out anyway.
- Stills Gallery
Pictures.
- Confidential Files
Pictures with text.
- Reflections on Writing (SD; 1:57)
A quick story on David S. Goyer's writing endeavors and how the guy at the comic book store eventually busted him for writing a Batman movie after the large amount of graphic novels he ended up buying.
- Digital Batman (SD; 1:06)
Reveals that the Batman that dropped down and walked out of Arkham was, in fact, completely CG'd.
- Batman Begins Stunts (SD; 2:30)
Shows the Tumbler tests, wire work, and stuntman Buster Reeves being lit on fire.
- Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:13)
A pretty bad trailer considering how epic the movie really is and how much of a better film-maker Nolan has become today.
Overall - 4.5
By now, I'm sure anyone that loves this movie already owns it. The thematic depth here is just the beginning; and the new direction Nolan takes the franchise in is truly a sight to behold compared to its predecessors. It's literally and figuratively dark with excellent writing from the screenplay down to the script, possesses an all-star cast of actors, and is arguably the best representation of the Batman mythos to date (well, outside of its sequels). While the video quality is a little short of excellent, the audio is reference and the extras are as meticulous as its director. Unless Warner Bros. just decides to totally remaster the video for a double/triple-dip down the road, this is at least worth owning for now and a must-see for Bat fans.
A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.
When I initially saw this in theaters I had no exposure to the GL franchise whatsoever aside from a few Justice League episodes. I saw the movie, loved the potential, but couldn't really tell if prior knowledge was required to enjoy this even more. Afterward, I watched the two GL animated feature films First Flight and Emerald Knights. First Flight really caught my attention, so I set out to read up what I could on my new-found interest. And after seeing those animated movies, doing the research, watching the extras on this BD, and finally re-watching the film with everything I learned, I have to say I became quite interested in what the GL franchise holds. The story begins on a moon in a distant galaxy where a group of aliens have accidentally discovered and freed a being named Parallax. Parallax had been imprisoned there by a Green Lantern named Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) and was left in captivity so it could no longer wreak havoc throughout the universe with its terrible power. After escaping, Parallax finds Abin Sur in an attempt to exact its revenge. Mortally wounded, Abin Sur barely escapes his ship and sets course for the nearest inhabited planet: Earth. In a last, desperate attempt to transfer its powers to a worthy successor, his ring chooses rowdy test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). With the ring, Hal is entrusted with the power and duty of serving the Green Lantern Corp, an intergalactic military force responsible for upholding the peace across the farthest reaches of the universe. But upon initial skepticism by senior Green Lantern Sinestro (Mark Strong), Hal would have to earn the confidence of the Corps and its founders, the Guardians. Meanwhile, Hal must overcome his fear of obligation and face his inner demons as Parallax makes its way towards Earth. What draws me to this film is its basic concept of good vs. evil and the core values of what it means to be a hero. All the traits that usually accompany this kind of status (power, responsibility, hope, etc.) are there just like any other superhero flick. But I find it interesting how the franchise takes these ideals beyond the mere scope of Earth and expands them across the vastness of the universe. This is very lightly touched upon by the dynamic relationship and beliefs between Hal and Sinestro: one believing that willpower is what drives life, with the other believing that life is maintained through the oppression of fear. Sadly, though, the two problems I have with this film is that it spends too much time on earth and not enough across space, and the fact that the rest of the Corps like Tomar-Re, Kilowog, and Sinestro hardly get any screen time for development. I think all four of the main Lanterns were excellently cast, particularly Mark Strong. And I really hope that if a sequel comes out that they expand upon everyone's characters in greater detail, especially the clash of ideals between Hal and Sinestro. By the way, the Extended Cut of the film is greatly encouraged. It's only 9:43 longer, but it actually does a much better job putting Hal, Carol, and Hector's characters into context for later events.
Video - 4.5
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
To start off, yes, aesthetically it's a fairly dark movie. Black levels are heavy and tend to crush some of the details and delineation making textures appear somewhat smudgy and a little hard to see at times, but that's exactly how it appeared in theaters and should be attributed to the cinematography. It's not any fault of the studio for making a bad transfer, so what you see is what you get. However, because of the heavy blacks I personally feel that colors receive a significantly bigger boost in boldness and vibrancy. The greens and yellows of the color palette are especially strong and were even addressed in the extras as an aspect they really wanted to nail in terms of presentation. Saturation is a little high as well and ends up making human flesh tones seem like everyone has a nice tan, but it also helps in accentuating the looks in all the alien lifeforms. Tomar-Re, Kilowog, and Sinestro, in particular, look great and very detailed in comparison to other versions of them I've seen in both the GL animated films and various drawings from the comic book art. And Blake Lively, mm.. Despite her casting being a little too young for the actual role of Carol she is, indeed, a beauty and I had trouble keeping my eyes off her in just about every scene she was in. Contrast feels very well-balanced, especially when she's on-screen (and I guess for Reynolds if you're a gal that likes looking at him, too). But yeah, I didn't think overall detail was as bad as so many other people make it out to be. In fact, compared to Sherlock Holmes and Kick-Ass (two other films that I feel had more problematic color schemes) this looks way better. Sherlock was not only crushed, but the art direction and costuming was considerably grey and foggy, whereas Kick-Ass had that weird "no blacks" palette to mimic the comic (ironically, both films also star Mark Strong). My favorite scenes are when Hal visits his nephew (it's probably the most "normal" down-to-earth-looking scene you'll find) for it's balanced and filmic texture, and then probably when Hal goes to Oa for his introduction into the Corps and initial training for its colorfulness and CG integration.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Extended Cut: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 only
While the video presentation might be questionable for some, the audio should be a no-brainer. Mixed by Michael Keller, Rick Kline, and Mike Prestwood Smith, 2 of who worked on such films as Hellboy II, Casino Royale (two of my loudest BDs) and the other nominated for 11 Oscars in Sound, Green Lantern comes with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that is sure to give your home theater system a rightful workout. The F-35s in the dogfight sequence are a pretty good indicator of what to expect with a very nice rumble and awesome directionality as the jets fly across the screen (ironically enough, one of these sound mixers also worked on Top Gun, go figure). LFEs are further tested by the occasional pulsing of Hal's power ring or any other green energy effects that either engulf or emanate from him during battle. Another great display is in the presence of Kilowog. When we first meet him on Oa and he tussles with Hal, even his footsteps feel thunderous. Separation is keen, specifically in the GL training sequence and when Hal is fighting Parallax. Whether he's using his constructs, getting pushed around, or having stuff blow up around him, when things start to pick up, action-wise, there's really nothing to complain about. Some reviews argue that just a tiny bit of the dialogue can become indiscernible when the sound gets too loud, but I never lost any of what they were saying (which might've been a word or two like "run!" or "look out!"). Getting back to the directionality, though, I really like the overall sound design and the comic book-esque effects they created. Specifically, I love the sounds the constructs make when they're being created by the Lanterns. The idea of energetic constructs itself feels very imaginative and the kind of clanking and dispersion noises they make when being built and discharged makes for a cool sound that kind of gets my own imagination going. My favorite scenes for reference are the aforementioned dogfight (for its roaring bass and panning effects) and then the scene where Hal is training on Oa (for its great directionality and separation amongst all the fighting and constructs being thrown around).
Extras - 4.5
- Maximum Movie Mode (162:55)
A Picture in Picture application that plays along with the Theatrical Cut of the film. It's not the "all-out" version where the director stands in front of split-screens and pauses the thing every now and then to explore an aspect of something, but instead we get DC Entertainment Chief and Green Lantern writer Geoff Johns taking us through a lot of material concerning the making of the film itself. I should also point out that there's a difference between watching MMM and the truncated Focus Points that are available separately from the movie. If you watch MMM in its entirety, it not only gives you the Focus Points, but also stills galleries and additional interview footage with Johns, Ryan Reynolds, director Martin Campbell, and other members of the cast and crew. This was a very big reason for me liking the film as much as I do, as it really shows you the amount of hard work and production that went into making it. I highly recommend everyone give this a viewing, whether you're a fan of the actual comic book series or just a casual movie-goer. It's quite informative.
- Focus Points (HD; 46:55 altogether)
If you're interested in the film-making process of the movie itself, these offer a lot of background and production notes that fans should really get a kick out of. The following features cover: pre-production and concept art while the movie was in its planning stages and how they eventually portrayed it, the filming of the dogfight and the level of realism Campbell wanted to put into it, the planning process and execution of what and why they chose to do GL's costume completely in CG, the motion-capturing, visual effects, and voice acting of the GL Corps, the prosthetic work that went into Abin Sur, Sinestro, and Hector Hammond, the concept and construction of the Guardians, and then the same for Parallax. Below are the segmented titles and their running times:
- The Art of Green Lantern (6:03)
- Weapons Hot: The U.C.A.V. Dog Fight (4:04)
- Reinventing the Superhero Costume (7:46)
- Ring Slinging 101 (5:20)
- We are the Corps (5:38)
- Acting Under 10 Pounds of Silicone (7:10)
- Guardians Revealed (6:10)
- When Parallax Attacks (4:42)
Other features include:
- The Universe According to Green Lantern (HD; 20:12)
An exploration of the comic book franchise from the various writers and artists that have worked on Green Lantern over the years. It's a fascinating progression from when the first issue started to about the point of Green Lantern: Rebirth. After watching MMM and all the Focus Points, this was icing on the cake in really getting me hooked on what the comics have to offer. I highly recommend this as a compliment to MMM, and to rookie fans like myself who'd like to know more about the franchise.
- Ryan Reynolds Becomes the Green Lantern (HD; 8:48)
Thoughts and analysis of the character Hal Jordan from cast and crew. It basically shows Reynolds and a lot of the prep he had to go through: 9 months of working out, doing some of his own stunts, and what he personally found interesting about Hal Jordan that made him want to do the role in the first place.
- Deleted Scenes (HD; 7:16)
Incomplete ones at that.
- Justice League #1 Digital Comic (HD; 9:13)
Part of the New 52 lineup. It's the entire issue with automatic moving panels and has some pretty sleek artwork.
- Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series (SD; 6:32)
The art is a little weird, but the storytelling and voice acting have potential.
Overall - 4.5
By this point, I'm confident in saying that I've become totally enamored with world of Green Lantern. The idea and concept of an intergalactic marine corps looks and sounds like a very cool idea. After seeing the two currently available GL animated features from DC, doing some research around the 'Net, and watching the incredibly informative extras on this BD, I am really excited with the prospect of discovering this franchise and learning a lot more about it. If anyone out there is reading this and can recommend me any graphic novels and such, I'd be more than willing to listen. And hopefully, if Warner can get enough funding together they'll make a much-needed sequel to further expand, what I think is, a really cool concept in the Green Lantern. The video quality looks great to me, but may be a little too dark for others, while the sound should be more than sufficient. And if you're a fan of the film or the franchise itself, definitely give the extras a look and maybe even check out those animated films if you haven't already. Highly recommended.
A test pilot is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.
When I initially saw this in theaters I had no exposure to the GL franchise whatsoever aside from a few Justice League episodes. I saw the movie, loved the potential, but couldn't really tell if prior knowledge was required to enjoy this even more. Afterward, I watched the two GL animated feature films First Flight and Emerald Knights. First Flight really caught my attention, so I set out to read up what I could on my new-found interest. And after seeing those animated movies, doing the research, watching the extras on this BD, and finally re-watching the film with everything I learned, I have to say I became quite interested in what the GL franchise holds. The story begins on a moon in a distant galaxy where a group of aliens have accidentally discovered and freed a being named Parallax. Parallax had been imprisoned there by a Green Lantern named Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) and was left in captivity so it could no longer wreak havoc throughout the universe with its terrible power. After escaping, Parallax finds Abin Sur in an attempt to exact its revenge. Mortally wounded, Abin Sur barely escapes his ship and sets course for the nearest inhabited planet: Earth. In a last, desperate attempt to transfer its powers to a worthy successor, his ring chooses rowdy test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). With the ring, Hal is entrusted with the power and duty of serving the Green Lantern Corp, an intergalactic military force responsible for upholding the peace across the farthest reaches of the universe. But upon initial skepticism by senior Green Lantern Sinestro (Mark Strong), Hal would have to earn the confidence of the Corps and its founders, the Guardians. Meanwhile, Hal must overcome his fear of obligation and face his inner demons as Parallax makes its way towards Earth. What draws me to this film is its basic concept of good vs. evil and the core values of what it means to be a hero. All the traits that usually accompany this kind of status (power, responsibility, hope, etc.) are there just like any other superhero flick. But I find it interesting how the franchise takes these ideals beyond the mere scope of Earth and expands them across the vastness of the universe. This is very lightly touched upon by the dynamic relationship and beliefs between Hal and Sinestro: one believing that willpower is what drives life, with the other believing that life is maintained through the oppression of fear. Sadly, though, the two problems I have with this film is that it spends too much time on earth and not enough across space, and the fact that the rest of the Corps like Tomar-Re, Kilowog, and Sinestro hardly get any screen time for development. I think all four of the main Lanterns were excellently cast, particularly Mark Strong. And I really hope that if a sequel comes out that they expand upon everyone's characters in greater detail, especially the clash of ideals between Hal and Sinestro. By the way, the Extended Cut of the film is greatly encouraged. It's only 9:43 longer, but it actually does a much better job putting Hal, Carol, and Hector's characters into context for later events.
Video - 4.5
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
To start off, yes, aesthetically it's a fairly dark movie. Black levels are heavy and tend to crush some of the details and delineation making textures appear somewhat smudgy and a little hard to see at times, but that's exactly how it appeared in theaters and should be attributed to the cinematography. It's not any fault of the studio for making a bad transfer, so what you see is what you get. However, because of the heavy blacks I personally feel that colors receive a significantly bigger boost in boldness and vibrancy. The greens and yellows of the color palette are especially strong and were even addressed in the extras as an aspect they really wanted to nail in terms of presentation. Saturation is a little high as well and ends up making human flesh tones seem like everyone has a nice tan, but it also helps in accentuating the looks in all the alien lifeforms. Tomar-Re, Kilowog, and Sinestro, in particular, look great and very detailed in comparison to other versions of them I've seen in both the GL animated films and various drawings from the comic book art. And Blake Lively, mm.. Despite her casting being a little too young for the actual role of Carol she is, indeed, a beauty and I had trouble keeping my eyes off her in just about every scene she was in. Contrast feels very well-balanced, especially when she's on-screen (and I guess for Reynolds if you're a gal that likes looking at him, too). But yeah, I didn't think overall detail was as bad as so many other people make it out to be. In fact, compared to Sherlock Holmes and Kick-Ass (two other films that I feel had more problematic color schemes) this looks way better. Sherlock was not only crushed, but the art direction and costuming was considerably grey and foggy, whereas Kick-Ass had that weird "no blacks" palette to mimic the comic (ironically, both films also star Mark Strong). My favorite scenes are when Hal visits his nephew (it's probably the most "normal" down-to-earth-looking scene you'll find) for it's balanced and filmic texture, and then probably when Hal goes to Oa for his introduction into the Corps and initial training for its colorfulness and CG integration.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Extended Cut: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 only
While the video presentation might be questionable for some, the audio should be a no-brainer. Mixed by Michael Keller, Rick Kline, and Mike Prestwood Smith, 2 of who worked on such films as Hellboy II, Casino Royale (two of my loudest BDs) and the other nominated for 11 Oscars in Sound, Green Lantern comes with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that is sure to give your home theater system a rightful workout. The F-35s in the dogfight sequence are a pretty good indicator of what to expect with a very nice rumble and awesome directionality as the jets fly across the screen (ironically enough, one of these sound mixers also worked on Top Gun, go figure). LFEs are further tested by the occasional pulsing of Hal's power ring or any other green energy effects that either engulf or emanate from him during battle. Another great display is in the presence of Kilowog. When we first meet him on Oa and he tussles with Hal, even his footsteps feel thunderous. Separation is keen, specifically in the GL training sequence and when Hal is fighting Parallax. Whether he's using his constructs, getting pushed around, or having stuff blow up around him, when things start to pick up, action-wise, there's really nothing to complain about. Some reviews argue that just a tiny bit of the dialogue can become indiscernible when the sound gets too loud, but I never lost any of what they were saying (which might've been a word or two like "run!" or "look out!"). Getting back to the directionality, though, I really like the overall sound design and the comic book-esque effects they created. Specifically, I love the sounds the constructs make when they're being created by the Lanterns. The idea of energetic constructs itself feels very imaginative and the kind of clanking and dispersion noises they make when being built and discharged makes for a cool sound that kind of gets my own imagination going. My favorite scenes for reference are the aforementioned dogfight (for its roaring bass and panning effects) and then the scene where Hal is training on Oa (for its great directionality and separation amongst all the fighting and constructs being thrown around).
Extras - 4.5
- Maximum Movie Mode (162:55)
A Picture in Picture application that plays along with the Theatrical Cut of the film. It's not the "all-out" version where the director stands in front of split-screens and pauses the thing every now and then to explore an aspect of something, but instead we get DC Entertainment Chief and Green Lantern writer Geoff Johns taking us through a lot of material concerning the making of the film itself. I should also point out that there's a difference between watching MMM and the truncated Focus Points that are available separately from the movie. If you watch MMM in its entirety, it not only gives you the Focus Points, but also stills galleries and additional interview footage with Johns, Ryan Reynolds, director Martin Campbell, and other members of the cast and crew. This was a very big reason for me liking the film as much as I do, as it really shows you the amount of hard work and production that went into making it. I highly recommend everyone give this a viewing, whether you're a fan of the actual comic book series or just a casual movie-goer. It's quite informative.
- Focus Points (HD; 46:55 altogether)
If you're interested in the film-making process of the movie itself, these offer a lot of background and production notes that fans should really get a kick out of. The following features cover: pre-production and concept art while the movie was in its planning stages and how they eventually portrayed it, the filming of the dogfight and the level of realism Campbell wanted to put into it, the planning process and execution of what and why they chose to do GL's costume completely in CG, the motion-capturing, visual effects, and voice acting of the GL Corps, the prosthetic work that went into Abin Sur, Sinestro, and Hector Hammond, the concept and construction of the Guardians, and then the same for Parallax. Below are the segmented titles and their running times:
- The Art of Green Lantern (6:03)
- Weapons Hot: The U.C.A.V. Dog Fight (4:04)
- Reinventing the Superhero Costume (7:46)
- Ring Slinging 101 (5:20)
- We are the Corps (5:38)
- Acting Under 10 Pounds of Silicone (7:10)
- Guardians Revealed (6:10)
- When Parallax Attacks (4:42)
Other features include:
- The Universe According to Green Lantern (HD; 20:12)
An exploration of the comic book franchise from the various writers and artists that have worked on Green Lantern over the years. It's a fascinating progression from when the first issue started to about the point of Green Lantern: Rebirth. After watching MMM and all the Focus Points, this was icing on the cake in really getting me hooked on what the comics have to offer. I highly recommend this as a compliment to MMM, and to rookie fans like myself who'd like to know more about the franchise.
- Ryan Reynolds Becomes the Green Lantern (HD; 8:48)
Thoughts and analysis of the character Hal Jordan from cast and crew. It basically shows Reynolds and a lot of the prep he had to go through: 9 months of working out, doing some of his own stunts, and what he personally found interesting about Hal Jordan that made him want to do the role in the first place.
- Deleted Scenes (HD; 7:16)
Incomplete ones at that.
- Justice League #1 Digital Comic (HD; 9:13)
Part of the New 52 lineup. It's the entire issue with automatic moving panels and has some pretty sleek artwork.
- Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series (SD; 6:32)
The art is a little weird, but the storytelling and voice acting have potential.
Overall - 4.5
By this point, I'm confident in saying that I've become totally enamored with world of Green Lantern. The idea and concept of an intergalactic marine corps looks and sounds like a very cool idea. After seeing the two currently available GL animated features from DC, doing some research around the 'Net, and watching the incredibly informative extras on this BD, I am really excited with the prospect of discovering this franchise and learning a lot more about it. If anyone out there is reading this and can recommend me any graphic novels and such, I'd be more than willing to listen. And hopefully, if Warner can get enough funding together they'll make a much-needed sequel to further expand, what I think is, a really cool concept in the Green Lantern. The video quality looks great to me, but may be a little too dark for others, while the sound should be more than sufficient. And if you're a fan of the film or the franchise itself, definitely give the extras a look and maybe even check out those animated films if you haven't already. Highly recommended.
The Bourne Identity:
After being pulled from the sea with two bullets in his back, Jason Bourne (Matt
Damon) awakens on a fishing boat with no memory of his involvement in a top-
secret, black ops arm of the CIA...
(Note: Since I can't fit all 3 individual reviews into one entry, I've essentially condensed it down to a general overview of the plot, A/V specs and presentation, and only a list of the special features for each. The numbers you see don't necessarily equate to technical perfection, but those are the average numbers based on each movie and rounded up to the nearest whole or half number. To read the individual reviews, all of which are much more in-depth, use the links below and just look for my user name).
The first time I ever saw this film series was from a total blind-buy. Previously, I never even wanted to touch it because I had this stupid, unexplainable bias against Matt Damon. To this day, I still can't remember why I had such feelings, but I'm glad I got over it, because The Bourne Trilogy is a masterfully-executed story that has changed the face of spy-thriller movies forever. The Bourne Identity starts with the discovery of a man found overboard. He has two gunshot wounds in his back, a Swiss bank account in his hip, and no immediate recollection of who he is. Coincidentally, upon reaching the mainland it seems that he's a master in firearms and fisticuffs when he instinctively disables a couple of poor police officers that just happened to mess with the wrong guy. When he gets to the Swiss bank, he finds a deposit box with a passport and his name: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). But to his surprise, there's a slew of other passports with the same picture and different names, in addition to lots of cash and even a handgun. Upon setting out to Paris, he meets a woman named Marie (Franka Potente), and the two of them would go on to face assassins and conspiracies while uncovering answers to who he is. In The Bourne Supremacy, we find the two in Goa living a life of peace after managing to escape pursuit. Meanwhile, an operation in Berlin to uncover a mole amongst the top CIA brass, led by Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), goes south when a Russian federal agent, Kirill (Karl Urban), infiltrates the deal and takes out the informant while leaving a fingerprint of Bourne to cover his tracks. When Kirill attempts to find Bourne and assassinate him, Marie is killed in his stead. And in a rage of anger, Bourne decides to aspire vengeance on all those who had been chasing him. But in the process, he would discover a few more things about his past that would change him for the better. And in The Bourne Ultimatum, after a British reporter named Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) discovers a new Treadstone replacement agency called Blackbriar, led by Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), Bourne figures to find the source of Ross' information so he can finally get the answers he'd been searching for, as well as putting an end to these agencies. Upon Ross' assassination, Bourne instills the aid of former Treadstone handler Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and receives the benefit of the doubt from Pamela Landy as he makes his way back home to New York and discovers the truth to everything he had forgotten.
The Bourne movie franchise has made quite the name for itself. In the hands of Doug Liman, he not only managed to introduce an interesting character with a lot of mystery and intrigue to his background, but also a character we were able to sympathize for. He was a character that lost his memory, re-discovered himself, then tried to leave his dark past behind and escape a corrupt system. After Paul Greengrass took the reigns, he improved what Liman left on the table, further exposing the humanistic side of this character as we see him lose the part of his life he cares about the most. But despite that loss, his humanity would prove to be stronger than his vengeance as even more memories started to surface, making his journey for revenge turn into a search for redemption. And after finding his inner peace, he takes pursuit of those responsible in an effort to destroy the very system that had created him and brought about so much pain and suffering, not only to him, but to many of those involved throughout its history. At this point, I think it's safe to say that Matt Damon's portrayal of Jason Bourne has really cemented itself amongst the iconic spy heroes (next to James Bond and maybe Bryan Mills from Taken).
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1, 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The video quality of the series is pretty much perfect aside from the first one. In my initial review a few years ago, I said I wasn't pleased with Identity, but did a pretty crappy job explaining it. After reading up on the technicalities of film-making since then, I've gotten a much better grasp on how to explain and describe these things. That being said, Identity looks very good in terms of black levels, colors, and sharpness. Looking at a lot of the outdoor shots, especially, and a few indoor, the picture retains enough detail that it makes for a pleasant image for the trilogy's initial entry in HD. However, it does suffer from low contrast, giving it a somewhat murky look, and there are several occasions when dirt and a couple of scratches from print damage pop up. It's not terribly distracting, but it is noticeable. Supremacy, on the other hand, is a major step up. With the changing of director in Paul Greengrass, he gave the image a much more vibrant look that better accentuates all of the aforementioned qualities. Blacks are darker, colors are much more vivid, contrast is better-balanced, and the sharpness is even sharper. Just looking at the beginning scenes in Goa, there's a tremendous amount of color that really adds more life, and the rest of the movie follows accordingly. Some people say the saturation is a little too high, but I'm in the belief that it was intentional since Grengrass is such a visualist. And there's also a good amount of film grain as well, which again, I believe is intentional. So unless you don't like the color timing or are a grain-hater, then those are about the only problems you might have. Finally, Ultimatum has the same kind of photography, only with a difference of intensity. Supremacy ran a little hot in terms of color, but I feel it added to the overall tone of the film itself (Bourne getting hot and angry for revenge, hence the hot look to the picture). However, Ultimatum is essentially where things come full circle and the adventure ends. Because of that, this is probably about as "normal" of a color level as you'll get. So there you have it. Aside from the first movie, there's not much else to complain about.
Again, aside from Identity, the audio is just about perfect. All three movies use the DTS-HD MA codec, and all of them sound fantastic. The only problem with Identity isn't so much the quality, but the quantity. As in the film itself just isn't as heavily-mixed as the others. In his commentary, Doug Liman stressed how he wanted to make Identity a drama first and an action movie second. Because of this, I think it reflects in the sound mix. The actual depth and quality to the track itself is pretty buoyant in terms of separation and directionality and gets especially aggressive during the fight with the first Treadstone agent. Rear speaker activity also gets a really good workout during the car chase sequence when cars start turning the corners. And dynamic range is excellent in the scene where Bourne is fighting Clive Owen's character outside the farmhouse. Additionally, when Greengrass takes over as director for the sequels, the audio gets a tremendous upgrade, just as the video did. Even for as low-key as the opening scenes are in Supremacy, the dynamic depth alone is noticeably louder and more precise. Action sequences offer up even more aggressive mixing such as the fight between Bourne and the last remaining Treadstone agent. This scene in particular displays a very exact design that has no music and does a great job isolating its sound effects into the confines of that small, compact area, adding an extra layer of ferocity and tension to it. And the car chase in Moscow towards the end is brimming with activity as the vehicles skid, crash, and break all over the place. But even still, Ultimatum manages to top that. Immersion is outstanding from the crowd noise for the scene at Waterloo Station, isolation is more intense in the fight between Bourne and Desh, and the car chase in New York is a sonic masterpiece of mayhem and music. By the way, John Powell's score is another big factor to the overall sound of these films. His string and percussion works really help to compliment the storytelling that even exudes a subtle amount of LFEs through his awesome drum pieces. Outside from the one minor issue with Identity, all of these films sound superb.
Extras - 4.0
There are quite a bit of extras, but if I were to highlight just one feature from each movie, I'd say at the very least(!) give the audio commentaries a listen. And if you like technical stuff, the U-Control Picture in Picture for Supremacy is well-worth a watch as well.
The Bourne Identity:
- Audio Commentary (Director Doug Liman)
- The Ludlum Identity (SD; 12:49)
- The Ludlum Supremacy (SD; 12:41)
- The Ludlum Ultimatum (SD; 23:57)
- Alternate Opening and Ending (SD; 10:46 altogether)
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 6:58)
- Extended Farmhouse Scene (0:58)
- The Birth of the Bourne Identity (SD; 14:31)
- The Bourne Mastermind: Robert Ludlum (SD; 5:44)
- Access Granted: An Interview with Co-Writer Tony Gilroy (SD; 4:03)
- From Identity to Supremacy: Jason & Marie (SD; 3:37)
- The Bourne Diagnosis (SD; 3:25)
- Cloak and Dagger: Covert Ops (SD; 5:31)
- Inside a Fight Sequence (SD; 4:42)
- Moby "Extreme Ways" Music Video (SD; 3:38)
- U-Control
The Bourne Supremacy:
- Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
- Explosive Deleted Scenes (SD; 10:46)
- Matching Identities: Casting (SD; 5:23)
- Keeping it Real (SD; 4:58)
- Blowing Things Up (SD; 4:00)
- On the Move with Jason Bourne (SD; 4:45)
- Bourne to be Wild: Fight Training (SD; 4:21)
- Crash Cam: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow (SD; 5:58)
- The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action (SD; 6:49)
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene (SD; 4:40)
- Scoring with John Powell (SD; 4:46)
- The Bourne Mastermind (Part 2) (SD; 4:42)
- The Bourne Diagnosis (Part 2) (SD; 5:39)
- U-Control
The Bourne Ultimatum:
- Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 12:22)
- Be Bourne Spy Training
- Man on the Move: Jason Bourne (SD; 23:58 altogether)
- Roof Pursuit (SD; 5:39)
- Planning the Punches (SD; 4:59)
- Driving School (SD; 3:23)
- New York Chase (SD; 10:46)
- U-Control
Overall - 5.0
So there you have it. If you've read my individual reviews for these movies, there's not much else I can say. The Bourne Trilogy is one of the best in its genre, and I'm really thankful for its influence in a lot of other recent entries (the Daniel Craig Bond movies and Liam Neeson's roles in both Taken and Unknown). It refreshed the genre with a mix of mystery, grit, and emotional depth that has really raised the standard. This box set is a very good deal, and I'm glad I made that blind-buy when I did. The A/V specs are essentially perfect outside of the first film, and they're all chock full of meaningful special features. If you haven't seen these films yet, make the time. You won't regret it.
The Bourne Identity:
After being pulled from the sea with two bullets in his back, Jason Bourne (Matt
Damon) awakens on a fishing boat with no memory of his involvement in a top-
secret, black ops arm of the CIA...
(Note: Since I can't fit all 3 individual reviews into one entry, I've essentially condensed it down to a general overview of the plot, A/V specs and presentation, and only a list of the special features for each. The numbers you see don't necessarily equate to technical perfection, but those are the average numbers based on each movie and rounded up to the nearest whole or half number. To read the individual reviews, all of which are much more in-depth, use the links below and just look for my user name).
The first time I ever saw this film series was from a total blind-buy. Previously, I never even wanted to touch it because I had this stupid, unexplainable bias against Matt Damon. To this day, I still can't remember why I had such feelings, but I'm glad I got over it, because The Bourne Trilogy is a masterfully-executed story that has changed the face of spy-thriller movies forever. The Bourne Identity starts with the discovery of a man found overboard. He has two gunshot wounds in his back, a Swiss bank account in his hip, and no immediate recollection of who he is. Coincidentally, upon reaching the mainland it seems that he's a master in firearms and fisticuffs when he instinctively disables a couple of poor police officers that just happened to mess with the wrong guy. When he gets to the Swiss bank, he finds a deposit box with a passport and his name: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). But to his surprise, there's a slew of other passports with the same picture and different names, in addition to lots of cash and even a handgun. Upon setting out to Paris, he meets a woman named Marie (Franka Potente), and the two of them would go on to face assassins and conspiracies while uncovering answers to who he is. In The Bourne Supremacy, we find the two in Goa living a life of peace after managing to escape pursuit. Meanwhile, an operation in Berlin to uncover a mole amongst the top CIA brass, led by Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), goes south when a Russian federal agent, Kirill (Karl Urban), infiltrates the deal and takes out the informant while leaving a fingerprint of Bourne to cover his tracks. When Kirill attempts to find Bourne and assassinate him, Marie is killed in his stead. And in a rage of anger, Bourne decides to aspire vengeance on all those who had been chasing him. But in the process, he would discover a few more things about his past that would change him for the better. And in The Bourne Ultimatum, after a British reporter named Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) discovers a new Treadstone replacement agency called Blackbriar, led by Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), Bourne figures to find the source of Ross' information so he can finally get the answers he'd been searching for, as well as putting an end to these agencies. Upon Ross' assassination, Bourne instills the aid of former Treadstone handler Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and receives the benefit of the doubt from Pamela Landy as he makes his way back home to New York and discovers the truth to everything he had forgotten.
The Bourne movie franchise has made quite the name for itself. In the hands of Doug Liman, he not only managed to introduce an interesting character with a lot of mystery and intrigue to his background, but also a character we were able to sympathize for. He was a character that lost his memory, re-discovered himself, then tried to leave his dark past behind and escape a corrupt system. After Paul Greengrass took the reigns, he improved what Liman left on the table, further exposing the humanistic side of this character as we see him lose the part of his life he cares about the most. But despite that loss, his humanity would prove to be stronger than his vengeance as even more memories started to surface, making his journey for revenge turn into a search for redemption. And after finding his inner peace, he takes pursuit of those responsible in an effort to destroy the very system that had created him and brought about so much pain and suffering, not only to him, but to many of those involved throughout its history. At this point, I think it's safe to say that Matt Damon's portrayal of Jason Bourne has really cemented itself amongst the iconic spy heroes (next to James Bond and maybe Bryan Mills from Taken).
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1, 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The video quality of the series is pretty much perfect aside from the first one. In my initial review a few years ago, I said I wasn't pleased with Identity, but did a pretty crappy job explaining it. After reading up on the technicalities of film-making since then, I've gotten a much better grasp on how to explain and describe these things. That being said, Identity looks very good in terms of black levels, colors, and sharpness. Looking at a lot of the outdoor shots, especially, and a few indoor, the picture retains enough detail that it makes for a pleasant image for the trilogy's initial entry in HD. However, it does suffer from low contrast, giving it a somewhat murky look, and there are several occasions when dirt and a couple of scratches from print damage pop up. It's not terribly distracting, but it is noticeable. Supremacy, on the other hand, is a major step up. With the changing of director in Paul Greengrass, he gave the image a much more vibrant look that better accentuates all of the aforementioned qualities. Blacks are darker, colors are much more vivid, contrast is better-balanced, and the sharpness is even sharper. Just looking at the beginning scenes in Goa, there's a tremendous amount of color that really adds more life, and the rest of the movie follows accordingly. Some people say the saturation is a little too high, but I'm in the belief that it was intentional since Grengrass is such a visualist. And there's also a good amount of film grain as well, which again, I believe is intentional. So unless you don't like the color timing or are a grain-hater, then those are about the only problems you might have. Finally, Ultimatum has the same kind of photography, only with a difference of intensity. Supremacy ran a little hot in terms of color, but I feel it added to the overall tone of the film itself (Bourne getting hot and angry for revenge, hence the hot look to the picture). However, Ultimatum is essentially where things come full circle and the adventure ends. Because of that, this is probably about as "normal" of a color level as you'll get. So there you have it. Aside from the first movie, there's not much else to complain about.
Again, aside from Identity, the audio is just about perfect. All three movies use the DTS-HD MA codec, and all of them sound fantastic. The only problem with Identity isn't so much the quality, but the quantity. As in the film itself just isn't as heavily-mixed as the others. In his commentary, Doug Liman stressed how he wanted to make Identity a drama first and an action movie second. Because of this, I think it reflects in the sound mix. The actual depth and quality to the track itself is pretty buoyant in terms of separation and directionality and gets especially aggressive during the fight with the first Treadstone agent. Rear speaker activity also gets a really good workout during the car chase sequence when cars start turning the corners. And dynamic range is excellent in the scene where Bourne is fighting Clive Owen's character outside the farmhouse. Additionally, when Greengrass takes over as director for the sequels, the audio gets a tremendous upgrade, just as the video did. Even for as low-key as the opening scenes are in Supremacy, the dynamic depth alone is noticeably louder and more precise. Action sequences offer up even more aggressive mixing such as the fight between Bourne and the last remaining Treadstone agent. This scene in particular displays a very exact design that has no music and does a great job isolating its sound effects into the confines of that small, compact area, adding an extra layer of ferocity and tension to it. And the car chase in Moscow towards the end is brimming with activity as the vehicles skid, crash, and break all over the place. But even still, Ultimatum manages to top that. Immersion is outstanding from the crowd noise for the scene at Waterloo Station, isolation is more intense in the fight between Bourne and Desh, and the car chase in New York is a sonic masterpiece of mayhem and music. By the way, John Powell's score is another big factor to the overall sound of these films. His string and percussion works really help to compliment the storytelling that even exudes a subtle amount of LFEs through his awesome drum pieces. Outside from the one minor issue with Identity, all of these films sound superb.
Extras - 4.0
There are quite a bit of extras, but if I were to highlight just one feature from each movie, I'd say at the very least(!) give the audio commentaries a listen. And if you like technical stuff, the U-Control Picture in Picture for Supremacy is well-worth a watch as well.
The Bourne Identity:
- Audio Commentary (Director Doug Liman)
- The Ludlum Identity (SD; 12:49)
- The Ludlum Supremacy (SD; 12:41)
- The Ludlum Ultimatum (SD; 23:57)
- Alternate Opening and Ending (SD; 10:46 altogether)
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 6:58)
- Extended Farmhouse Scene (0:58)
- The Birth of the Bourne Identity (SD; 14:31)
- The Bourne Mastermind: Robert Ludlum (SD; 5:44)
- Access Granted: An Interview with Co-Writer Tony Gilroy (SD; 4:03)
- From Identity to Supremacy: Jason & Marie (SD; 3:37)
- The Bourne Diagnosis (SD; 3:25)
- Cloak and Dagger: Covert Ops (SD; 5:31)
- Inside a Fight Sequence (SD; 4:42)
- Moby "Extreme Ways" Music Video (SD; 3:38)
- U-Control
The Bourne Supremacy:
- Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
- Explosive Deleted Scenes (SD; 10:46)
- Matching Identities: Casting (SD; 5:23)
- Keeping it Real (SD; 4:58)
- Blowing Things Up (SD; 4:00)
- On the Move with Jason Bourne (SD; 4:45)
- Bourne to be Wild: Fight Training (SD; 4:21)
- Crash Cam: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow (SD; 5:58)
- The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action (SD; 6:49)
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene (SD; 4:40)
- Scoring with John Powell (SD; 4:46)
- The Bourne Mastermind (Part 2) (SD; 4:42)
- The Bourne Diagnosis (Part 2) (SD; 5:39)
- U-Control
The Bourne Ultimatum:
- Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 12:22)
- Be Bourne Spy Training
- Man on the Move: Jason Bourne (SD; 23:58 altogether)
- Roof Pursuit (SD; 5:39)
- Planning the Punches (SD; 4:59)
- Driving School (SD; 3:23)
- New York Chase (SD; 10:46)
- U-Control
Overall - 5.0
So there you have it. If you've read my individual reviews for these movies, there's not much else I can say. The Bourne Trilogy is one of the best in its genre, and I'm really thankful for its influence in a lot of other recent entries (the Daniel Craig Bond movies and Liam Neeson's roles in both Taken and Unknown). It refreshed the genre with a mix of mystery, grit, and emotional depth that has really raised the standard. This box set is a very good deal, and I'm glad I made that blind-buy when I did. The A/V specs are essentially perfect outside of the first film, and they're all chock full of meaningful special features. If you haven't seen these films yet, make the time. You won't regret it.
All he wanted was to disappear; instead, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made
him what he is--legendary assassin. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is
undeterred by the barrage of bullets and...
I have to say, when I originally blind-bought The Bourne Trilogy box set on BD, I had no idea what I was in for. I was thoroughly surprised by how well Identity turned out, as it was a very refreshing taste to its genre. It had a genuine sense of mystery and intrigue, and the European atmosphere only made it more exotic. Then, Paul Greengrass came along and took the franchise to new heights by developing a very emotional and symbolic story. But not only did he expand the humanity of Jason Bourne's character, he did so with a grittier, edgier kind of aesthetic. And in reaching the final act of the story, he surpasses even that with not only a more epic plot in the grand scheme of things, but with pure technical proficiency. The story actually backtracks to the end of Supremacy and picks up in Moscow where Bourne (Matt Damon) had just apologized to Irina Neski for killing her parents when he was first assigned as a Treadstone agent. Meanwhile, English journalist Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) is receiving tips that the U.S. government has implemented a new Treadstone-upgrade division called Blackbriar, led by Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn). In discovering Ross' interactions, Bourne proceeds to contact him and find his source to answer the last remaining questions of where he came from and who was responsible for these black ops programs to begin with. But upon Ross' assassination, Bourne must make the journey back home with the help of former handler Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and the benefit of the doubt from CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen). There are so many things that work in Ultimatum's favor to not only make it a masterful spy-thriller, but also a top-class action movie. Setup after setup is executed with pinpoint precision for every major sequence in terms of its brevity, cleverness, and importance to the plot. Not only is the entire film an exhilarating game of cat and mouse as the Blackbriar brass and Bourne match wits, but even the fight scenes and chases surpass everything from its predecessor (as Supremacy did to Identity). Most importantly, though, having cleared his guilty conscience and found atonement with his past, this film is especially adamant about now having Bourne find his roots as a killer, confronting his inner demons, having him accept what he is, and finally allowing him to move on. Damon performs this role flawlessly and shows a great amount of progression as the character of Jason Bourne that's very noticeable if you pay attention between each film. I think a big contribution to that is the way Paul Greengrass lets the actors play on their instincts. His method of film-making is fast-cut, kinetic, and visceral, and I feel it really helped make the Bourne series the franchise it is today. But again, I have to praise the action. Even as a "drama-first, action-second" kind of series, the level of excitement is so far up on the spectrum for each aspect, that I can't help but be amazed by everything these movies have managed to accomplish. They're smartly-written, wonderfully-produced, and have set the new standard for the genre.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The photography itself is almost exactly the same as it was in Supremacy. Greengrass' visual style and Oliver Wood's lighting really make for a great picture. The differences this time around are: color saturation, which is a little more balanced and not as hot, and the grain is a little less heavy. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the overall tone of the movie isn't as dark as Supremacy and that most of the film is shot during daytime. And because of that, it allows for a lot more detail. Just look at the stunning clarity in overhead and closeup shots. The architecture of all the buildings and streets in London, Tangier, and New York, the pores on peoples' faces or the fine texturing in their clothes; it's a very subtle difference in the adjustments made, but it's such a marked improvement over something that I already thought looked spectacular to begin with. Colors are still very vibrant, even with the slight drop in saturation. The blues and browns of London, the oranges and greys of Tangier, and the yellows and greens of New York all have a certain charm to the respective atmospheres they create. Blacks are still deep and inky with no signs of crush and show an excellent amount of delineation. My favorite aspect of the video, however, is the contrast. I think this is why the detail is so much more immaculate and makes for a more pleasing image. In fact, I'd say the brightness (and when I say "brightness," it's actually not even that much) sets the movie up for a different tone altogether. Supremacy was darker because Bourne was discovering his dark, dirty secrets. But here in Ultimatum, he's essentially coming full circle, going towards the proverbial "light," and trying to put an end to the cycle of violence that's followed him since his beginning days as a Treadstone agent. My scenes for reference are any of the overhead shots of the various cities (which has lots of great color), pretty much any closeup dialogue shot (for the subtle detail in the faces and hair), and any interior shot where there's very little light (for the blacks). Once again, the Bourne franchise is treated with a stellar video presentation.
The Bourne Ultimatum won 2 Oscars for sound. I'm a little baffled as to how it beat Transformers, though it's probably a political thing for the Academy not liking Michael Bay more than anything else, but that's okay. I'll take the Bourne series getting some kind of Academy recognition. As if Supremacy didn't have enough of an aggressive sound mix, Ultimatum for all intents and purposes even managed to blow that one out of the water. The actual recording volume is a little bit higher, but the separation and directionality are mixed much more intricately. The scene at Waterloo Station is a prime example of how to really immerse an audience in the thick of all the action. You can hear people talking, their footsteps, the intercoms calling, the distant sounds of train signals, the trains themselves, the mechanical advertisements flipping sides at the top of the walls; every little detail is reference volume, abundant in number, and carefully placed in all the correct speakers when needed. Rear speaker activity, in particular, gets a great workout as there are a greater amount of scenes with crowds in the background. Much like Waterloo Station, the bustling crowd in Tangier and passers-by in New York really add a unique level of depth to a character that normally thrives on blending in and being clandestine. Blockbuster-type sound effects such as gunshots, car crashes, and other loud noises are phenomenal when they happen. The car chase towards the end is extremely chaotic and possesses a quality to it that's almost a bit jarring. LFEs are most prominent here when Bourne's car is driven right into the guard rail. And then there are my always-favorite isolation cues. I loved the scene in Supremacy when Bourne was fighting the last Treadstone agent because of its quiet and enclosed nature. The silence only amplified what was already a very intense action sequence, and I was especially happy they were able to make that effect even better when Bourne fights Desh. The sounds of glass crashing, props breaking, and the thumps and slaps of their hands and feet are amazing to listen to. Chalk up another perfect audio presentation.
Extras - 3.5
- Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
As he did with Supremacy, Greengrass offers up another excellent and very informative commentary. First and foremost, he talks about Damon masterfully pulling off a a more tempered version of Jason Bourne and how the character has evolved since his appearance in the first film. Throughout, Greengrass also continues to break down crucial plot points giving great analysis, not just of Bourne, but of supporting characters, how they fit into the story, and the growing conspiracy within Blackbriar. Additionally, he also stresses the importance of setting the film's tempo very high right from the start. He compares it to "a really nice sports car that you have to keep steady, but must also know when to speed it up," or something to that degree. And as much of a technical marvel as Ultimatum turned out to be, I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment. He talks about how in a thriller that the setup for any kind of sequence is the most important thing to execute, otherwise you lose the audience, and the twist is for nothing. He also talks about the logistics of shooting every now and then, but for the most part stays very focused talking about how he wanted to convey the tone of the movie through its action.
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 12:22)
Again, not much to talk about.
- Be Bourne Spy Training
Another kind of novelty application that shows you 5 movie clips and tests your ability for visual memorization, much like how Bourne was able to scan a room and tell you a bunch of stuff when he was in the diner in Identity.
- Man on the Move: Jason Bourne (SD; 23:58 altogether)
Provides a break down of the different locations they shot at. Interestingly enough, the scenes in Moscow for this film were actually shot in east Berlin because it was January at the time of filming and everything in Moscow was too cold to shoot (and probably froze everything over). Meanwhile, London was one of the more difficult sets to shoot, as it was one of the more crowded sequences. It took 5 months just to secure all the logistics, and even then a lot of the people you see in those shots weren't extras because they couldn't completely shut the station down (for obvious reasons). The same goes for Tangier. In fact, they were shooting during Ramadan, which forced a lot of the cast and crew to fast with everyone else. Below are the cities broken up individually:
- Berlin (6:10)
- Paris (3:41)
- London (4:14)
- Madrid (4:06)
- Tangier (5:45)
- Roof Pursuit (SD; 5:39)
Shows the work they had to do in constructing zip line camera rigs for the sequence, as well as how they managed to turn a stuntman into a JumpCam operator when Bourne is jumping off a building and through a window.
- Planning the Punches (SD; 4:59)
Starts off with Joey Ansah (who played Desh) talking about how he's skilled in Capoeira and that the studio was going to teach him something else. The feature then shows coordinator Jeff Imada talking about Filipino Kali (once again), and then they show the setup of Damon and Ansah's scene with the rubber props they put around for safety.
- Driving School (SD; 3:23)
Pretty self-explanatory. Just shows us how Damon prepped for some of the stunt driving. He's actually pretty good at it.
- New York Chase (SD; 10:46)
Mainly talks about how staging a giant car chase sequence in New York City was a logistics nightmare and that it required a lot of planning to get things situated. There's not a whole lot of actual interviewing, just mostly footage of them setting stuff up and shooting the scene.
- U-Control
4 different interactive applications to play along with the movie:
- Volkswagon: Get More Info
Specs and information on the VW Toureg V10 TDI. This would've been great if I were playing Gran Turismo.
- Blackbriar Files
Like Treadstone Files in the first movie and The Bourne Dossier in the second, it's a high-tech simulator that displays a bunch of statistics and information on people, places, and other things. It's cool to look at, but again, it's just a novelty.
- Bourne Orientation
Also like the first two films, this repeats important plot information to the point of redundancy. Skip it.
- Picture in Picture
Much less effort was put into this feature as compared to Supremacy. The PiP commentaries only total a little over 35 minutes and are spread out over 12 of the 20 chapters. They're fairly informative, but the lower quantity is a bit disappointing. Some of the topics covered are: character analyses/interpretations, shooting logistics, general opinions about the franchise and its success, and a few anecdotes and stories about working with one another. Might be worth a watch at some point, but it's not nearly as engaging as it could've been.
Overall - 5.0
So the story of Jason Bourne has reached its conclusion, and in grand, epic fashion. Throughout the journey we watched as he re-discovered himself and took down a deeply corrupted system. It's bittersweet in a way, but it was enjoyable, nonetheless. The BD presents The Bourne Ultimatum with absolutely pristine picture and sound. And while the extra features are a lot lighter than the previous two films, it at least provides an excellent commentary that should satisfy the die-hard Bourne fan. If you haven't seen any of these films yet and are in the mood for an awesome spy-thriller, definitely give this franchise a shot.
Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Universal Studios | 2007 | 115 min | Rated PG-13 | Region A (B, C untested) | Jan 19, 2010
All he wanted was to disappear; instead, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made
him what he is--legendary assassin. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is
undeterred by the barrage of bullets and...
I have to say, when I originally blind-bought The Bourne Trilogy box set on BD, I had no idea what I was in for. I was thoroughly surprised by how well Identity turned out, as it was a very refreshing taste to its genre. It had a genuine sense of mystery and intrigue, and the European atmosphere only made it more exotic. Then, Paul Greengrass came along and took the franchise to new heights by developing a very emotional and symbolic story. But not only did he expand the humanity of Jason Bourne's character, he did so with a grittier, edgier kind of aesthetic. And in reaching the final act of the story, he surpasses even that with not only a more epic plot in the grand scheme of things, but with pure technical proficiency. The story actually backtracks to the end of Supremacy and picks up in Moscow where Bourne (Matt Damon) had just apologized to Irina Neski for killing her parents when he was first assigned as a Treadstone agent. Meanwhile, English journalist Simon Ross (Paddy Considine) is receiving tips that the U.S. government has implemented a new Treadstone-upgrade division called Blackbriar, led by Director Noah Vosen (David Strathairn). In discovering Ross' interactions, Bourne proceeds to contact him and find his source to answer the last remaining questions of where he came from and who was responsible for these black ops programs to begin with. But upon Ross' assassination, Bourne must make the journey back home with the help of former handler Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and the benefit of the doubt from CIA Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen). There are so many things that work in Ultimatum's favor to not only make it a masterful spy-thriller, but also a top-class action movie. Setup after setup is executed with pinpoint precision for every major sequence in terms of its brevity, cleverness, and importance to the plot. Not only is the entire film an exhilarating game of cat and mouse as the Blackbriar brass and Bourne match wits, but even the fight scenes and chases surpass everything from its predecessor (as Supremacy did to Identity). Most importantly, though, having cleared his guilty conscience and found atonement with his past, this film is especially adamant about now having Bourne find his roots as a killer, confronting his inner demons, having him accept what he is, and finally allowing him to move on. Damon performs this role flawlessly and shows a great amount of progression as the character of Jason Bourne that's very noticeable if you pay attention between each film. I think a big contribution to that is the way Paul Greengrass lets the actors play on their instincts. His method of film-making is fast-cut, kinetic, and visceral, and I feel it really helped make the Bourne series the franchise it is today. But again, I have to praise the action. Even as a "drama-first, action-second" kind of series, the level of excitement is so far up on the spectrum for each aspect, that I can't help but be amazed by everything these movies have managed to accomplish. They're smartly-written, wonderfully-produced, and have set the new standard for the genre.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The photography itself is almost exactly the same as it was in Supremacy. Greengrass' visual style and Oliver Wood's lighting really make for a great picture. The differences this time around are: color saturation, which is a little more balanced and not as hot, and the grain is a little less heavy. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the overall tone of the movie isn't as dark as Supremacy and that most of the film is shot during daytime. And because of that, it allows for a lot more detail. Just look at the stunning clarity in overhead and closeup shots. The architecture of all the buildings and streets in London, Tangier, and New York, the pores on peoples' faces or the fine texturing in their clothes; it's a very subtle difference in the adjustments made, but it's such a marked improvement over something that I already thought looked spectacular to begin with. Colors are still very vibrant, even with the slight drop in saturation. The blues and browns of London, the oranges and greys of Tangier, and the yellows and greens of New York all have a certain charm to the respective atmospheres they create. Blacks are still deep and inky with no signs of crush and show an excellent amount of delineation. My favorite aspect of the video, however, is the contrast. I think this is why the detail is so much more immaculate and makes for a more pleasing image. In fact, I'd say the brightness (and when I say "brightness," it's actually not even that much) sets the movie up for a different tone altogether. Supremacy was darker because Bourne was discovering his dark, dirty secrets. But here in Ultimatum, he's essentially coming full circle, going towards the proverbial "light," and trying to put an end to the cycle of violence that's followed him since his beginning days as a Treadstone agent. My scenes for reference are any of the overhead shots of the various cities (which has lots of great color), pretty much any closeup dialogue shot (for the subtle detail in the faces and hair), and any interior shot where there's very little light (for the blacks). Once again, the Bourne franchise is treated with a stellar video presentation.
The Bourne Ultimatum won 2 Oscars for sound. I'm a little baffled as to how it beat Transformers, though it's probably a political thing for the Academy not liking Michael Bay more than anything else, but that's okay. I'll take the Bourne series getting some kind of Academy recognition. As if Supremacy didn't have enough of an aggressive sound mix, Ultimatum for all intents and purposes even managed to blow that one out of the water. The actual recording volume is a little bit higher, but the separation and directionality are mixed much more intricately. The scene at Waterloo Station is a prime example of how to really immerse an audience in the thick of all the action. You can hear people talking, their footsteps, the intercoms calling, the distant sounds of train signals, the trains themselves, the mechanical advertisements flipping sides at the top of the walls; every little detail is reference volume, abundant in number, and carefully placed in all the correct speakers when needed. Rear speaker activity, in particular, gets a great workout as there are a greater amount of scenes with crowds in the background. Much like Waterloo Station, the bustling crowd in Tangier and passers-by in New York really add a unique level of depth to a character that normally thrives on blending in and being clandestine. Blockbuster-type sound effects such as gunshots, car crashes, and other loud noises are phenomenal when they happen. The car chase towards the end is extremely chaotic and possesses a quality to it that's almost a bit jarring. LFEs are most prominent here when Bourne's car is driven right into the guard rail. And then there are my always-favorite isolation cues. I loved the scene in Supremacy when Bourne was fighting the last Treadstone agent because of its quiet and enclosed nature. The silence only amplified what was already a very intense action sequence, and I was especially happy they were able to make that effect even better when Bourne fights Desh. The sounds of glass crashing, props breaking, and the thumps and slaps of their hands and feet are amazing to listen to. Chalk up another perfect audio presentation.
Extras - 3.5
- Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
As he did with Supremacy, Greengrass offers up another excellent and very informative commentary. First and foremost, he talks about Damon masterfully pulling off a a more tempered version of Jason Bourne and how the character has evolved since his appearance in the first film. Throughout, Greengrass also continues to break down crucial plot points giving great analysis, not just of Bourne, but of supporting characters, how they fit into the story, and the growing conspiracy within Blackbriar. Additionally, he also stresses the importance of setting the film's tempo very high right from the start. He compares it to "a really nice sports car that you have to keep steady, but must also know when to speed it up," or something to that degree. And as much of a technical marvel as Ultimatum turned out to be, I wholeheartedly agree with his assessment. He talks about how in a thriller that the setup for any kind of sequence is the most important thing to execute, otherwise you lose the audience, and the twist is for nothing. He also talks about the logistics of shooting every now and then, but for the most part stays very focused talking about how he wanted to convey the tone of the movie through its action.
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 12:22)
Again, not much to talk about.
- Be Bourne Spy Training
Another kind of novelty application that shows you 5 movie clips and tests your ability for visual memorization, much like how Bourne was able to scan a room and tell you a bunch of stuff when he was in the diner in Identity.
- Man on the Move: Jason Bourne (SD; 23:58 altogether)
Provides a break down of the different locations they shot at. Interestingly enough, the scenes in Moscow for this film were actually shot in east Berlin because it was January at the time of filming and everything in Moscow was too cold to shoot (and probably froze everything over). Meanwhile, London was one of the more difficult sets to shoot, as it was one of the more crowded sequences. It took 5 months just to secure all the logistics, and even then a lot of the people you see in those shots weren't extras because they couldn't completely shut the station down (for obvious reasons). The same goes for Tangier. In fact, they were shooting during Ramadan, which forced a lot of the cast and crew to fast with everyone else. Below are the cities broken up individually:
- Berlin (6:10)
- Paris (3:41)
- London (4:14)
- Madrid (4:06)
- Tangier (5:45)
- Roof Pursuit (SD; 5:39)
Shows the work they had to do in constructing zip line camera rigs for the sequence, as well as how they managed to turn a stuntman into a JumpCam operator when Bourne is jumping off a building and through a window.
- Planning the Punches (SD; 4:59)
Starts off with Joey Ansah (who played Desh) talking about how he's skilled in Capoeira and that the studio was going to teach him something else. The feature then shows coordinator Jeff Imada talking about Filipino Kali (once again), and then they show the setup of Damon and Ansah's scene with the rubber props they put around for safety.
- Driving School (SD; 3:23)
Pretty self-explanatory. Just shows us how Damon prepped for some of the stunt driving. He's actually pretty good at it.
- New York Chase (SD; 10:46)
Mainly talks about how staging a giant car chase sequence in New York City was a logistics nightmare and that it required a lot of planning to get things situated. There's not a whole lot of actual interviewing, just mostly footage of them setting stuff up and shooting the scene.
- U-Control
4 different interactive applications to play along with the movie:
- Volkswagon: Get More Info
Specs and information on the VW Toureg V10 TDI. This would've been great if I were playing Gran Turismo.
- Blackbriar Files
Like Treadstone Files in the first movie and The Bourne Dossier in the second, it's a high-tech simulator that displays a bunch of statistics and information on people, places, and other things. It's cool to look at, but again, it's just a novelty.
- Bourne Orientation
Also like the first two films, this repeats important plot information to the point of redundancy. Skip it.
- Picture in Picture
Much less effort was put into this feature as compared to Supremacy. The PiP commentaries only total a little over 35 minutes and are spread out over 12 of the 20 chapters. They're fairly informative, but the lower quantity is a bit disappointing. Some of the topics covered are: character analyses/interpretations, shooting logistics, general opinions about the franchise and its success, and a few anecdotes and stories about working with one another. Might be worth a watch at some point, but it's not nearly as engaging as it could've been.
Overall - 5.0
So the story of Jason Bourne has reached its conclusion, and in grand, epic fashion. Throughout the journey we watched as he re-discovered himself and took down a deeply corrupted system. It's bittersweet in a way, but it was enjoyable, nonetheless. The BD presents The Bourne Ultimatum with absolutely pristine picture and sound. And while the extra features are a lot lighter than the previous two films, it at least provides an excellent commentary that should satisfy the die-hard Bourne fan. If you haven't seen any of these films yet and are in the mood for an awesome spy-thriller, definitely give this franchise a shot.
When his lover is murdered and he is framed for the assassination of a fellow agent, Jason Bourne
finds himself
on the run again. But as he closes in on his girlfriend's killers, he realizes his former handlers are
back on...
As I said in my review of the first film, I stand by the belief that the Bourne franchise has ultimately changed the face of spy-thriller movies forever. Sure, the occasional flashy James Bond flick was fun to watch, but there's only so much style you can take after a while till it becomes a bit redundant. Thankfully, these Bourne films were so successful that they were able to re-imagine Agent 007 in a different light, a dark, grittier one that you can clearly see in their current films since Daniel Craig took over the title. But that's beside the point. The point is that I'm really, really thankful because if Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass never directed these, who knows what kind of mediocrity we'd be having to put up with instead. The Bourne Supremacy opens up 2 years after the end of Identity. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and Marie (Franka Potente) are living in Goa supposedly out of the grasp of anyone looking to find them. Bourne has recently begun having nightmares about a man and woman he once assassinated, but still can't manage to piece together anything else relevant between that and his past days in Treadstone. Meanwhile, an operation in Berlin to uncover a mole amongst the top CIA brass, led by Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), goes south when a Russian federal agent, Kirill (Karl Urban), infiltrates the deal and takes out the informant while leaving a fingerprint of Bourne to cover his tracks. Then in an attempt to put Bourne out of the picture, Marie is killed in his stead. Grieved and angered by the loss, Bourne sets out to find those responsible. However, in his pursuit of vengeance, he would discover things about his past that would change him for the better. The Bourne Identity was a refreshing breath of fresh air showing us a man who, at one point, was a cold-blooded killer doing his duty, but upon certain events had a change of heart. A major reason for that was because of a woman he met, a woman that stayed with him and showed him the side of life he had been missing out on. Upon losing her, this man would once again fall into the web of coverups, deception, and lies in search of truth, retribution, and eventual redemption. As if Identity didn't establish the humanity within Bourne enough, Supremacy takes that aspect even further by provoking an act of pure, motivated revenge, that otherwise evolves into a search for inner peace and a realization of humility. With this being the first of director Paul Greengrass' installments, the pacing of both the plot and action are doubly intensified. In addition, the cinematography, fight and stunt choreography, music, and production easily surpass its predecessor. The camera cuts are as quick and vicious as Bourne's ability to take people out, the fights more brutal, the chases more adrenaline-pumping, the music more pulsating, and best of all, the story more symbolic. This definitely takes care of the emotional side of the story arc, and even then, the final part of trilogy will manage to surpass that. Keep going, you're almost done.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Same director of photography, different director for the movie. The result: an amazing and visceral image compared to the first one! Paul Greengrass did a superb job not only propelling the franchise to new heights with the story, but also with the aesthetic presentation. Black levels are very deep (maybe a little too deep for some) making that sense of mystery and intrigue established in Identity that much more mysterious and intriguing. Even as hot and bright as the colors are in the Goa scenes, the blacks and more balanced contrast give the overall image so much more definition. The colors, by the way, are quite bold this time around. Goa alone has an exuberant amount of reds, oranges, and browns that make you feel like you're in the heat with Bourne and Marie. And even with a very fine layer of grain, detail and sharpness remain intact. Just look a the sweat running down the characters' faces, the texturing in the trees, ground objects, and street markets. And only a fraction of the movie even takes place here. The journey to Berlin is considerably darker, with a lot of the backdrops having more opaque set pieces, more interior shots (with small rooms and such), and a few more scenes shot at nighttime. The black levels are amazing here, but there's surprisingly a sparse amount of noise and grain to get in the way. And finally, the last part of the film in Moscow has a lot of color differentiation. The car chase sequence displays excellent detail in terms of line delineation and object clarity, especially when things start crashing and parts, glass, and other debris go flying around the street. My favorite shots for reference are the scene in Goa when Kirill is standing on the beach looking for Bourne (lots of color), the scene in Munich when Bourne pays a visit to the sole remaining Treadstone agent (lots of grain, but also lots of detail considering how close up the shots are), and finally the car chase in the Moscow tunnel (a little dim, but not super-dark, and again, lots of grain and detail). Some people may think the grain is a bit excessive, but I love the filmic texture it adds. And because of that I can't find any fault in the video.
In conjunction with the newer cinematography, the sound is also vastly improved. While the quality in Identity was pretty top-notch itself, there weren't enough moments for it to truly shine. The design and mixing in Supremacy, however, is quite aggressive. The biggest upgrade I noticed immediately is the general immersion. Scenes like the bustling streets of Goa or the protest rally at Alexanderplatz offer all kinds of separation and directionality. You can hear individual vehicles making noise, people talking, the change in volume when objects are in the way, the transference of sounds when the camera pans or cuts to a different angle, and these aren't even the real action sequences. Stuff like the foot chase in Berlin and the car chase in Moscow offer even more sonic perfection in terms of subtlety, dynamic range, and overall buoyancy. My favorite aspects of the audio, though, are its isolation, and the way the music is used. Particularly, I really love the scene where Bourne fights the last Treadstone agent. There's absolutely no music here, and the fight itself is contained in this small little area where you can hear every punch, shuffle, footstep, knife swipe, and paper slap without a single exterior source to disturb it. I personally think this is the most intense scene of the entire film, and a lot of it has to do with the sound, or lack thereof. And then there's the music. The more I keep listening to the score and sampling all the various parts of the movie for reference, the more I'm starting to like John Powell. As a composer, he really lets loose here with the strings and drums. The level at which the music is played is as subtle as the movie's sound effects, and when the pieces actually are played, it really puts you in the scene. LFEs are especially pounding, as the score pulsates and propels the action. Meanwhile, the car chase is probably the other big sequence to pay attention to. The cars running into each other and crashing offer up some pretty good rumbles that, if you have a decent sound system, should provide plenty of room-shaking bass. And yes, like the story itself, the sound gets even better in Ultimatum.
Extras - 4.5
- Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
This is a much different commentary than what Doug Liman gave for Identity. While Liman talked a lot about the technical aspects of the filming, Greengrass goes very in-depth about the writing and how he wanted to present certain themes/ideas through the action, especially in the way it was shot. A lot of people complain about the shaky camerawork and quick editing, but Greengrass repeatedly emphasizes how he wanted to keep it "real" (which is also presented as a short featurette on its own in the special features). In allowing the cameras to be handheld and literally follow Bourne's character in everything he does, its intent is to put the audience with him, as well as give the film a more gritty feel. He constantly breaks down key moments of the film as they unfold and goes on to talk about the actors, namely, why he cast them, what he liked about them, and how their personalities reflected well in their characters. There were a few more dead spots in this commentary than there were with Liman's, but it's just as informative and worth a listen.
- Explosive Deleted Scenes (SD; 10:46)
Not much to say about them.
- Matching Identities: Casting (SD; 5:23)
Talks about the casting. Greengrass starts off by giving Damon high praise for his ability to play both sides of Bourne so well (the tortured soul, and the ruthless killer). He also says he liked the choice of Allen to play Landy, as he thinks she's quite classy, much like Chris Cooper was for his role in Identity. He then goes on to talk about the film not having one bad guy, but that they were all part of a bad system (which will become very important for the third film).
- Keeping it Real (SD; 4:58)
Talks about the process of selecting Greengrass to become the new director of the franchise. He says he wanted to portray a truthfulness and realism, which shows through the shaky-camera cinematography. He also makes the point of not wanting the actors to think too much so that their movements are more instinctual and intense.
- Blowing Things Up (SD; 4:00)
Shows how they blew up the house in Munich and how they didn't us any CG because they wanted more realism to it. Interestingly enough, they got the whole shot in just one take.
- On the Move with Jason Bourne (SD; 4:45)
Takes a look at the scouting and talks about how they wanted to film the real places in Europe for the film. Berlin was chosen for its historical relevance and as an homage to old spy stories. Moscow was chosen because the city itself has never really been used for movies and because Greengrass felt it gave off a vibe of truthfulness. And then Goa was chosen because it reflected the exuberance and restlessness represented in Bourne's character at that moment in the film.
- Bourne to be Wild: Fight Training (SD; 4:21)
Shows us the staging for the fight between Bourne and the last remaining Treadstone agent. Fight coordinator Jeff Imada goes over the basic concept of the Kali style used, Greengrass points out how he wanted to really use Venetian blinds for the aesthetic of the scene and that he wanted the fight too look sloppy and raw, yet structured at the same time.
- Crash Cam: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow (SD; 5:58)
Shows us how the riveting car chase sequence was filmed. They wanted this to be better than the one in Identity by putting a sense of desperation in Bourne to get to his destination, and they did so by making all the cameras either loose or handheld and putting them either in the car or very close to the windows.
- The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action (SD; 6:49)
Talks about the Go-Mobile, a camera rig that essentially attaches itself to the front end of a vehicle to put an actor right in the action of a car-driving sequence. They say it's built to be safe (with a very low center of gravity so it never tips over) and that it allows for a lot of different camera angles you wouldn't normally be able to get.
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene (SD; 4:40)
A look at how the foot chase in Berlin was filmed. Damon says shooting it was safe and fun.
- Scoring with John Powell (SD; 4:46)
I love when we can actually take a look at the scoring of a film, especially here because I feel the music in the Bourne series is such an important driving force. Powell says he doesn't conduct, but likes to offer a lot of input during the process. He also says the score itself re-uses a lot of the themes from the first film, but that the new one created for Goa is meant to represent Marie and that it follows Bourne around till the end of the movie. Specifically, it's a theme that plays during her funeral scene, then comes full circle to symbolize his eventual atonement.
- The Bourne Mastermind (Part 2) (SD; 4:42)
More rehashed interviews with Ludlum that you might have already seen if you watched the ones on Identity. There's a little more additional retrospect here, but not much else.
- The Bourne Diagnosis (Part 2) (SD; 5:39)
Gives us a little more psychological analysis on Bourne, most notably how his flashbacks are tormenting him and how Marie represents his humanity and the choice of living. And upon her death, his quest for revenge sets Bourne on a journey to find his past and some eventual answers to what's been troubling him.
- U-Control
More interactive PiP applications that play during the film:
- The Bourne Dossier
Same as the Treadstone Files option in Identity. It's just a bunch of statistics and factoids in the form of a gimmicky spy computer thingy for people, places, and certain situations. It's cool if you like trivia, but like I said, it's a bit of a novelty, if anything else.
- Bourne Orientation
Recaps of important plot points, though not in the sense of interviews like the actual PiP commentary. It's a bit redundant and totally okay to skip it.
- Picture in Picture
The real meat of the extras. It's actually quite humorous at the beginning when producer Frank Marshall says that the feature was made exclusively for "this HD-DVD," which obviously is a dead format now, but after that it's pure gold in terms of information. The PiP takes most of the footage from the other special features listed above. However, it also includes a very large amount of interviews and footage not included in said extras and is full of crucial commentary and analysis of the story itself, as well as a few anecdotes from cast and crew. Most of the feature has the actors breaking down their characters and talking about what it was like working with one another. I was very glad to hear interpretations from Brian Cox and Karl Urban, who play antagonists, but really don't get a whole lot of screen time in general to fully develop themselves. So to hear them talking about how the characters fit into the plot and what they thought about their roles was very interesting. This is by far the best special feature on this disc, and I wholly recommend you make it a mandatory watch if you're interested in the production of the film itself and its literary composition. And unlike the PiP in Identity, this one actually runs for the entire length of the movie, as opposed to 3-5 minute chunks for 8 chapters.
Overall - 5.0
While the franchise is changing directors at this point, the plot still continues to thicken. I find it to be an interesting take on the character of Jason Bourne. And to further iterate, I really, really thank the people involved because without the Bourne movie franchise, James Bond wouldn't have followed suit, and I don't think I would love the Daniel Craig movies as much as I do today. In the meantime, Universal presents Supremacy with some demo-worthy A/V specs and a deceptively informative set of extras. Do yourself a favor and get ready for a spy-thriller with a lot of heart, then prepare for an even more thrilling adventure in the final act, Ultimatum.
Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Universal Studios | 2004 | 115 min | Rated PG-13 | Region free
| Jan 19, 2010
When his lover is murdered and he is framed for the assassination of a fellow agent, Jason Bourne
finds himself
on the run again. But as he closes in on his girlfriend's killers, he realizes his former handlers are
back on...
As I said in my review of the first film, I stand by the belief that the Bourne franchise has ultimately changed the face of spy-thriller movies forever. Sure, the occasional flashy James Bond flick was fun to watch, but there's only so much style you can take after a while till it becomes a bit redundant. Thankfully, these Bourne films were so successful that they were able to re-imagine Agent 007 in a different light, a dark, grittier one that you can clearly see in their current films since Daniel Craig took over the title. But that's beside the point. The point is that I'm really, really thankful because if Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass never directed these, who knows what kind of mediocrity we'd be having to put up with instead. The Bourne Supremacy opens up 2 years after the end of Identity. Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and Marie (Franka Potente) are living in Goa supposedly out of the grasp of anyone looking to find them. Bourne has recently begun having nightmares about a man and woman he once assassinated, but still can't manage to piece together anything else relevant between that and his past days in Treadstone. Meanwhile, an operation in Berlin to uncover a mole amongst the top CIA brass, led by Deputy Director Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), goes south when a Russian federal agent, Kirill (Karl Urban), infiltrates the deal and takes out the informant while leaving a fingerprint of Bourne to cover his tracks. Then in an attempt to put Bourne out of the picture, Marie is killed in his stead. Grieved and angered by the loss, Bourne sets out to find those responsible. However, in his pursuit of vengeance, he would discover things about his past that would change him for the better. The Bourne Identity was a refreshing breath of fresh air showing us a man who, at one point, was a cold-blooded killer doing his duty, but upon certain events had a change of heart. A major reason for that was because of a woman he met, a woman that stayed with him and showed him the side of life he had been missing out on. Upon losing her, this man would once again fall into the web of coverups, deception, and lies in search of truth, retribution, and eventual redemption. As if Identity didn't establish the humanity within Bourne enough, Supremacy takes that aspect even further by provoking an act of pure, motivated revenge, that otherwise evolves into a search for inner peace and a realization of humility. With this being the first of director Paul Greengrass' installments, the pacing of both the plot and action are doubly intensified. In addition, the cinematography, fight and stunt choreography, music, and production easily surpass its predecessor. The camera cuts are as quick and vicious as Bourne's ability to take people out, the fights more brutal, the chases more adrenaline-pumping, the music more pulsating, and best of all, the story more symbolic. This definitely takes care of the emotional side of the story arc, and even then, the final part of trilogy will manage to surpass that. Keep going, you're almost done.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Same director of photography, different director for the movie. The result: an amazing and visceral image compared to the first one! Paul Greengrass did a superb job not only propelling the franchise to new heights with the story, but also with the aesthetic presentation. Black levels are very deep (maybe a little too deep for some) making that sense of mystery and intrigue established in Identity that much more mysterious and intriguing. Even as hot and bright as the colors are in the Goa scenes, the blacks and more balanced contrast give the overall image so much more definition. The colors, by the way, are quite bold this time around. Goa alone has an exuberant amount of reds, oranges, and browns that make you feel like you're in the heat with Bourne and Marie. And even with a very fine layer of grain, detail and sharpness remain intact. Just look a the sweat running down the characters' faces, the texturing in the trees, ground objects, and street markets. And only a fraction of the movie even takes place here. The journey to Berlin is considerably darker, with a lot of the backdrops having more opaque set pieces, more interior shots (with small rooms and such), and a few more scenes shot at nighttime. The black levels are amazing here, but there's surprisingly a sparse amount of noise and grain to get in the way. And finally, the last part of the film in Moscow has a lot of color differentiation. The car chase sequence displays excellent detail in terms of line delineation and object clarity, especially when things start crashing and parts, glass, and other debris go flying around the street. My favorite shots for reference are the scene in Goa when Kirill is standing on the beach looking for Bourne (lots of color), the scene in Munich when Bourne pays a visit to the sole remaining Treadstone agent (lots of grain, but also lots of detail considering how close up the shots are), and finally the car chase in the Moscow tunnel (a little dim, but not super-dark, and again, lots of grain and detail). Some people may think the grain is a bit excessive, but I love the filmic texture it adds. And because of that I can't find any fault in the video.
In conjunction with the newer cinematography, the sound is also vastly improved. While the quality in Identity was pretty top-notch itself, there weren't enough moments for it to truly shine. The design and mixing in Supremacy, however, is quite aggressive. The biggest upgrade I noticed immediately is the general immersion. Scenes like the bustling streets of Goa or the protest rally at Alexanderplatz offer all kinds of separation and directionality. You can hear individual vehicles making noise, people talking, the change in volume when objects are in the way, the transference of sounds when the camera pans or cuts to a different angle, and these aren't even the real action sequences. Stuff like the foot chase in Berlin and the car chase in Moscow offer even more sonic perfection in terms of subtlety, dynamic range, and overall buoyancy. My favorite aspects of the audio, though, are its isolation, and the way the music is used. Particularly, I really love the scene where Bourne fights the last Treadstone agent. There's absolutely no music here, and the fight itself is contained in this small little area where you can hear every punch, shuffle, footstep, knife swipe, and paper slap without a single exterior source to disturb it. I personally think this is the most intense scene of the entire film, and a lot of it has to do with the sound, or lack thereof. And then there's the music. The more I keep listening to the score and sampling all the various parts of the movie for reference, the more I'm starting to like John Powell. As a composer, he really lets loose here with the strings and drums. The level at which the music is played is as subtle as the movie's sound effects, and when the pieces actually are played, it really puts you in the scene. LFEs are especially pounding, as the score pulsates and propels the action. Meanwhile, the car chase is probably the other big sequence to pay attention to. The cars running into each other and crashing offer up some pretty good rumbles that, if you have a decent sound system, should provide plenty of room-shaking bass. And yes, like the story itself, the sound gets even better in Ultimatum.
Extras - 4.5
- Audio Commentary (Director Paul Greengrass)
This is a much different commentary than what Doug Liman gave for Identity. While Liman talked a lot about the technical aspects of the filming, Greengrass goes very in-depth about the writing and how he wanted to present certain themes/ideas through the action, especially in the way it was shot. A lot of people complain about the shaky camerawork and quick editing, but Greengrass repeatedly emphasizes how he wanted to keep it "real" (which is also presented as a short featurette on its own in the special features). In allowing the cameras to be handheld and literally follow Bourne's character in everything he does, its intent is to put the audience with him, as well as give the film a more gritty feel. He constantly breaks down key moments of the film as they unfold and goes on to talk about the actors, namely, why he cast them, what he liked about them, and how their personalities reflected well in their characters. There were a few more dead spots in this commentary than there were with Liman's, but it's just as informative and worth a listen.
- Explosive Deleted Scenes (SD; 10:46)
Not much to say about them.
- Matching Identities: Casting (SD; 5:23)
Talks about the casting. Greengrass starts off by giving Damon high praise for his ability to play both sides of Bourne so well (the tortured soul, and the ruthless killer). He also says he liked the choice of Allen to play Landy, as he thinks she's quite classy, much like Chris Cooper was for his role in Identity. He then goes on to talk about the film not having one bad guy, but that they were all part of a bad system (which will become very important for the third film).
- Keeping it Real (SD; 4:58)
Talks about the process of selecting Greengrass to become the new director of the franchise. He says he wanted to portray a truthfulness and realism, which shows through the shaky-camera cinematography. He also makes the point of not wanting the actors to think too much so that their movements are more instinctual and intense.
- Blowing Things Up (SD; 4:00)
Shows how they blew up the house in Munich and how they didn't us any CG because they wanted more realism to it. Interestingly enough, they got the whole shot in just one take.
- On the Move with Jason Bourne (SD; 4:45)
Takes a look at the scouting and talks about how they wanted to film the real places in Europe for the film. Berlin was chosen for its historical relevance and as an homage to old spy stories. Moscow was chosen because the city itself has never really been used for movies and because Greengrass felt it gave off a vibe of truthfulness. And then Goa was chosen because it reflected the exuberance and restlessness represented in Bourne's character at that moment in the film.
- Bourne to be Wild: Fight Training (SD; 4:21)
Shows us the staging for the fight between Bourne and the last remaining Treadstone agent. Fight coordinator Jeff Imada goes over the basic concept of the Kali style used, Greengrass points out how he wanted to really use Venetian blinds for the aesthetic of the scene and that he wanted the fight too look sloppy and raw, yet structured at the same time.
- Crash Cam: Racing Through the Streets of Moscow (SD; 5:58)
Shows us how the riveting car chase sequence was filmed. They wanted this to be better than the one in Identity by putting a sense of desperation in Bourne to get to his destination, and they did so by making all the cameras either loose or handheld and putting them either in the car or very close to the windows.
- The Go-Mobile Revs Up the Action (SD; 6:49)
Talks about the Go-Mobile, a camera rig that essentially attaches itself to the front end of a vehicle to put an actor right in the action of a car-driving sequence. They say it's built to be safe (with a very low center of gravity so it never tips over) and that it allows for a lot of different camera angles you wouldn't normally be able to get.
- Anatomy of a Scene: The Explosive Bridge Chase Scene (SD; 4:40)
A look at how the foot chase in Berlin was filmed. Damon says shooting it was safe and fun.
- Scoring with John Powell (SD; 4:46)
I love when we can actually take a look at the scoring of a film, especially here because I feel the music in the Bourne series is such an important driving force. Powell says he doesn't conduct, but likes to offer a lot of input during the process. He also says the score itself re-uses a lot of the themes from the first film, but that the new one created for Goa is meant to represent Marie and that it follows Bourne around till the end of the movie. Specifically, it's a theme that plays during her funeral scene, then comes full circle to symbolize his eventual atonement.
- The Bourne Mastermind (Part 2) (SD; 4:42)
More rehashed interviews with Ludlum that you might have already seen if you watched the ones on Identity. There's a little more additional retrospect here, but not much else.
- The Bourne Diagnosis (Part 2) (SD; 5:39)
Gives us a little more psychological analysis on Bourne, most notably how his flashbacks are tormenting him and how Marie represents his humanity and the choice of living. And upon her death, his quest for revenge sets Bourne on a journey to find his past and some eventual answers to what's been troubling him.
- U-Control
More interactive PiP applications that play during the film:
- The Bourne Dossier
Same as the Treadstone Files option in Identity. It's just a bunch of statistics and factoids in the form of a gimmicky spy computer thingy for people, places, and certain situations. It's cool if you like trivia, but like I said, it's a bit of a novelty, if anything else.
- Bourne Orientation
Recaps of important plot points, though not in the sense of interviews like the actual PiP commentary. It's a bit redundant and totally okay to skip it.
- Picture in Picture
The real meat of the extras. It's actually quite humorous at the beginning when producer Frank Marshall says that the feature was made exclusively for "this HD-DVD," which obviously is a dead format now, but after that it's pure gold in terms of information. The PiP takes most of the footage from the other special features listed above. However, it also includes a very large amount of interviews and footage not included in said extras and is full of crucial commentary and analysis of the story itself, as well as a few anecdotes from cast and crew. Most of the feature has the actors breaking down their characters and talking about what it was like working with one another. I was very glad to hear interpretations from Brian Cox and Karl Urban, who play antagonists, but really don't get a whole lot of screen time in general to fully develop themselves. So to hear them talking about how the characters fit into the plot and what they thought about their roles was very interesting. This is by far the best special feature on this disc, and I wholly recommend you make it a mandatory watch if you're interested in the production of the film itself and its literary composition. And unlike the PiP in Identity, this one actually runs for the entire length of the movie, as opposed to 3-5 minute chunks for 8 chapters.
Overall - 5.0
While the franchise is changing directors at this point, the plot still continues to thicken. I find it to be an interesting take on the character of Jason Bourne. And to further iterate, I really, really thank the people involved because without the Bourne movie franchise, James Bond wouldn't have followed suit, and I don't think I would love the Daniel Craig movies as much as I do today. In the meantime, Universal presents Supremacy with some demo-worthy A/V specs and a deceptively informative set of extras. Do yourself a favor and get ready for a spy-thriller with a lot of heart, then prepare for an even more thrilling adventure in the final act, Ultimatum.
After being pulled from the sea with two bullets in his back, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) awakens on
a fishing
boat with no memory of his involvement in a top-secret, black ops arm of the CIA called
Treadstone. The only...
When this movie initially came out, I was very reluctant to see it. I had this weird and stupid bias against Matt Damon for whatever reason I can't even remember now, but that's in the past. Once I got wise, though, my very first viewing of this film (as well as the rest of the trilogy) came in the form of their BD releases. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised, especially for this being the first of three parts in an overall story. The film begins with the discovery of a man in the ocean by a group of fishermen; a man with two bullet holes in his back, a Swiss bank account number in his hip, and no memory of who he is. He can fluently speak foreign languages and is apparently a master in firearms and fisticuffs, but still can't remember his name or how he ended up where he did. In reaching the Swiss bank, he finds a deposit box with a passport. The name inside: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). Also in the box are multiple other passports, all with the same picture, but different names. And so, Bourne embarks on a journey to find out who he really is, meeting a gypsy woman named Marie (Franka Potente), in which they face assassins and conspiracy coverups with only each other to depend on. For me, this movie not only re-defined the spy-thriller genre (James Bond should thank this franchise because I think his recent incarnation was really influenced by it), but it made me a huge fan of Matt Damon. It's a gritty, more realistic, and down-to-earth depiction that relies less on flash and pizazz and tells a very humanistic story. If I were to break it down, I would say the appeal comes from about a third in the writing, a third in the acting, and a third in the score. The writing succeeds a lot in terms of subtlety; it doesn't explain a whole lot, but leaves enough for the audience to understand and empathize Bourne without ever getting ahead of him. This, in turn, is brilliantly performed by Damon who's portrayal is just as subtle as the writing; he's cool, calm, and collected, yet carries a certain degree of violence and ferocity when his training kicks in. And then there's the music; John Powell creates a very engaging score with three particularly crucial elements that, in my opinion, really drive the film: Bourne's main theme (which adds a sense of mystery and intrigue), a lot of percussion pieces (which sound great for action sequences), and the trademark whirring effect (that foreshadows Bourne's time to kick ass). The Bourne Identity is a very well-made spy-thriller that, as director Doug Liman puts it, "is made with a lot of European sensibilities," making this a very refreshing take for the time it was made. Not only does it provide the mystery and action of a spy movie, but the additional cerebral aspect makes it that much more enjoyable. And it only gets better in the sequels.
Video - 4.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The Bourne franchise makes its first entry onto high definition with a pretty good transfer. I say "pretty good," which may seem a bit generous considering a couple of gripes I have with it, but all in all, I'd say the pros outweigh the cons. Let's start with the good. General detail and sharpness look great, capturing some excellent scenic shots, revealing a decent amount of line delineation between clothes and objects, and showing some of the finer features on peoples' faces and hair during closeup shots. Colors are vivid, albeit slightly de-saturated, with lots of reds and orange being at the forefront of the spectrum. The red bank bag that Bourne wears around the beginning of the film tends to especially stand out, along with the occasional random red object in the background. The jacket he also wears in the beginning and the one big explosion that the movie has literally explodes orange when it does happen. Skin tones are very lifelike with great variation from person to person and reflect accordingly depending on the lighting of the scene. Black levels aren't super-deep, but do enough to help accentuate the intrigue during darker scenes or nighttime shots. The film also supports a nice, light layer of grain and never gets in the way. The two bad things? Contrast and damage. Contrast is generally a tad on the low side giving the movie a kind of murky look with even daytime shots looking a little on the dim side. The detail is still good enough, but compared to other movies I've seen with low contrast that still manage to have a pristine picture, this one doesn't really hold up. Throughout the course of the movie, there are also various instances of dirt and even one or two moments where scratches from print damage popped up for a split second. They're not terribly obvious, but they are noticeable. In the end, though, Oliver Wood's photography looks great and really helps to maintain a very earthy, yet exotic look to the cityscapes, indoor sets, and wider-viewed shots. My favorite parts to look at are the snowy streets of Zurich for it's variation in color around the city, the shootout at the farmhouse for its detail, and the nighttime shots around the end of the movie for the blacks.
While the video portion of this disc isn't quite perfect, the audio comes much closer. As I mentioned about the music being an integral part of the film, interestingly enough, the movie opens with the Universal credits, but doesn't play the Universal theme. Instead, it's starts out silent and fades into the sound effects, then into the main title theme of Bourne. General immersion is excellent with the score having a pulse of its own through a lot of the drumming beats and tense string pieces. And then, of course, there's that trademark whirring effect, which when played, really enhances the mood of whatever is acting out on screen. Directionality and separation dominate the sound field when action sequences take precedent, though dialogue thankfully remains clear regardless of how loud a crash, gunshot, or broken window gets. In particular, I was very pleased with how well-isolated the effects were in the scene where Bourne is fending off the first Treadstone assassin. When the guy breaks in, it was completely quiet beforehand, and then all hell broke loose. But even then, when Bourne and Marie are being pursued by the French police, the car chase sequence does a bit of the opposite by having a very lively mix of automotive chaos and snazzy Euro-techno that almost felt like a scene out of The Transporter. I would say this scene utilizes the rear speakers best with some very aggressive effects as some of the cars come buzzing around tight corners and others start crashing into one another. And then towards the end of the film when Bourne is fighting Clive Owen's character, we get a great example of the middle road. It's isolated enough like the first assassination attempt when Bourne blows up a tanker providing some real pounding LFEs, but then it also feels very immersive when he fires another shot and the birds in the field start flying around. To sum it up, The Bourne Identity has a great sound design and mix. The actual sound quality has a lot of depth to it, with both the high and low ends displaying great dynamic range. As a whole, it's not quite reference material, but I would liken that more to the nature of the film itself having a lot of quieter moments. But rest assured, though, that the sequels will definitely fix that right up.
Extras - 4.5
- Audio Commentary (Director Doug Liman)
This is a very informative track with a wealth of information that covers a wide variety of aspects from the writing, casting, filming, set designs, editing, scoring; you name it. Essentially, what I found most interesting were the comments Liman had about the heart of the story and its presentation; namely, how he wanted to bring a sense of grit and realism to the spy-thriller genre, making it a drama, first, and an action film, second. He goes into great detail about the depiction of Bourne and how he and Damon collaborated to make the character feel subtle and empathetic, yet strong and determined throughout the circumstances of the story. In fact, Liman really stressed the parallels between the Kali fighting style that Bourne uses and how its core philosophy of energy conservation and quick, brutal efficiency ties into Bourne's overall demeanor. He later goes on to talk about character motivations and how Damon and Potente did particularly good jobs at humanizing the character of Bourne in such a way that, I feel, had a gradual impact on the look and feel of other modern spy-thrillers succeeding this one (here's looking at you, Bond). Oddly enough, there were a few very large dead spots, but for the most part, when Liman talks, he really lets loose.
- The Ludlum Identity (SD; 12:49)
Tells us a little bit about the famed author of the series, Robert Ludlum, namely, things like: how he made the transition from theater actor to novelist, how he tied those theater experiences into his writing, how a lot of the locales he came up with were inspired by post WWII-Europe, how he saw conspiracy in authority, and finally how he came to adopt the trend of 3-word titles for all of his works ("The [whatever] [whatever]").
- The Ludlum Supremacy (SD; 12:41)
Talks about the origin of Bourne's name, Ludlum's personality in general and how it was reflected through the character of Bourne, some of the differences between the movie and novel (such as the omission of Carlos the Jackal), how The Bourne Identity boosted his status as an author, and then the eventual progression that was a result from Identity's success.
- The Ludlum Ultimatum (SD; 23:57)
This piece covers a pretty huge chunk of Jason Bourne's story arc between the first and second movie. If you've seen all the films by this point, then it's an excellent breakdown of the character, his motivations, and the themes they wrote into the plot. If by some chance this is your first time seeing Identity, do no watch this feature, as it will contain some major spoilers for Supremacy.
- Alternate Opening and Ending (SD; 10:46 altogether)
Starts with a brief introduction by the 3 guys listed below and mentions how the movie had to be adjusted after the events of 9/11 for the sake of changed sensibilites. They were concerned about the "datedness" of the subject material and how it would make audiences react. The alternate opening basically would have turned the whole movie into a flashback and tying up in present day at the end. They say they were pretty happy with the ending you see in the final cut (and so am I).
- Introduction with Producer Frank Marshall, Co-Writer Tony Gilroy, and Actor Brian Cox (3:33)
- Alternate Opening (2:16)
- Alternate Ending (4:56)
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 6:58)
Listed below are the individual scenes:
- Wombosi on the Private Jet (0:59)
- Bourne and Marie by the Side of the Road (2:29)
- Psychologist Discusses Bourne (1:46)
- Bourne and Marie Practice on Subway (1:42)
- Extended Farmhouse Scene (0:58)
Liman actually makes a quick reference to this in the commentary. He said this scene was left in the European version of the film, but then went on to say it was cut from the American version for "timing reasons." As if 58 seconds really makes that big of a difference in theater showings per day...
- The Birth of the Bourne Identity (SD; 14:31)
A pretty generic EPK-style feature that tells you how Bourne is different from your average spy-thrill title. It has very badly-edited interviews that are short and whose sporadic nature doesn't really tell you much at all. I recommend you avoid this if you're looking for actual depth and quality.
- The Bourne Mastermind: Robert Ludlum (SD; 5:44)
Mostly recycled information talking about Ludlum's transition from theater to writing. It offers a little more retrospect after the fact, but it's too short and not much more than you can hear about in the other features above.
- Access Granted: An Interview with Co-Writer Tony Gilroy (SD; 4:03)
Talks about the essence of Bourne and how the movies had to be adapted for modern times, as opposed to the Cold War mentality they originally had when it started in the '80s.
- From Identity to Supremacy: Jason & Marie (SD; 3:37)
Some interviews with Damon and Potente about the characters they play, how they interpreted their motivations, and the transition they had to make when filming Supremacy. Damon said that Bourne's actions are what he feels develops the character, while Potente praises how non-cliché her character was and how the chemistry between Bourne and Marie is sporadic throughout the relationship.
- The Bourne Diagnosis (SD; 3:25)
Talks about the actual medical condition of the amnesia Bourne suffers in the plot. The psychologist basically says that Bourne suffers from Selective Dissociative Amnesia, but retains a Kinesthetic Memory of how to perform all of his trained skills. He also goes on to point out that the presence of Marie's character was a big help in portraying memory recovery.
- Cloak and Dagger: Covert Ops (SD; 5:31)
An interview with an officer of the CIA who talks about the overt and covert operations they actually do perform and how accurate the depiction of Bourne and all the training technicalities were.
- Inside a Fight Sequence (SD; 4:42)
Shows how the choreography was staged with stunt coordinator Nick Powell.
- Moby "Extreme Ways" Music Video (SD; 3:38)
A music video to the ending credits song.
- U-Control
There are 3 different interactive applications you can play along with the film:
- Treadstone Files
A kind of gimmicky computerization that simulates certain parts of the movie to feel like you're looking through a high-tech dossier. It shows a bunch of trivial factoids and statistics about the characters, the locations, Treadstone, and all kinds of other information.
- Bourne Orientation
PiP that plays like Warner Bros.' Maximum Movie Mode where the current scene and an older scene that may or may not contain interviews will split into 2 individual screens of their own and essentially rehash important plot points.
- Picture in Picture
A true PiP application that opens up a little box in the corner of the screen with additional interviews not seen in the special features. Altogether, it equates to about 25 minutes and is divided into 8 chapters of the scene selection. Some of the material covered includes: the action and how Damon wanted to do his own stunts, filming in Paris, Liman casting Damon as Bourne and what it was like working with him, the relationship between Bourne and Marie, a more in-depth analysis of Marie's character, and a short look at the other Treadstone agents through an interview with Clive Owen. It's a little disappointing there aren't more interviews, but it's pretty well-worth the information.
Overall - 4.5
For the starter of the bunch, The Bourne Identity is a very entertaining refresher into, what was then, a faltering spy-thriller genre. This Blu-ray disc looks pretty good with only a couple of minor problems, the sound is fantastic considering there's more drama than action, and the special features are very informative. It's a shame Ludlum never got to see this, but the people that knew and vouched for him are pretty happy with the way it turned out. The Bourne franchise has certainly changed the genre (just look at how Daniel Craig's Bond movies have shaped up) and for the better. If you haven't seen this yet, definitely pick it up, then wait to be amazed by its sequels.
Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Universal Studios | 2002 | 118 min | Rated PG-13 | Region free
| Jan 19, 2010
After being pulled from the sea with two bullets in his back, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) awakens on
a fishing
boat with no memory of his involvement in a top-secret, black ops arm of the CIA called
Treadstone. The only...
When this movie initially came out, I was very reluctant to see it. I had this weird and stupid bias against Matt Damon for whatever reason I can't even remember now, but that's in the past. Once I got wise, though, my very first viewing of this film (as well as the rest of the trilogy) came in the form of their BD releases. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised, especially for this being the first of three parts in an overall story. The film begins with the discovery of a man in the ocean by a group of fishermen; a man with two bullet holes in his back, a Swiss bank account number in his hip, and no memory of who he is. He can fluently speak foreign languages and is apparently a master in firearms and fisticuffs, but still can't remember his name or how he ended up where he did. In reaching the Swiss bank, he finds a deposit box with a passport. The name inside: Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). Also in the box are multiple other passports, all with the same picture, but different names. And so, Bourne embarks on a journey to find out who he really is, meeting a gypsy woman named Marie (Franka Potente), in which they face assassins and conspiracy coverups with only each other to depend on. For me, this movie not only re-defined the spy-thriller genre (James Bond should thank this franchise because I think his recent incarnation was really influenced by it), but it made me a huge fan of Matt Damon. It's a gritty, more realistic, and down-to-earth depiction that relies less on flash and pizazz and tells a very humanistic story. If I were to break it down, I would say the appeal comes from about a third in the writing, a third in the acting, and a third in the score. The writing succeeds a lot in terms of subtlety; it doesn't explain a whole lot, but leaves enough for the audience to understand and empathize Bourne without ever getting ahead of him. This, in turn, is brilliantly performed by Damon who's portrayal is just as subtle as the writing; he's cool, calm, and collected, yet carries a certain degree of violence and ferocity when his training kicks in. And then there's the music; John Powell creates a very engaging score with three particularly crucial elements that, in my opinion, really drive the film: Bourne's main theme (which adds a sense of mystery and intrigue), a lot of percussion pieces (which sound great for action sequences), and the trademark whirring effect (that foreshadows Bourne's time to kick ass). The Bourne Identity is a very well-made spy-thriller that, as director Doug Liman puts it, "is made with a lot of European sensibilities," making this a very refreshing take for the time it was made. Not only does it provide the mystery and action of a spy movie, but the additional cerebral aspect makes it that much more enjoyable. And it only gets better in the sequels.
Video - 4.0
- Video codec: VC-1
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The Bourne franchise makes its first entry onto high definition with a pretty good transfer. I say "pretty good," which may seem a bit generous considering a couple of gripes I have with it, but all in all, I'd say the pros outweigh the cons. Let's start with the good. General detail and sharpness look great, capturing some excellent scenic shots, revealing a decent amount of line delineation between clothes and objects, and showing some of the finer features on peoples' faces and hair during closeup shots. Colors are vivid, albeit slightly de-saturated, with lots of reds and orange being at the forefront of the spectrum. The red bank bag that Bourne wears around the beginning of the film tends to especially stand out, along with the occasional random red object in the background. The jacket he also wears in the beginning and the one big explosion that the movie has literally explodes orange when it does happen. Skin tones are very lifelike with great variation from person to person and reflect accordingly depending on the lighting of the scene. Black levels aren't super-deep, but do enough to help accentuate the intrigue during darker scenes or nighttime shots. The film also supports a nice, light layer of grain and never gets in the way. The two bad things? Contrast and damage. Contrast is generally a tad on the low side giving the movie a kind of murky look with even daytime shots looking a little on the dim side. The detail is still good enough, but compared to other movies I've seen with low contrast that still manage to have a pristine picture, this one doesn't really hold up. Throughout the course of the movie, there are also various instances of dirt and even one or two moments where scratches from print damage popped up for a split second. They're not terribly obvious, but they are noticeable. In the end, though, Oliver Wood's photography looks great and really helps to maintain a very earthy, yet exotic look to the cityscapes, indoor sets, and wider-viewed shots. My favorite parts to look at are the snowy streets of Zurich for it's variation in color around the city, the shootout at the farmhouse for its detail, and the nighttime shots around the end of the movie for the blacks.
While the video portion of this disc isn't quite perfect, the audio comes much closer. As I mentioned about the music being an integral part of the film, interestingly enough, the movie opens with the Universal credits, but doesn't play the Universal theme. Instead, it's starts out silent and fades into the sound effects, then into the main title theme of Bourne. General immersion is excellent with the score having a pulse of its own through a lot of the drumming beats and tense string pieces. And then, of course, there's that trademark whirring effect, which when played, really enhances the mood of whatever is acting out on screen. Directionality and separation dominate the sound field when action sequences take precedent, though dialogue thankfully remains clear regardless of how loud a crash, gunshot, or broken window gets. In particular, I was very pleased with how well-isolated the effects were in the scene where Bourne is fending off the first Treadstone assassin. When the guy breaks in, it was completely quiet beforehand, and then all hell broke loose. But even then, when Bourne and Marie are being pursued by the French police, the car chase sequence does a bit of the opposite by having a very lively mix of automotive chaos and snazzy Euro-techno that almost felt like a scene out of The Transporter. I would say this scene utilizes the rear speakers best with some very aggressive effects as some of the cars come buzzing around tight corners and others start crashing into one another. And then towards the end of the film when Bourne is fighting Clive Owen's character, we get a great example of the middle road. It's isolated enough like the first assassination attempt when Bourne blows up a tanker providing some real pounding LFEs, but then it also feels very immersive when he fires another shot and the birds in the field start flying around. To sum it up, The Bourne Identity has a great sound design and mix. The actual sound quality has a lot of depth to it, with both the high and low ends displaying great dynamic range. As a whole, it's not quite reference material, but I would liken that more to the nature of the film itself having a lot of quieter moments. But rest assured, though, that the sequels will definitely fix that right up.
Extras - 4.5
- Audio Commentary (Director Doug Liman)
This is a very informative track with a wealth of information that covers a wide variety of aspects from the writing, casting, filming, set designs, editing, scoring; you name it. Essentially, what I found most interesting were the comments Liman had about the heart of the story and its presentation; namely, how he wanted to bring a sense of grit and realism to the spy-thriller genre, making it a drama, first, and an action film, second. He goes into great detail about the depiction of Bourne and how he and Damon collaborated to make the character feel subtle and empathetic, yet strong and determined throughout the circumstances of the story. In fact, Liman really stressed the parallels between the Kali fighting style that Bourne uses and how its core philosophy of energy conservation and quick, brutal efficiency ties into Bourne's overall demeanor. He later goes on to talk about character motivations and how Damon and Potente did particularly good jobs at humanizing the character of Bourne in such a way that, I feel, had a gradual impact on the look and feel of other modern spy-thrillers succeeding this one (here's looking at you, Bond). Oddly enough, there were a few very large dead spots, but for the most part, when Liman talks, he really lets loose.
- The Ludlum Identity (SD; 12:49)
Tells us a little bit about the famed author of the series, Robert Ludlum, namely, things like: how he made the transition from theater actor to novelist, how he tied those theater experiences into his writing, how a lot of the locales he came up with were inspired by post WWII-Europe, how he saw conspiracy in authority, and finally how he came to adopt the trend of 3-word titles for all of his works ("The [whatever] [whatever]").
- The Ludlum Supremacy (SD; 12:41)
Talks about the origin of Bourne's name, Ludlum's personality in general and how it was reflected through the character of Bourne, some of the differences between the movie and novel (such as the omission of Carlos the Jackal), how The Bourne Identity boosted his status as an author, and then the eventual progression that was a result from Identity's success.
- The Ludlum Ultimatum (SD; 23:57)
This piece covers a pretty huge chunk of Jason Bourne's story arc between the first and second movie. If you've seen all the films by this point, then it's an excellent breakdown of the character, his motivations, and the themes they wrote into the plot. If by some chance this is your first time seeing Identity, do no watch this feature, as it will contain some major spoilers for Supremacy.
- Alternate Opening and Ending (SD; 10:46 altogether)
Starts with a brief introduction by the 3 guys listed below and mentions how the movie had to be adjusted after the events of 9/11 for the sake of changed sensibilites. They were concerned about the "datedness" of the subject material and how it would make audiences react. The alternate opening basically would have turned the whole movie into a flashback and tying up in present day at the end. They say they were pretty happy with the ending you see in the final cut (and so am I).
- Introduction with Producer Frank Marshall, Co-Writer Tony Gilroy, and Actor Brian Cox (3:33)
- Alternate Opening (2:16)
- Alternate Ending (4:56)
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 6:58)
Listed below are the individual scenes:
- Wombosi on the Private Jet (0:59)
- Bourne and Marie by the Side of the Road (2:29)
- Psychologist Discusses Bourne (1:46)
- Bourne and Marie Practice on Subway (1:42)
- Extended Farmhouse Scene (0:58)
Liman actually makes a quick reference to this in the commentary. He said this scene was left in the European version of the film, but then went on to say it was cut from the American version for "timing reasons." As if 58 seconds really makes that big of a difference in theater showings per day...
- The Birth of the Bourne Identity (SD; 14:31)
A pretty generic EPK-style feature that tells you how Bourne is different from your average spy-thrill title. It has very badly-edited interviews that are short and whose sporadic nature doesn't really tell you much at all. I recommend you avoid this if you're looking for actual depth and quality.
- The Bourne Mastermind: Robert Ludlum (SD; 5:44)
Mostly recycled information talking about Ludlum's transition from theater to writing. It offers a little more retrospect after the fact, but it's too short and not much more than you can hear about in the other features above.
- Access Granted: An Interview with Co-Writer Tony Gilroy (SD; 4:03)
Talks about the essence of Bourne and how the movies had to be adapted for modern times, as opposed to the Cold War mentality they originally had when it started in the '80s.
- From Identity to Supremacy: Jason & Marie (SD; 3:37)
Some interviews with Damon and Potente about the characters they play, how they interpreted their motivations, and the transition they had to make when filming Supremacy. Damon said that Bourne's actions are what he feels develops the character, while Potente praises how non-cliché her character was and how the chemistry between Bourne and Marie is sporadic throughout the relationship.
- The Bourne Diagnosis (SD; 3:25)
Talks about the actual medical condition of the amnesia Bourne suffers in the plot. The psychologist basically says that Bourne suffers from Selective Dissociative Amnesia, but retains a Kinesthetic Memory of how to perform all of his trained skills. He also goes on to point out that the presence of Marie's character was a big help in portraying memory recovery.
- Cloak and Dagger: Covert Ops (SD; 5:31)
An interview with an officer of the CIA who talks about the overt and covert operations they actually do perform and how accurate the depiction of Bourne and all the training technicalities were.
- Inside a Fight Sequence (SD; 4:42)
Shows how the choreography was staged with stunt coordinator Nick Powell.
- Moby "Extreme Ways" Music Video (SD; 3:38)
A music video to the ending credits song.
- U-Control
There are 3 different interactive applications you can play along with the film:
- Treadstone Files
A kind of gimmicky computerization that simulates certain parts of the movie to feel like you're looking through a high-tech dossier. It shows a bunch of trivial factoids and statistics about the characters, the locations, Treadstone, and all kinds of other information.
- Bourne Orientation
PiP that plays like Warner Bros.' Maximum Movie Mode where the current scene and an older scene that may or may not contain interviews will split into 2 individual screens of their own and essentially rehash important plot points.
- Picture in Picture
A true PiP application that opens up a little box in the corner of the screen with additional interviews not seen in the special features. Altogether, it equates to about 25 minutes and is divided into 8 chapters of the scene selection. Some of the material covered includes: the action and how Damon wanted to do his own stunts, filming in Paris, Liman casting Damon as Bourne and what it was like working with him, the relationship between Bourne and Marie, a more in-depth analysis of Marie's character, and a short look at the other Treadstone agents through an interview with Clive Owen. It's a little disappointing there aren't more interviews, but it's pretty well-worth the information.
Overall - 4.5
For the starter of the bunch, The Bourne Identity is a very entertaining refresher into, what was then, a faltering spy-thriller genre. This Blu-ray disc looks pretty good with only a couple of minor problems, the sound is fantastic considering there's more drama than action, and the special features are very informative. It's a shame Ludlum never got to see this, but the people that knew and vouched for him are pretty happy with the way it turned out. The Bourne franchise has certainly changed the genre (just look at how Daniel Craig's Bond movies have shaped up) and for the better. If you haven't seen this yet, definitely pick it up, then wait to be amazed by its sequels.
The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the Moon, and race against the Decepticons to reach it and learn its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers' final battle.
The first Transformers did a pretty good job. It has a great cast, great production value, a gripping score, and even a little humor. It's innocent enough that you feel for the character of Sam Witwicky, realize the scope of the Autobot/Decepticon war coming to earth, then get to watch it all unfold as a grand and adventurous sci-fi actioner. Revenge of the Fallen.. not so much. It takes the nobility out of Optimus Prime's character, overshadows the plot with a little too much juvenile humor, one-liners, and situational comedy for my tastes, then tries to go beyond the conventions of sci-fi by making a "heaven for robots," while also making its female lead completely infallible to makeup discrepancies, then decides to ghetto-fies its robot cast by adding two inadvertently segregating "black" twin robots, and even flashes the movie-goers with John Toturo's ass in a jock strap (not a pretty sight). So yes; a writer's strike, no story or script, and only a year to shoot set the movie franchise back a bit (at least from a fanbase perspective). Thankfully, though, Dark of the Moon makes up for it, even surpassing TF1 in terms of character development, overall scope, and of course, brevity of action. For the writing, I enjoyed three particular elements: the ambition and search for self-worth of Sam's character, the more gritty and no-holds-barred nature of the storytelling, and the downright sense of treachery that seemed to loom throughout many of the characters. We see Sam yearning to feel useful and finding a purpose in life. He can't a find a job despite saving the world twice already, but at the same time knows he's capable of so much more than the office job he ends up with. His new girlfriend doesn't want him to be as ambitious because she feels that same kind of ambition is what got her bother killed in the military. Yes, the first half of the film is about as "fluffy" in spirit as the first two, but the overall structure is much less comedic than the former and substitutes it with a more epic story and darker tone in the second half. People and robots are killed, betrayal runs amok, and total kinetic action ensues for pretty much the entire duration of the movie thereafter. It's escapist sci-fi robot fantasy at its best that's a technical marvel, wonderfully choreographed, and everything one could hope for in a Michael Bay film.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Prior to this BD release I'd only seen Dark of the Moon in 3D in theaters (and 3 times, to boot). If the 3D was that impressive, I'm sure a 2D BD presentation would've been just as stellar as the previous entries, and boy is it. They really went all out in filming this using 6 different cameras, 4 types of film negatives, and another 6 types of cinematographic processes ranging between 35mm, digital, and 3D dual-strip. While TF2 barely accomplished anything with its crappy IMAX sequences (not crap in the sense of quality, but the fact that there was just so little of it), TF3 has some amazing cinematography in general, whether it be 2D or 3D. As far as the 2D presentation goes it's as demo-worthy as you can get. The CG and visual effects in particular are pristine and flawless in terms of detail and clarity. All the lines in the robotic parts, scuffs in peoples' faces, stubble on their chins, tiny bits of debris falling from the sky, sparks ricocheting off of exploding structures, water droplets from splashes, steam and smoke from fired weapons, everything is perfectly visible from any given angle under every kind of lighting imaginable. Blacks and contrast are the biggest draw for me revealing lots of fine texturing in the production design, while colors are very vibrant, particularly in opposition to the grittier look of the second half of the movie. There's hardly any noise to speak of aside from maybe a couple of dark shots filmed in 35mm. Everything has either a clean digital sheen or a fine layer of film grain. There's no over-saturation of colors, no noise reduction, edge enhancement, banding, or any of those detracting elements that may otherwise bog the video presentation. My favorite scenes for demo material would be the part where Sam meets Dylan for the first time (for a good contrast of colors with the least bit of CG) and, of course, any part of that massive last hour where they're fighting the Decepticons in Chicago (for a great mix of real and CG-integrated footage). I know the Oscar committee hates Michael Bay and are all about politics, but a film as technically sound as this needs to win an award at least for something like cinematography, visual effects, or editing.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
- English: Dolby Digital 5.1
- English: Dolby Digital 2.0
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
- English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Well, so much for Thor being my (previous) number one loudest BD (after its two-week reign). First, I want to address the supposed controversy about the use of a TrueHD encode. Yes, while TrueHD may be have the lowest bit rates of the three lossless codecs, it also takes up the least amount of disc space. I believe the reasoning behind this logic is because 1) it's still lossless; even TF1 has TrueHD and many people still refer to it as one of the premier demo discs, 2) not only does it still sound awesome, but it's even 7.1 to compensate for the fact that it is TrueHD in the first place, which if you consider TF1 to be pretty good, then this is even better, and 3) they need the extra space for the eventual 3D version which will surely take up more disc space, so instead of barely being able to fit a two and a half-hour movie in 3D AND with lossless audio without suffering possible compression issues, you do the math and tell me otherwise. Not to mention this disc already supports 3 other spoken languages in Dolby Digital 5.1 (again, more disc space). Now, as for the audio presentation itself, it should be a no-brainer. Greg P. Russell returns as re-recording mixer for, yet another, truly wonderful auditory experience. The guy has worked on all 3 Transformers films and 200 films altogether in his illustrious career. He's been nominated for 14 Oscars but hasn't won any because, again, the Oscar committee is full of pretentious sycophants that just won't give mainstream movies the credit they're due, let alone anything Michael Bay is a part of. Needless to say, this easily one of the finest presentations you'll hear on a BD. Dialogue remains clear from the center channel, even throughout the chaotic battle sequences, high and low ends are pitch-for-pitch perfect, directionality and separation are flawless from the remaining fronts, sides, and backs, and, of course, LFEs are expectedly ground-shaking. Specifically, the score by Steve Jablonsky is very fitting for the film. It works something to the affect of Hans Zimmer's work in The Dark Knight and Inception giving a very emotional feel to the happenings on screen. But it's to be expected since Jablonsky is a disciple of his. My favorite scenes: the highway chase when Bumblebee transforms in mid-air to catch Sam and the part where they fight Shockwave. Oscar committee, please be more open-minded and at least give Mr. Russell is much-deserved award.
Extras - 0.5
There's nothing here, of course, as they're pulling off an Avatar and trying to capitalize as fast as they can. But at least Paramount gave early warning. I'm sure the eventual deluxe package will have the usual commentary and 2+ hours of special features on a separate disc when it comes out. As much work as they put into this, I'm actually very eager to see how they did it.
Overall - 4.0
Based on the average scores and whether or not you even care for extras (or even 3D) this could either be a "buy now" or "buy it later" recommendation. I, for one, love special features in general and will gladly wait for a complete package. Those who don't mind a bare bones release, however, shouldn't hesitate to get this. This is easily the best of the three Transformers films. It has a gradually building plot structure, a better balance of humor, amazing production value, and is overall a darker and more satisfying film altogether. And with equally amazing A/V quality, fans of the franchise will definitely be pleased.
DreamWorks | 2009 | 105 min | Rated R | Region free
| Aug 11, 2009
Peter Klaven is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his
dreams, Zooey, discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough
to serve as his Best Man. Peter...
Paul Rudd and Jason Segel have recently become two very funny guys I've come to respect for their screen presence and comedic ability. Rudd is very subtle and can do a lot of things from being the snide and cynical jackass (a la Role Models) to the goofy and tripped out hippie (a la Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Segel brings much of the same to the table, but portrays it with a more masculine tone that's also deceptively feminine at times. His balance of vulnerability and balls (as in "attitude," not those "balls") in Sarah Marshall was a great quality to watch, and I'm glad to see a sort of spiritual progression of those traits into I Love You, Man. With that said, the two pair up again for, what I think is, one of the funniest comedies, and certainly one of the best bromantic comedies I've seen. I Love You, Man is about a man named Peter Klaven (Rudd) who's getting married, but doesn't have a single guy friend to join him down the aisle. Disturbed and embarrassed by this revelation, he sets out on a quest to meet as many guys as possible in an effort to find his new best friend. Enter Sydney Fife (Segel), a private investor with a lot of sense on how the male mind operates, a penchant for doing guy things, and a Man Cave of wonders, who befriends Peter. They become very close buddies, but in the process, Peter starts to stray away from his fiancé (Rashida Jones) little by little until things finally work out by the wedding day. Without telling the whole story, let me just highlight the pros of the film. It's a guy's movie in the fullest sense, maybe even a little enjoyable for the gals, but definitely one for the guys. It's a story about a really (and I mean extremely) socially awkward, but nice guy with good intentions just looking to make a friend. In finding this friend, the movie also says a lot about how the unwritten rule of "boundaries" apply in relationships, be they with our mate or best friend. It's not just a hilarious and raunchy comedy with a few of life's little truths, but also a look at ourselves (guys, that is) and the fine line we need to maintain in order to live healthier and more balanced social lives. And with a stupendous cast of comedic actors (Andy Samberg, Tom Lennon, Rob Huebel, Joe Lo Truglio, and a perfect deadpan Jon Favreau), how can you not have fun? I get a lot of laughs every time I see it, but it never wears out its welcome. It's definitely one of my top comedies.
Video - 4.5
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
- Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
For a slice-of-life bromantic comedy, I'm surprised at just how good the picture quality is. Then again, with very little to do in terms of special effects, sound design, and overall marketing, I would guess a good deal of the money becomes very well-invested into film stock and camera equipment. Shot on 35mm and processed digitally at 2K, I Love You, Man actually looks excellent. The quality I enjoy the most about this transfer is its clarity. Detail is very sharp and revealing with just a little bit of film grain to give it that theatrical feel. You can see all the little layers and lines in peoples' clothes, hair, face, and particularly in their body shapes like Segel's sport coat and his protruding gut and ever-so-slight man boobs, Favreau's Jew-fro, Huebel's overly fake tan, and the occasional curvaceousness of Jaime Pressly or the bulging muscles of Lou Ferrigno. Colors are somewhat vibrant, but are natural enough to add a sense of liveliness to the feel of the movie. The sunny skies and warmness of Los Angeles offer up mostly orange and yellowish hues during outdoor and daytime shots, while darker or indoor scenes such as houses, restaurants, and the Man Cave use more browns, grays, dark greens and blues, and black. And to top things off in terms of primaries, there's a good deal of red during the Rush concert in the ambient lighting. Black levels aren't amazingly deep, but are balanced well enough with contrast that you can differentiate a good majority of lines, shadows, and detail within certain sequences. The only downside to the picture is some sporadic glare/flare from the artificial lighting used during the shots that were actually filmed at night (like the gym scene, which was actually shot in the very early AM hours). Because of that, it tends to create something of an overly bright "shine" effect from certain camera angles that take away some of the detail. It's not a transfer that will really wow your guests, per se, but I found it very pleasing and think that it compliments the movie's storytelling well enough. Also, there were a few visual effects tinkered into film (listen to the commentary to find out which ones), but I sure as heck couldn't tell, aside from the obvious projectile puke.
Audio - 4.0
Languages
- English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
- English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
The audio is a bit more underwhelming than the video, but this TrueHD track does a very good job in terms of general ambiance. It's a very music-centric track with a lot of record label songs and something like 6-7 minutes of actual score by Theodore Shapiro that make for a feel-good, laid-back kind of viewing. A majority of the music emanates from the front side speakers with some accompaniment from the rears, though only the Rush concert really ever takes advantage of such a design. Directionality is very sparse when it comes to the use of sound effects, as it's just not the kind of movie that uses them a lot, so don't expect to hear much more than Sydney's Vespa buzzing about with cars and a light breeze in the background, the cheering crowd at the L.A. Galaxy game, or the occasional bit of noise from the bystanders and skaters at Venice's Ocean Front Walk. Dialogue is probably the only other highlight outside of the music and is very clear and discernible, most notably Paul Rudd's light mumbles and his hilarious/awkward one-liners that always seem to sound like a leprechaun. Separation boils down to said music and dialogue and is never, ever a problem. It's a simple sound design with very little complexity to worry about. As for LFEs, I was actually very surprised at how much were present in a lot of the bass parts of the songs. I could even feel them through my couch with my feet off the floor, which is a big surprise considering the nature of the material. Of special note for LFEs, of course, is the above mentioned Rush concert in which we actually do get to hear Limelight in lossless audio. Lifeson and Lee's guitars sound great, but Peart's masterful drumming is done some serious justice for the bass and sounds absolutely wonderful for as short a scene as that is. I Love You, Man's audio presentation isn't something to showcase, but it's quite adequate for whats the film is. Fans of Rush will be especially Geddy, uh.. giddy to hear Limelight and a funny cover of Tom Sawyer by Rudd and Segel in the middle of the movie as well as their cover of Limelight during the wedding reception in the ending credits.
Extras - 4.0
- Audio Commentary (Director Jon Hamburg; Actors Paul Rudd and Jason Segel)
The 3 guys are pretty jovial, with Hamburg doing most of the talking initially. He provides a lot of technical information about shooting, location scouting, and some of the set designs, but gradually sprinkles in some anecdotes about how he met this or that person, a little story of how he came up with certain ideas for this movie in particular, how much of an honor it was to get Rush to be in the movie, and how much fun he had making the film in general. Rudd talks a little bit about the approach he took to making his character seem as awkward as possible and how he tried to use a lot of improv to make his deliveries that much funnier. He also shares the occasional anecdote about events that took place during shooting and what it was like working with a particular group of people in a particular part of the movie. Segel stays quiet for the most until his character shows up in the movie, but he does pretty much the same as Rudd in terms of vocal contributions (lots of anecdotes and joking around). Overall, there's not a whole lot of dead space, and the trio does a pretty good job staying focused and giving out some interesting tid bits of information about making the movie. Though in all honesty, I wish could've been livelier based on how funny they were on the screen.
- The Making of I Love You, Man (HD; 17:29)
A fairly broad, but slightly engrossing segment showing interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. It mostly covers background information for the characters of Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jon Favreau, and Andy Samberg (with special mention of how they inserted the projectile puke via green screen). It also shows how the actors tried to develop on-screen chemistry, a little interview with Lou Ferrigno, trivia on the Man Cave and why they specifically chose Rush to be in the film, and some general reaction/praises from cast and crew in working with Jon Hamburg. It's actually not a bad feature considering the film's content (a raunchy bromantic comedy).
-Extras (HD; 22:25)
These are essentially alternate and additional takes on certain scenes of the movie. Some are so-so, while others are pretty funny. My favorites would be the 'Barry & Denise' and 'Riding Marlena' segments. I like 'Barry & Denise' for the cynical, yet lovingly dirty-mouthed bickering (which I think Favreau is great at) and 'Riding Marlena' for some more of that Peter Klaven-awkwardness (with even a little bit from Fife, particularly how they argue about the architecture of Italy). Here's what's included, and all are in HD:
- Whole Bunch of Tongue (1:22)
- This Is My Nightmare (1:34)
- Barry & Denise - America's Sweethearts (4:04)
- Tevin Teaches Peter The Art of Selling Houses (3:31)
- My Dinner with Doug (3:29)
- Riding 'Marlena' (3:29)
- Klavenisms (1:43)
- Tevin Teaches Peter The Art of Sign Language (1:51)
- City Slakka - Paul Rudd Tries To Get Through One Line (1:22)
- Extended Scenes (HD; 12:39)
Again, much like 'Extras,' these are just alternate takes of certain scenes. I actually think some of these could've work in the final version of the movie. My absolute favorite is 'The Wedding' in which Segel and Rudd go into a long-ish conversation about the acting career of Johnny Depp after Fife had just seen Chocolat (which I'm so planning to rent now, thanks to this movie). It's ridiculous, and yet so fitting for the tone of the story. Also, 'The Grove' is pretty funny in which J.K. Simmons and Andy Samberg come out of a theater to see Segel and Rudd hugging each other in a "WTF moment" while Tom Lennon walks by calling Rudd a whore. Again, all of these are in HD:
- Ladies Night (1:01)
- Engagement Dinner (1:36)
- Tuxedo Shopping (2:09)
- The Grove (0:52)
- Rush Concert (4:16)
- The Wedding (2:43)
- Deleted Scenes (HD; 3:18)
These are pretty 'meh,' since they're all fairly short. The Gay Bowling scene could've been pretty funny to have if Samberg and Simmons were given more screen time, though. Here are the scenes:
- The Lost Man Date - Rugby (0:52)
- Gay Bowling League Night (1:14)
- Groomsmen Photo Session (1:11)
- Gag Reel (HD; 11:25)
A look at some of the goofs and laughs on set. And it looks like they had a really good time throughout the entire process of making this movie. It's nice to see them having fun.
Overall - 4.5
I Love You, Man isn't the first bromantic comedy I've seen, but it's a damn good one that manages to entertain in more ways than one with its adult humor, raunchy behavior, but also its storytelling about a socially awkward guy finding a true friend and living happily ever after with bits and pieces of life lessons in-between. Paul Rudd is quickly becoming one of my favorite comedic actors, and I really enjoy his diversity and ability to improv on the fly (especially with his voice imitations). Jason Segel compliments Rudd's kind of "dainty" character while also providing a manly and poignant wake up call of sorts, which was a lot of fun to watch as well. Definitely see this with your guy friends, and maybe even your girlfriend, then sit back and let yourselves laugh it out. The video transfer for this BD is excellent, and while the audio is mostly musical in nature, it still makes for a great deal of ambiance. The commentary could've been funnier, but the extra and alternate takes more than make up for what's missing. I Love You, Man comes highly recommended.
Director's Cut
Paramount Pictures | 2007 | 162 min | Rated R | Region free
| Jan 27, 2009
In the late 1960s and 1970s, fear grips the city of San Francisco as a serial killer called Zodiac
stalks its residents. Investigators (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) and reporters (Jake
Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey) become...
I've always found the mystery genre to be pretty engrossing, especially when it has either a perplexing case to solve, a long or epic narrative, empathetic or interesting characters, or a combination of these. I tend to get my fill of said sleuthing and drama these days from the likes of House M.D., The Mentalist, Castle, and Lie to Me, which are fine and dandy considering they're just TV shows and are thus somewhat limited by their episodic nature and production budgets. Suffice it to say, though, David Fincher really captivated me with his work in Se7en and its unrelenting visceral assault on the senses. Its shock value, grittiness, and downright dark atmosphere were such an eye-opener to the genre (for me, anyway) that it remains one of my all-time favorite films and amongst the top in its class. And then he made Zodiac. While I love Se7en for all that it is stylistically, I dare even say Zodiac barely surpasses it in three ways: 1) the fact that it's a period piece and thus, has more realism (not to mention a lot of this actually happened at some point), 2) is over half an hour longer, which doesn't necessarily add to the characters, but boy does it accentuate the plot, and 3) the sheer amount of obsession as portrayed by the characters of Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), and to a lesser extent, Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.). That being said, Se7en and Zodiac are both crafty masterpieces in their own rights. But much like how Se7en infused the genre from a more emotional approach with its shock and grotesqueness, Zodiac seems to drive itself with much more technicality using facts, evidence, and frankly, a drier style of investigation to present itself. Not to discredit Se7en for being any less sleuthy, but I believe Zodiac to be slightly more enjoyable for its methodical nature, down-to-earth character portrayals, and massively engaging screenplay. It's all about subtlety and attention to detail, much like the aforementioned TV shows listed above, and I was especially delighted to see such a depiction over what seems to, historically, be a very interesting case. Everything from the production, cinematography, score, script, and even sound design have a very low-key feel to them, yet in the end add a real sense of fascination and awe to the entire ordeal and the events that took place over the span of the investigation. And while the case never was solved, Fincher made a very entertaining depiction of it.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Zodiac was shot using the Thomson VIPER FilmStream Camera (a digital camera for those who care) and digitally mastered at 2K resolution. The result is a stunning and gorgeous transfer to Blu-ray. Black levels are the best part of the overall presentation with an amazing amount of definition, even amidst a lot of the darkly-lit venues and nighttime shots with all the little lines in clothing, shading, and texturing easily viewable. The smoke of cigarettes is especially pronounced whenever people were smoking them in a scene. Any shot of Paul Avery smoking up a storm, while subtle like the entire movie itself, looks great. Contrast handles perfectly with every bit of stubble visible on the closeup shots of Graysmith's face. Flesh tones, facial features, you name it; not a single visual element on any person or thing is lost or distorted throughout the entire duration of the film. I shutter to even think about how smudgy/blurry this would look on DVD. As for the colors, they're as natural as you can expect. From the various costuming of the era (late '60s through the '70s), I have to applaud cinematographer Harris Savides, production designer Donald Graham Burt, and art director Keith P. Cunningham for opting to go with a retro look on a contemporary camera. In most period pieces I've seen that take place in the '60s and '70s, rarely do I ever envision it looking as pristine as this. More often than not, titles like this usually end up looking somewhat washed up or a little desaturated through filters and such, which is thankfully not the case here at all. The clothes, their colors, and even the set looks as I'd imagine the '60s and '70s to "feel" like despite the actual picture being so sharp and gloriously rendered. My favorite scenes for reference are any of the office shots at The Chronicle for its ridiculously clean closeups, any part where people are smoking cigarettes (as much as I despise the act of smoking itself, it looks pretty damn striking in HD if you're any kind of videophile), or the scene where Graysmith goes down into Bob Vaughn's basement (only two 40W bulbs were used to light that entire room, which just goes to show how amazing the that Thomson VIPER camera is). This is reference video all the way.
Audio - 4.5
Languages
- English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles
- English, English SDH, French, Spanish
In response to all the other reviews I've read around the Internet about the audio being bad, I have to disagree with the low ratings. Yes, Zodiac is extremely dialogue-centric. It's a methodical, meat-and-potatoes, long-winding, and very technical investigation that relies more on plot progression, mood, and visual presentation for its atmospherics as opposed to the loud, bombastic, razzle dazzle mixes we've heard in other Fincher films. Ren Klyce's sound design is very subtle here with not a whole lot in terms of quantity, though he makes for it with quality. A good deal of the sound effects happen either in crowded areas (The Chronicle's offices) or in the more suspenseful moments (when Zodiac commits or is about to commit a murder). Dialogue, obviously, is not a problem. For all the talking there is, not a single line is lost, and even the phone calls sound very precise. The center channel does most of the work, while various background effects have great directionality and separation during the more busy sequences across the fronts. The opening credits is a good example of what I mean. The score by David Shire fits the period well, and the mood of the film even more so, and as we see the first letter from Zodiac make its way from the mail truck up the secretary, there's a very understated amount of depth and fidelity amongst all the doors, carts, typewriters, and telephones ringing all around the place. This is about as much as you'll hear from the rear speakers until the movie gets to other crowded scenes (people on the streets, visits at the police station, or any of the musical montages for the passing of time). Like I said, it's a sound design that's less about quantity and more about quality. For all the Fincher films I've heard Klyce mix that are on BD, I have to say the guy knows what he's doing. And if Fincher wanted to go a little quieter for this particular title, then so be it. It's no sonic powerhouse like Se7en or Fight Club beforehand, but for what it's worth and for what the film is, I'm fine with the way the movie is presented. My favorite parts are the aforementioned opening credits (lots of busy bodies and noises, the scene where Zodiac attacks the couple by the lake (it's silently disturbing with no music, all the rustling grass, blowing wind, and stabbing and screaming at the end of it), and finally the part where Graysmith is in the basement with Bob Vaughn (for just really creepy atmospherics overall).
Extras - 5.0
Disc 1
- Audio Commentary (Director David Fincher)
Fincher goes through many of the nuts and bolts about the making of the film. I especially like how he keeps everything in a sort of "present tense" mindset whenever he talks about a particular aspect of the movie and its filming. When said factoid or comment occurs, he talks about it vividly in great detail as if he were reliving the moment right there, only with the occasional anecdote to compliment it. I also like the fact that he doesn't get too anecdotal when talking about the actors on screen. Comments about them usually tend to be about casting, preparation for the role, and any of the quirks/experiences that occurred during the many, many, many takes he did with them on set. In addition, he talks about what it was like working with the real Robert Graysmith, Dave Toschi, and other people who were involved in the case and how the film portrayed them and the events that unfolded. I was also very surprised at all the parts Fincher pointed out that were either matte painting or blue screen backgrounds. They really fooled me the whole time into thinking that was just stellar production design. And finally, Fincher makes mention of the various parts they wrote took some dramatic licenses (which I feel worked pretty well).
- Audio Commentary (Actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr.; Producer Brad Fischer, Screenwriter James Vanderbilt, and Author James Ellroy)
The two groups were recorded separately and dispersed into various locations of the film, but it's an entertaining listen, nonetheless. Most of the commentary comes from the executive side with Fischer and the two James' talking about a multitude of elements from the making of the movie, the interpretations and themes within the plot, how the actual events affected the lives of all the people and communities involved, and various anecdotes that range from jokey to insightful. The commentary from the actors. has more to do with recollections of filming, acting (as well as a few stories here and there), and there own interpretations of the characters and writing. There's a wealth of information to be heard on this track that compliments Fincher's commentary very well, so fans of the film should definitely give it a listen every now and again. I only wish the actors commentary would've included Mark Ruffalo as well, since he played such a huge part as Dave Toschi and provided such a fantastic performance in the process.
Disc 2
The special features are divided into 2 sections: The Film and The Facts (one for the movie and the other for the actual historical events).
The Film
- Zodiac Deciphered (HD; 54:15 altogether)
A pretty in-depth look at the making of Zodiac. It covers a wide range of of the technical work that went from the idea of the movie to the construction of all the sets, how they were shot, the actors and how they portrayed the characters, and even a little of the theme analysis at the end. You can play all the featurettes together or.. individually, but who'd want to do that? For those who are curious, though, here's the breakdown of the individual features:
- Zodiac Deciphered (5:23)
Discusses the original rights lapse from Disney and how producer Brad Fischer was able to get it from the real Robert Graysmith himself. He and screenwriter James Vanderbilt had initially thought of Fincher from the get-go thinking he would actually turn it down. Obviously, it's a good thing he didn't.
- Blue Rock Springs (8:09)
Talks mostly about the location scouting of Blue Rock Springs and how they chose a slightly different spot in the movie since the real location had changed over the years. Of interesting and morbid note is also the fact that they had the real Darlene Ferrin's clothes from evidence to make an exact replica of for the actress.
- The San Francisco Chronicle (13:12)
Tells how they built the office from scratch and went to great lengths for the props. In addition to old telephones, they even went so far as to dig up the microfilm with the original newspaper publications from the real-life reports that were printed during the time of the actual killings. They also show a warehouse full of period clothing, and one funny little bit of Fincher doing 36 takes to get the right throw of a book on a car seat (that's dedication right there).
- The Hall of Justice (6:27)
Looks mainly at the casting of Mark Ruffalo as Dave Toschi and Anthony Edwards as Bill Armstrong. They show pictures of their actual counterparts for comparison, and the resemblances are remarkable. At one point, they even had the real Dave Toschi on set giving out autographed boxes of animal crackers.
- Presidio Heights (5:06)
Talks about the difficulty they had with shooting on location (as alluded to by Fincher's audio commentary on Disc 1 about a Homeowner's Association). To get around that problem, they built a set to double for shooting and used blue screens and CG to insert backgrounds, houses, and vehicles. Needless to say, they did an amazing job that certainly fooled me.
- Lake Barryessa (7:27)
Starts off with the real Robert Graysmith talking about how impressed he was with Fincher's ability to realize they weren't even in the original spot when they initially got there for scouting. And when they finally did get the right spot, they actually had to plant their own shrubs and trees because so much of it had eroded over the course of time. In addition, there's an interesting anecdote involving Fincher and a 1-thread alteration to the Zodiac's mask.
- Obsession (8:27)
Discusses some of the movie's themes and how the information they compiled for the plot was actually not available because the police wouldn't release it publicly. This feature also makes special mention of the fact that the point of the story is not establish the premise that Arthur Leigh Allen was the Zodiac, but that Graysmith and Toschi believed him to be, and that the real conclusion is anyone's guess since the case was never solved even to this day. Everything up to this point is either conjecture or just circumstance.
- The Visual Effects of Zodiac (HD; 15:18)
This featurette covers the amount of stunning work that went into, what apparently, was the work of the visual effects gurus. Specifically, the gorgeous opening shot of San Fransisco in the opening credits was completely CG'd. Originally, they had taken still photos of the city using the Thomson VIPER with a longer lens and used those as reference for the correct lighting and structure detail. They also point out that Paul Stine's cab ride around San Fransisco, his bloddy murder, the Kathleen Johns, and the Transamerica Pyramid sequences were all either computer generated or composited as well. Again, great work by that team, I really couldn't tell the difference.
- Pre-Visualization
Blue Rock Springs (SD; 1:06)
Lake Barryessa (SD; 4:21)
San Fransisco (SD; 1:02)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:32)
The Facts
- This Is The Zodiac Speaking (HD; 1:42:18 altogether)
A massive feature that gives a haunting recollection of the murders Zodiac took credit for in his letters. Each segment includes interviews from the police officers involved, various experts, and even the survivors of the attacks. Each piece also includes case photos from the crime scene investigations, evidence from those who passed (such as Darlene Ferrin and Paul Stine's clothes), and even vintage footage from the actual TV reports. The present-day interviews with the people were a lot more intense than I thought they'd be, especially when they go into detail about the actual attacks themselves. It's sort of an unreal and horrifying story to listen to when you've actually seen the movie and then listen to the words straight from the person that nearly died those nights. For all the emotions a movie can induce from its script, screenplay, and cinematography, I'd be hard-pressed not to say that this entire feature isn't scarier than the movie itself. Definitely give this a watch if you're like me and don't know much about the case in general, but are intrigued, regardless. Here's a breakdown of the segments individually:
- Lake Herman Road (13:15)
- Blue Rock Springs (22:44)
- Lake Barryessa (37:33)
- San Fransisco (28:45)
- Prime Suspect: His Name Was Arthur Leigh Allen (HD; 42:35)
Since the book was written by Graysmith and thus adapted with the source material in which he compiled for us to believe that Zodiac was Allen, much of this feature focuses on said assumption using interviews with the officers, experts, and people involved with the investigation. It's a fascinating discussion about all the facts they did find and includes personal accounts from Bob Cheney (the man that knew Allen right before the killings started) as well as Ralph Spinelli (who claims to have encountered Allen with some pretty striking allegations that made Allen seem even more suspect afterward). It's a very in-depth look at the man a lot of people believed to be the culprit and should definitely be watched at least once for any fan of the film or case.
Overall - 5.0
I first saw this movie in '09 when I was lucky enough to find the Blu-ray on sale for $13 somewhere and don't regret the blind-buy one bit. I've become a big fan of David Fincher within the last 5-ish years and really appreciate his directing prowess and attention to detail. I'm too young to actually have lived through the happenings of these events, but the occasional crime case (whether it be real or fictional) is a cool way to keep my mind sharp, and I find it spectacular when someone can actually adapt these real-world crimes into some kind of television or cinematic gem that transcends beyond itself into something even more (in this case, something of a retrospective phenomenon). The acting, production value, and writing are all stupendous in this film. It's engrossingly epic and obsessively entertaining. The video quality is immaculate in HD, and while the audio presentation is subtle and nuanced (much like the film and its writing elements), it's as accurate a representation as you could ask for when given the moments on screen. Best of all, though, are a couple of excellent commentaries and an exhausting amount of supplements covering both the filming and real-life facts behind the entire Zodiac arc. This should be a must-own for fans of Fincher, and especially those who enjoy murder-mysteries.
Anime Classics
FUNimation Entertainment | 2005 | 350 min | Rated TV-14 | Region A, B (locked) | Oct 18, 2011
It's tough to keep your grades up without having to take off at a moment's notice to save the world. But for Sousuke Sagara, undercover high school student and member of the mercenary group Mithril, life in Tokyo seemed the same...
Fans familiar with the FMP! franchise should know what to expect. But for those who don't, Full Metal Panic! (yes the exclamation always goes at the end every time outside of Fumoffu), is a series based on said light novels following the adventures of.. well, a lot of people. Sousuke Sagara is the main character: a soldier since childhood, 17 to the present day of these stories, and is an officer of the special-ops/military mercenary police group known as Mithril. At one point or another, he had to infiltrate a high school to serve as bodyguard for a girl named Kaname Chidori who is a person of interest to a lot of shady organizations for reasons I won't go to spoil. In performing his duty, though, a lot of the franchise's charm comes from many different angles. To this day, there are 3 different series in the following order: Full Metal Panic!, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, and Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid. FMP! is a mix of action, comedy, drama, mecha, military, mystery, and science fiction for 24 episodes. Fumoffu is 100% comedy with no relevance to the central plot established in FMP! and is 12 episodes. TSR is a continuation from FMP!, runs for 13 episodes, and while it still has some of those trademark comedic elements, it's also the darkest of the 3 in terms of storytelling, plot, and violence. Depending on your tastes, you may prefer one of the post-FMP! series to the other, or if you're like me you'll take them at face value for what they are and for what they bring to the table in terms of presentation/continuity. That being said, I really like TSR because of its grittier story. Back when it first came out, I was amazed by its production quality (Kyoto Animation, who did this and Fumoffu, as opposed to Gonzo who did FMP!) alone, but in telling a more brooding and emotionally taut story, I think it added a lot more depth to some of the characters, particularly Sousuke, Kaname, and Tessa. The events that befall each of them really progress their personalities for the better, and I feel it makes them a lot more mature if you consider the facts that, 1) they're all still teenagers, and 2) given the physiological gifts they possess, the maturity that they gain in this series kind of equalizes their characters to the scope of the plot for possible future anime adaptations. If you've yet to see TSR and are intrigued by the stuff they hinted at in FMP!, this is definitely worth checking out.
Video - 4.5
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
TSR was produced in 2005 by Kyoto Animation and was animated digitally in SD, so this is an upscale. However, for an upscale it looks pretty darn amazing. I still own the single DVDs and artbox from the series' initial release, and I have to say the video quality is astounding in comparison. The actual art style and animation were considered to be of very high quality when this series first came out, but despite upscaling the SD animation into 1080p, there's actually quite a bit to like about this presentation. First, and foremost, I love the coloring. Colors are very vibrant from the various shades of hair color to the numerous backgrounds for all the exotic locations they show from the Middle East, to Japan, and to Hong Kong. Black levels are excellent as well with some very detailed shading techniques in some of the darker scenes or whenever some of the Arm Slaves endure scuff marks from battle. Contrast is handled especially well revealing some great detail in closeup shots of peoples' faces and delineating the lines in their clothes, hair, and other finely drawn areas. Particularly, you could look at any of the hairstyles of Sousuke, Kaname, or Tessa since they have a lot of layers drawn into them on a general basis. Or for even better detail, check out the scene when Gates is putting a CZ-75 into Yu Lan's mouth. You can see all the lines in her teeth (as graphic as the scene is), but only goes to justify the really high production value even more. But for all the pros that TSR's video has, there are a couple of noticeable drawbacks from the fact that the source material was SD. Banding (which never really bugged me) is apparent from time to time in the digital paint they used for the solid background colors that aren't black. And because a lot of the line art was drawn digitally, you can also see a little bit of pixelization which, again, can be attributed to the source material. But aside from completely re-animating the series, I believe this is as good as TSR is ever going to look. Pretty much any action sequence from the first or last episode are my go-to scenes for reference. There's a lot of action and movement on the screen and a lot of color as well for either one.
In addition to the higher quality animation, TSR also gets a boost in the sound department by getting the 5.1 treatment. As I've mentioned in other anime series reviews, it's a major upgrade when Japanese studios give their shows a bona fide 5.1 mix from the start. Contrary to what the English dubs do in creating a matrixed "fake-5.1" using 2.0 sound masters, it's just not the same unless the show was genuinely designed to be that way. Thankfully, though, the people at Kyoto Animation decided to really immerse the viewers by putting a lot of effort into the sound design. To start off, we get to hear the lovely vocal work of Mikuni Shimokawa in the series' opening. I've been a big fan of hers since she started singing for the first FMP! and absolutely fell in love with her voice when I heard an acoustic version of the opening from Grenadier, so hearing her in lossless audio is a great way to kick things off. And then there are the sound effects of the show itself. Episode 1 puts us in the Middle East where Mithril is trying to overthrow some dictator, but in the process has a lot of gunfire, explosions, and Arm Slave battle. Directionality and separation should be the most apparent thing you notice first as bullets fly across the rears, while helicopters pan in the front with the radio and non-radio dialogue staying crisp and clear in the center channel. High and low ends are also handled especially well with a good deal of thought going into the the size and weight of the shells and casings of all the various guns being fired. In the last episode, we get a great test of dynamics when the Lambda Driver on the Arbalest gets used quite a bit. In addition, there's also a great amount of LFEs from all the Arm Slaves involved in that particular sequence. As for everything in-between, directionality is generally balanced depending on the type of scene playing out, be it at the school with crowd noise and bells in the background, cityscapes with random happenings, or the general ambiance of Toshihiko Sahashi's excellent score. Considering that, again, this is ONLY a TV series, I'm quite happy with the way things turned out and that FUNimation was able to provide lossless audio for which ever language tickles your fancy.
Extras - 5.0
- Bonus Episode 000 (SD; 5:52)
This is something of a preview for the series. It shows Mithril saving some hostages from a terrorist about to execute them and was supposed to be a lead-in to the full-on series. It's pretty dated given the fact that the series has been out for so long by this point. Interestingly enough, though, while the footage itself is in SD, the audio is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1.
- Bonus OVA: "A Relatively Leisurely Day in the Life of a Fleet Captain" (HD; 29:26)
A bonus episode to end things on a cheerier note. It's something akin to the nature of Fumoffu with a lot of funny, fluffy, upbeat humor and even a little bit of fan service. The plot has Tessa getting inebriated from something Mao gave her, which then results in the captain sleepwalking half-naked, hitting on Sousuke, and eventually retracing her steps to find a special item she lost on her drunken-endeavor. In her short journey, she interacts with the crew and we see a lot of situational humor involving a bad recipe, some stolen anime, and some hilariously misunderstood dialogue at the end. Fans who enjoy the style of comedy from the franchise will like this one a lot. It's presented in 1080p with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track as well.
- Dawn of the Light Novel (SD; 26:02)
A small look at the light novel medium where its compared to anime as a distant cousin, of sorts. While it's not quite as thick as novels, nor does it have as many illustrations as manga, they try to portray it as something in-between and as a fairly well-received form of the same kind of material. In addition, this feature follows creator Shouji Gatou around the offices of Kyoto Animation as he takes a look at the anime's production and talks to some of the crew. It's pretty interesting to see, as I now have a better idea of how their animation is so damn fluid.
- Location Scouting in Hong Kong (SD; 2:26:22)
Yeah, that says 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 22 seconds. Ported over from the DVDs, this 7-part videography chronicles the scouting they did to storyboard and illustrate the latter half of the series. The commentary provided is by creator Shouji Gatou and director Yasuhiro Takemoto and was recorded after the series had already ended. Content-wise, there's a lot they talk about. It's a little unorganized, but they cover a range of topics including the general architecture of Hong Kong itself, how they wanted to implement said backgrounds into the anime, their thoughts on some of the particular scenes in the anime, and then a LOT of goofing off in-between. It's not a constantly informative process, but it's informational enough when they get to the point and even pretty funny when they're just being candid. I wouldn't recommend watching too many parts in a row, though. The camerawork a little too shaky and gave me a headache after so long.
- Creditless OP (HD; 1:31)
- Creditless ED (HD; 1:30)
- Trailers
Pretty much everything from the DVDs is ported over aside from the episode commentaries by the Japanese cast and crew, which is a little disappointing. Even the reverse cover says the commentaries are on here, but the slipcase and original cover says otherwise, which is too bad.
Overall - 5.0
The Full Metal Panic! anime franchise is a fun series. It has a lot of quirky humor, some intriguing military and mecha elements and a great voice cast (in Japanese anyway). FMP! has a good balance of the two, while Fumoffu takes all the comedy and exaggerates it into a very entertaining frivolity. The Second Raid, however, gets back to the main storyline and does so in a much more violent and gritty fashion. Some people may not like the more dramatic turn some of the characters take, namely Sousuke and Kaname, but I think it adds a lot of maturity to them and a lot of potential for future development. I haven't read any of the light novels, but I'm really hoping they continue to adapt them someday. With much better video and audio than its DVD counterpart and most of the extras ported over, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid comes highly recommended.
The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.
Much like the first Iron Man during its theatrical run, I had very little, if any, knowledge of this franchise going in. My expectations were set somewhat high by the success and entertainment value of said Iron Man films, but having only seen Chris Hemsworth once ever in any kind of movie and only knowing (not actually experiencing) any of Kenneth Branagh's directorial works I would say I expected to at least be entertained by the special effects and action sequences, if not any more of the small pepperings of Avengers references being thrown in for the eventual mishmash to come in just a year's time. First, I'd like to address the film's setting. On a personal level, I've enjoyed all kinds of genres throughout the years: sci-fi, fantasy, the supernatural, and all other kinds of "unexplainability." With that said, Thor pulls off the fantasy element in a surprisingly epic fashion. From the very get-go of the battle against the Frost Giants to the ornately decorated kingdom of Asgard and the lavish costuming of its warriors, I was captivated within minutes. Which isn't to say that the film is all looks. Very much so like the aforementioned first Iron Man, the plot has a strong focus on the ideas of power, humility, and responsibility (something a lot of superhero stories do, but it seems to be a popular style of storytelling, no?). Right before his crowning as new king of Asgard, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), comes to a point of such vanity and hubris, that his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), strips him of his power and banishes him to earth. And as you can guess, Thor will eventually learn his lesson of humility amongst humans, regain his power, and stop a usurping of his father's throne back in the homeland. Linear plot aside, it's not so much the story itself that manages to impress me, but the way and fashion in which it's told. Coming from quite the Shakespearean background, I would suffice it to say that Kenneth Branagh brings a refreshing kind of Thespian quality to the film's overall atmosphere which, for me, does wonders in terms of the acting, script, and character chemistry. Additionally, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings, Jaimie Alexander, and Idris Elba give some good performances for what little screen time they have as well. And while the film clocks in at just under 2 hours, it probably could've used an extra 15-30 minutes for some better character development, but oh well.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The film was shot on 35mm but digitally processed, so it should go without saying that the transfer is flawless. A lot of the backgrounds on Asgard and Jotunheim are obviously CG'd, but as a result look absolutely stunning in HD. During it's theatrical run, I only got to see this in theaters on some dinky film projectors (once for the midnight premiere in an older Cinemark that didn't even have stadium seating, then a second time in an AMC with slightly newer projectors but still not near the quality of their digital ones). At any rate, after having the opportunity to sit down and see this in the comfort of my own home and in glorious Blu-ray, I have to say the cinematography is pure perfection. The shots in Jotunheim are particularly dark and as cold as the planet itself, but nary a bit of detail is lost. Black levels are especially well-accentuated and reveal a great amount of depth and delineation from Laufey's jagged and shadowed face down to the little cracks in the ice and even the line texturing of Thor's cape despite all that snow blowing around. When we get to Asgard the film's color scheme is most pronounced with lavish golds, silvers, and bronzes giving off a very shiny look. The lighting tends to feel slightly less natural in order to balance out the contrast for all the computer effects, but nonetheless blend together seamlessly for a very grandiose and ethereal stage design. In fact, a lot of the closeup shots are notably sharp; just look at the hair on the beards of Thor and Odin or the line detail in all the armor. Meanwhile, the shots on earth will probably look the best out of the lot. Aside from whatever visual effects they added in post-production during the action sequences or whatever, everything else in the little New Mexico town is as non-CG as can be and it results in a very fine and crisp picture. Natalie Portman never looked prettier. And if you're a girl, you'll be happy to know Chris Hemsworth's buffness really stands out, too.. Anyway, my favorite shots of the movie are the skirmish on Jotunheim for its incredible blacks and sustainable line detail, then the fight on the Bifröst around the end of the film for its colors and excellent CG integration.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
- English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
To this point my 3 loudest BDs have been Hellboy II, Casino Royale, and Inception (which even blew out my sub-woofer at one point). Needless to say, I think I've found my new number one by a long shot. I keep reading that people say Thor's sound design / mixing is a little too aggressive for its own good, but I say bollocks. Not only does it make Thor the sonically captivating summer blockbuster it should be but I personally think it fits the theme "god of thunder" to a tee. LFEs are easily the best part of the track with booming and thunderous (and literally) ground-shaking rumbles that range from subtle to "I can feel my butt vibrating." From the very get-go of Odin fighting the Frost Giants on earth it's a pretty clear cut example of what to expect for the rest of the movie. And when Thor actually gets to Jotunheim to battle the Frost Giants himself its even crazier and louder than that. Discrete effects and separation are there, mind you, but holy crap does the placement and directionality really excel when fights break out. Dialogue stays clear and audible in the center with music and effects being dispersed evenly through the fronts. But my biggest delight is in the fact of how well-placed the rears and backs are in terms of their directionality. Normally, a 5.1 design would have you just at the edge of the "sound bubble." However, with 7.1 you're completely enveloped by sound every which way be it from the front, side, or behind. And because of that (in addition to the awesome design / mixing efforts of Michael Babcock and Anna Behlmer), we get a terrific soundscape that has truly brought the comic and legend to life. My favorite scenes would be the battle on Jotunheim (yet again) for its resounding bass, precision directionality, and overall vibrato, and of course, the battle on or any moment that the Bifröst itself is activated. Or, for something a little less boisterous I'd recommend the scene where Thor is breaking into the S.H.E.I.L.D. compound to retrieve Mjölner. There are some instances of thunder crackling in the night sky followed by some discretely-placed rainfall that sound pretty cool.
Extras - 4.0
I'm actually a little disappointed with the amount of behind-the-scenes footage, here. The movie felt very epic in scope and I was hoping it would've been as extensive as Iron Man with at least a second disc of extras approximating around 2 hours. Unfortunately, it only rounds out to something like 47 minutes without the Marvel One-Shot, Deleted Scenes, or Trailers.
- Audio Commentary (Director Kenneth Branagh)
This is only the first time I've heard him do one, but wow Branagh is really informative and knows his stuff. He covers just about everything else you wish they would've covered in the featurettes and does so in a very professional, yet open fashion. It's a quick-paced and brisk coverage of all things related to the film that tells you about: when he was approached to direct the film and what transpired, how he wanted to tell the story when making it, some of the thematic and symbolic ideas he wanted to display with the visuals, his experience with the actors, the prospect of filming in 3D and post-converting it, how they shot and came up with ideas for the visual effects, etc. There's hardly any dead space throughout and the man just keeps bombarding you with a plethora of factoids that are all prevalent to either the movie, the Marvel Universe, or to film-making in general. It's definitely worth a listen for fans of the film.
- Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant (HD; 3:57)
Presented in 1080p and Dolby Digital 5.1, this is a hilarious tie-in between some of the events of Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk. We see Agent Coulson talking to Agent Sitwell about how the military is trying to push The Abomination as a candidate for the Avengers. Neither of them agree with the idea of putting him in, so they decide to sabotage negotiations with General Ross by sending "The Consultant" as a patsy to screw things up intentionally. It's short, but very much in the spirit of both Tony Stark and the comedic elements of the Marvel Movie Universe franchise thus far. Definitely give this a watch.
Featurettes (HD; 46:59 altogether)
- From Asgard to Earth (HD; 19:42)
This covers a big chunk of the film's production. It talks about things like the atmosphere of Thor, how they wanted to portray Asgard in terms of scope and design, and all the subtleties they went into for the costuming, make up, coloring, and camera work. In addition, this segment also covers some of the research done on the comic books to translate and adapt said material to look as real as possible, but also infuse the designs with enough imagination for that fantasy element. They then discuss Puente Antiguo (the little New Mexican town) and how it was completely built from scratch, as well as the design parallels to Asgard and how a lot of structures represented some of the more symbolic elements of the story's themes.
- Our Fearless Leader (HD; 3:18)
Talks about Kenneth Branagh's directing style from various members of the cast.
- Assembling the Troupe (HD; 4:44)
Discusses the casting of Thor, Jane, and Odin.
- Hammer Time (HD; 6:14)
Shows the various designs they went through to get the look of Mjolnir (about 200 different sketches), and how they constructed 3 different kinds of hammers for Hemsworth to using during filming.
- Creating Laufey (HD; 5:33)
The make up work and a little bit of discussion about the king of the Frost Giants.
- Music of the Gods (HD; 2:05)
A disappointingly short feature about Patrick Doyle's awesome score. I really wish this one were a lot longer.
- A Conversation (HD; 2:23)
Another short discussion with co-creator Stan Lee, co-producer Craig Kyle, comic book writer J. Michael Straczynski.
- Road to the Avengers (HD; 2:57)
A mishmash of footage from the other films in the MMU leading up The Avengers. It's nothing more than a tease, as there is no actual Avengers footage to be found.
- Deleted Scenes (HD; 24:34)
There is optional commentary from director Kenneth Branagh, and I think a few of those clips actually could've worked for the movie overall.
- Trailers (HD; 7:25)
Teaser, Theatrical, and Avengers Animated.
Overall - 4.5
Marvel Studios continues to churn out these very well-made pre-Avengers films. Up to this point, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, and Thor have all managed to be highly entertaining movies and still tell a very good character story to boot (well, minus Hulk, but it's a great action flick). Out of the entire lineup, though, Thor is definitely the most unique with its fantasy element and outer spacey galactic potential if the Studio ever decides to go otherworldly with another franchise (Silver Surfer by Alex Proyas would be a neat idea). Oh, and there's still Captain America to be explored (my favorite of them all, actually), but that will have to wait another month. With reference A/V quality and a decent amount of extras that are only salvaged by that kick-ass- commentary by Branagh, Thor comes highly recommended, especially for fans of the Marvel Movie Universe.
Blu-ray + Digital Copy
20th Century Fox | 2011 | 132 min | Rated PG-13 | Region A (locked) | Sep 09, 2011
Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they...
Suffice it to say, X3 and Wolverine were pretty underwhelming. The dynamic relations in Xavier and Magneto's friendship and philosophy was pissed on and turned into some generic, shallow shell of its former self, and the potential depth in a character like Logan was wasted away by the whims of studio big heads. Thankfully, though, with Bryan Singer back on the X-train as producer and co-writer and Matthew Vaughn at the helm fresh off his Kick-Ass success, X-Men: First Class more than makes up for the disappointment. First Class is literally what it sounds like: an origins film. For those who aren't familiar with the X-Men franchise, there's actually very little you need to know, as the movie just essentially builds everything from scratch. If you're like me, and have been a fan for a while, whether it be through the comics, cartoon, or previous live-action films, then it should go without saying that you're in for a real treat. The one element that always attracted me to the franchise as a whole has always been the beliefs that Xavier and Magneto held and the conflict that existed between them. Both are ambitious and both have goals to someday create a world where mutants can live in peace. The only difference is that based on their upbringing, one believes in violence while the other does not. As mentioned about the dynamic between their relationship, I can't say how much I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Both play their roles in very convincing fashion and really manage to capture the spirit of the two, which is a refreshing sight to see and a definite positive step in the direction of the movie franchise. The storytelling is perfect in terms of character development and looks amazing on a production and technical level as well. In addition, the supporting cast does an equally good job. Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique really helps to support the foundation of Xavier's beliefs, and Kevin Bacon does a surprisingly good job as Sebastian Shaw in ultimately shaping Magneto's beliefs (plus it's been a while since I've seen him in anything, so it's good to see him acting again). Before this film, I didn't think X2 could be surpassed in terms of scope. First Class has proven me wrong by a long shot. So far, this is the best movie of the franchise, and I'm hoping it leads to a few more.
Video - 4.5
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
So lately, I've started to become very interested in a lot of the technical work that goes in to movies, with a big part of it being the cinematography. When I discovered John Matheison, who had done the slew of Ridley Scott's epic period pieces (Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and Robin Hood), I was very much excited to hear of his involvement as DP for First Class. I still find it ironic that First Class itself is something of a quasi-period piece taking place during the Cuban Missile Crisis and paying aesthetic homage to the earlier Sean Connery Bond films, but I think it actually works out very well. First Class was filmed on 35mm and has a very nice filmic texture giving it a dated, yet very clean look to the overall picture. Black levels are easily the best part of the video giving lots of great shadow delineation while providing excellent detail in clothing and facial features. Contrast isn't too high or low providing a good deal of discernment between people, objects, and the background, especially in some of the more darkly-lit scenes. The color palette starts off a tad muted at the beginning of the film when we see Erik in the concentration camp, but things tend to get much more vivid when he and Charles are grown up. This is most noticeable when we see Erik traveling around the world looking for Sebastian Shaw and get some brighter yellows, oranges, tans, and whites throughout the shots of the Swiss bank and Argentinian bar scenes. Detail is sharp for a good majority of the film aside from one very dark shot when Charles and Erik are in the truck sneaking around in Russia. There's also a shot when Charles is trying to train Alex in the bomb shelter where all the light fixtures cause a kind of blue ringing effect on the camera, but it's more so just a quirk with the lighting than any kind of transfer problem. Other than those possible minor quibbles, there's really nothing wrong with the picture quality as a whole. Overall, I love the filmic texture and the picture's ability to balance dark and flashy. Emma Frost looks very good in either her sparkly dresses or diamond body form, and the visual effects appear virtually seamless whenever there's action on screen.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
- English, French, Spanish
Equally impressive is First Class' audio presentation. Designed and recorded by Ron Bartlett (some of whose work includes Sherlock Holmes, Terminator Salvation, and the final cut of Blade Runner), there's a lot to enjoy, here. To start, dialogue is clear and audible through the center, and for what Charles' power is worth, from the other four speakers. In fact, I think one of the cooler, more subtle effects of the film is his telepathy. It has something of a rippling resonance to it that gives it an even cleaner sound than just hearing him talk on camera. Granted, it's a sound effect added through post-production, but what did you expect from an X-Men movie? But moving along, I also really like Henry Jackman's score. Listening to it as a standalone CD, as a part of the movie, and then as an isolated track on the BD (in conjunction with his wonderfully spirited interview on the special features), I have to say I've really come to appreciate his compositional work and how it really creates the mood of the movie overall. And then of course there are the sound effects. Being a summer blockbuster, the film has its definite fair share of booms, bangs, zips, rumbles, etc. High and low ends handle extremely well, particularly in the form of energy charges whether it be Shaw absorbing bombs, discharging it to kill a bunch of people, Magneto moving metal, Alex shooting his beams, or Azazel's teleportation. Surround activity has an excellent balance of front and rear channel dispersion as well, some of it around the beginning and middle, but mostly at the end when the X-Men and Magneto are fighting the Hellfire Club. LFEs are my favorite part of the audio, though. The aforementioned moving of metal by Magneto is the best example of this. Much like the previous X-films, whenever he uses his powers the sound design has always made that creaking sound which, if you have a competent sub-woofer, should sound amazing. I also really like the first appearance of the Blackbird towards the end of the film for its rumbly jet turbines and engine, and of course the part where Magneto lifts the submarine out of the water and drops it on the island.
Extras - 4.0
- X Marks the Spot (HD; 19:55 altogether)
A feature that you can either play with the movie itself or as a standalone. It plays more like the half-assed version of Maximum Movie Mode where the film diverges into behind-the-scenes footage during the actual movie and not as a true Picture-in-Picture that goes along with the it, but it's still pretty informative. However, I don't think the overall duration of it is really worth watching in-movie, as it feels a tad intrusive. Had it been something of a true P-i-P like what Vaughn was able to do with Kick-Ass, then that would've been much, much more immersing. These are the features broken down:
- Children of the Atom (HD; 69:49 altogether)
It's a 7-part feature that essentially covers everything from pre- to post-production and everything in-between. Of particular interest to me was how articulate the crew was in trying to make this a kind of throwback movie to the days of James Bond, but with an X-Men twist, and a little more grit. There were also some very cool snips of how the makeup and visual effects were created and implemented, and I especially loved the interview they had with Henry Jackman. It's only a few minutes, but the guy speaks so candidly and with so much gusto that I was very entertained, yet felt very informed by the what he had to say about composing the music and the kind of ideas he got from talking with director Matthew Vaughn. Here's the breakdown:
- Second Genesis (10:01)
Talks about the initial concept of setting the movie in the '60s, how the idea came about in the first place, and why they decided to go for it. After the abomination that was X3, I wholeheartedly accept this sort reboot prequel.
- Band of Brothers (11:51)
Discusses why they chose to use certain characters and how each actor was chosen to play them. In thinking about it, I find it interesting that despite continuity issues this main cast of characters still worked out pretty well. While it's definitely more of an Xavier/Magneto-centric film, the characters still offer enough support to back the literary themes of the story very well.
- Transformation (10:06)
A pretty cool look at the make up and prosthetics work that went into Beast, Mystique, and Azazel. In particular, I really liked the bit on choosing the right design for Beast. They mention Vaughn wasn't all that keen with Kelsey Grammer's look in X3, and that they wanted to go for a more wild, animalistic style for this re-visioning.
- Suiting Up (8:33)
The costuming of the film, getting all that '60s clothes, and how they managed to put yellow back into the original costumes. It was very interesting to find out that the yellow itself was supposed to represent the natural color of Kevlar.
- New Frontier: A Dose of Style (9:55)
Goes into great detail about how Vaughn specifically wanted to refer back to classic James Bond movies (of the Sean Connery variety) for the production and art design of First Class. They talk about how is such a genre piece now that they wanted to infuse as much of that style and ambiance as possible by building a lot of the sets from scratch. And in hindsight of what was written when Vaughn saw Inception, I can see why he was upset that the "revolving set" idea was beaten to the punch. Ah well, the tumbling X-Jet sequence still looks pretty cool.
- Pulling off the Impossible (10:23)
Shows the awesome work of Visual Effects Guru John Dykstra. Here, they cover a lot of things like how the Banshee/Angel fight scene was actually filmed on helicopters and no green screen, the detail in Emma Frost's diamond form, and concept behind Sebastian Shaw's energy absorption/discharge.
- Sound and Fury (6:29)
A very entertaining interview with composer Henry Jackman. The highlight of this feature is how he went through all of the trouble to create Magneto's theme with a bunch of fancy notations and drawn-out tunes, when all Vaughn really wanted was "the f-ing bass line." And guess what, it was a good idea.
- Isolated Score (Dolby Digital 5.1 @448kbps)
It would've been cooler to have it in lossless format, but it's still a great listen in hindsight of Jackman's interview and in the context of everything else the movie established both symbolically and thematically.
- Deleted Scenes (HD; 14:07)
Most are just alternate takes, but some of them are actually pretty funny, though they probably would not have worked as well if left in.
- Cerebro: Mutant Tracker
It basically takes clips from all the other movies and tacks on a little dossier at the end of each one. I could write better bios than this based on what I've seen and read in the cartoon series and what little I've read of the comics...
Personally, as informative as the extras are, I was hoping for it to be closer to the level of Kick-Ass, where at least an audio commentary or a true P-i-P track to go along with all, if not most of the movie, would've been nice.
Overall - 4.5
I've always been a fan of the X-Men franchise. I read some of the comics, watched all of the cartoon, played the numerous video games, collected the action figures, even made a (short-lived) fan club for it in 5th grade, and have really enjoyed the live-action movies (the first two, anyway..). And just when I thought X2 could never be topped, I was proven wrong. Matthew Vaughn (whom I now really wish would've done X3) has really shown signs of great directing prowess. Screw the financial shortcomings and pay attention to just how great of an X-Men film this is and show your support for more incarnations to make their way into the franchise. Whether it be more prequel stuff or even present day continuations, Brett Ratner's piece of crap and the slightly better (but not by much) Wolverine have been redeemed. With some masterful characterizations, a fun atmosphere, and some amazing production values, the movie deserves high praise. And while the extras are still a good two hours in length, I still wish a better P-i-P or at least an audio commentary were available. But with reference A/V quality to enhance the already great story, this is still one of my favorite BDs for the year so far. It's a must-own for X-Men fans and even a definite recommendation for those who aren't familiar with the franchise.
FUNimation Entertainment | 2010 | 91 min | Rated TV-14 | Region A, B (locked) | Sep 27, 2011
20 years after meddling into the bank heist of a notorious robber named Gasback, Vash the Stampede is heading towards Macca City. Rumors say that the legendary thief might appear there causing an enormous influx of bounty hunters...
Long-time anime fans should be no stranger to the world of Trigun. For all the goofy, donut-eating, light-hearted, love and peace(~!) moments and all the unknowing and spontaneous chaos and destruction brought about by just his mere presence alone, The Humanoid Typhoon, Vash the Stampede, is renowned for his naive, yet charming personality and is easily one of the more memorable characters in anime lore. But good grief, can you believe it's been 12 years since the TV series ended? Needless to say, the Sixty Billion Double Dollar Man is back for another go-around. If you're new to the anime medium and have no idea what I'm talking about, Trigun is an anime Spaghetti Western (with a little bit of sci-fi) that follows the adventures of Vash the Stampede, a socially-labeled outlaw of outlaws that is said to be the worst thing you could come across at any point of your life. They say he's big, they say he's bad, and if you're lucky they say you'll die a quick death! But in truth, it's just a bunch of rumors. As I mentioned earlier about his happy-go-lucky qualities, Vash the Stampede is just trying to live his life and make the world a better place along his travels. Unfortunately, trouble does follow him pretty much everywhere he goes. Character analysis aside, this film is a one-shot story taking place in the Trigun universe in which a bank robber named Gasback is foiled by his own henchmen, only to be saved by Vash, but then pursues a plot of revenge against his former cronies. In the meantime, the last remaining target of Gasback's vengeance has put a rather large bounty on anyone who can stop him. I can't say much else that could entice newcomers, but if you've seen the series and know its material you will absolutely love the atmosphere. Pretty much all of the fan-favorite characters make their return appearance (all the good guys, anyway), and the writing itself is very fun and quirky like the first half of the series (before things got a lot darker). For dub fans, the only returning voice actor is Johnny Yong Bosch, but all the replacement actors do an excellent job filling in the gaps. And if this is your first time experiencing Trigun, definitely give the TV series a look. FUNimation did license both the series and movie and have reported that they do eventually plan on putting the series on BD at some point, so hope that they do it soon and keep an eye out for it.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
- Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
I'm a bit biased here about the video presentation in 3 ways: 1) I'm a big fan of Madhouse and always have been; their animation is very high quality on a consistent basis and a lot of the TV shows, OVAs, and movies they've produced over the years have always ranked as some of my favorite anime titles. 2) as I said it's been 12 years since Trigun the TV series aired in Japan, and while it looks good, even the remastered DVDs show the animation's age, so I'm glad to see the same style redone with today's technology. And 3) it's an anime movie, which means a really high budget and less time constraints will make for a seemingly superior product both in terms of video and audio presentation when compared to a TV series. So with that said, we get Badlands Rumble presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, an obvious upgrade from the series' 4:3 presentation back in the day. Not only am I delighted to see the Trigun world in true widescreen, but the HD video quality is the best I've ever seen the franchise look. Oddly enough, the movie is digitally-produced but has a very cel animation look to it, as talked about in the extras with chief animation director, Takahiro Yoshimatsu. The results are utterly astounding, though, as I looked at both my remastered DVDs of the series and compared its quality to the movie. Granted, it's 12 years later with better technology and a bigger budget, but it's rare that I that I find an anime feature film that really reflects the amount of work put into, especially with a project as delayed as this had been. The line detail is my favorite part of the presentation giving the art style a very distinct look that's closer to the original manga design. Colors are extremely well-saturated with reds, yellows, and charcoals making up a majority of the color palette for the world's desserty theme. And they even added some grain to give the movie a more filmic and gritty texture that really makes it feel like the Old West. And even better, I can't say I remember any instances of banding, aliasing, or artifacting despite the movie itself being a digital production. Then again, the first time I saw this was at AnimeFest 2011 where the source was a DVD-R copy on a crappy projector in a badly-seated conference room and with even crappier audio.
As I said, the audio in that screening was crap. I sat in the third row closest to the speakers and could still barely make sense of the important parts (it was a dubbed screening, by the way). But boy howdy, does it sound better in lossless and in the comfort of my own home. Something else I should bring up with the case of anime on BD is that a lot of titles I've seen haven't had much in terms of true surround audio. Most TV shows these days in Japan are only even produced with a 2-channel sound design in mind, and when they come to the States the companies are simply remixing the audio masters in a quasi-matrixed (i.e. artificial) 5.1 dub. Sure, the idea of 5.1 English dubs SOUNDS like a good idea, but they're not true surround experiences. It's not often that a TV show actually gets one (unless it's just really high-budget like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex or anything else by Kenji Kamiyama), but when we actually do get the chance for the real thing I'm especially happy about it. With that said, the TrueHD 5.1 tracks for both the Japanese and English tracks sound perfect. Something that always bugged me about those artificial 5.1 tracks was the fact that dialogue sounded so damn quiet from the center. But here it's flawless in either language (both of which you really can't go wrong in terms of acting either). The sound effects and music (all hail Tsuneo Imahori for coming back to compose!) are spectacular as well. Gunshots, blowing wind, sand and gravel, and all the people chattering in the background have an amazing amount of depth and clarity. Action sequences, in particular, possess some great separation and directionality; the scene where Wolfwood makes his first appearance has a LOT of gunfire effects, and the bar fight with all the hooligans yelling about offers a good deal of sonic immersion. LFEs are potent and fitting for the movie's subtitle (Rumble), and while the sound design certainly isn't on the level of a Hollywood blockbuster, it still does its job with great precision. My favorite scenes for audio are the bar fight or all the craziness that ensues (both visually and aurally) and the scene at the end where Vash fights Gasback.
Extras - 5.0
I really have to hand it to FUNimation for this one. Previously, just about all of their other BDs have had next to nothing worth of special features outside of some English cast commentaries that never really contributed anything worthwhile to the creation process or provided any truthful insight into the shows they adapted. But here, there's a good 2+ hours of special features and all with the original Japanese cast and crew (all in SD). Interviews include:
- Creator: Yasuhiro Nightow (11:08)
- Voice of Vash: Masaya Onosaka (8:59)
- Voice of Milly: Satsuki Yukino (8:31)
- Director: Satoshi Nishimura (11:06)
- Voice of Wolfwood: Shou Hayami (10:00)
- Voice of Amelia: Maaya Sakamoto (6:43)
- Chief Animation Director: Takahiro Yoshimatsu (7:26)
- Voice of Meryl: Hiromi Tsuru (3:12)
- Voice of Gasback: Tsutomu Isobe (7:06)
All of them give VERY insightful comments on the general worldview of Trigun, their past experiences on the TV series (where applicable), their new experiences in doing the movie, and a lot of other interesting opinions. The interviews are rather candid, yet cordial and I have to say if you've ever seen these kinds of omake where cast and crew sit in front of the camera and answer questions, there are loads of things you can learn from them. In particular, I really enjoyed the interviews with Onosaka, Yukino, and Hayami. Onosaka because he seems like a very amicable person, which ties in extremely well to the way he portrays Vash. It's also a nice contrast to the more hot-head role of Tekeshi Sendou he played in Hajime no Ippo, which I watched a few months before this. Yukino because she's always been one of my favorite seiyuu, and I find it interesting that Milly was one of her very first roles in the industry. She gives a good amount of reflection on reprising the character and sounds very grateful for the opportunity she was given way back when. And Hayami, well, I'm just so used to hearing him play the villain, that I was very surprised to see that he looks as debonair as a lot of the characters he portrays (both good and bad). Additional features include:
- Movie Premiere at Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro (8:47)
- Post Recording (3:51)
- A Mildly Amusing Story by Something Yoshimatsu (0:28)
- Video Footage from Anime Expo 2009 (1:38)
- Talk Event at Kawasaki Cinecitta (3:32)
- Special Talk Show (38:16)
- Web Promotion Clip (1:37)
- Promotional Video (2:23)
- Theatrical Commercial (00:37)
- Theatrical Trailer (1:39)
- Original Commercials (00:49)
- FUNimation Trailers
The Special Talk Show was by far the funnest feature for me. Anime and manga has such a strong following in Japan, and to see people of the industry having so much fun and interacting with their fans is a real treat to watch and listen to. The cast and crew that took part in this event were very laid back and welcoming to all the accolades and questions received from the audience. The whole thing just shows a lot of unity and the kind of investment Japanese fans really have for the industry in general. I wish the North American market was as successful. FUNimation, if you're reading this, put more extras like this on your BDs!
Overall - 5.0
It's been a few years since I've seen Trigun the series. But it left such a lasting impression that I still like it a lot to this day. And seeing this film makes me want to watch it again and even has me curious about the manga. Production values are through the roof with all of the Japanese cast returning, and at least Johnny Yong Bosch returning for the English dub. Regardless, though, even the new stand-ins do a great job, and I would definitely say you can't go wrong with either language track. I had absolutely no problems with the A/V quality, and I LOVE the fact that FUNimation actually put forth the effort of including all sorts of interesting interview material from the creator, cast, and crew of the film and series. Here's hoping for another movie, or even an adaptation of Trigun Maximum. If you're a fan of the series, this is a must-own. Casual anime fans, or even non-anime watchers, should at least give it a rent. And if you like it, try the series, too. Love and Peace~!
Eight year old Kenshin travels through the countryside with a group that includes his family. Most of the group is killed by a gang of bandits in a fight, but young Kenshin is spared. He is soon taken in by a master who sees...
Rurouni Kenshin is my favorite all-time anime/manga franchise. It follows the story of Himura Kenshin, a wandering swordsman, who travels around Japan during the Meiji era and helps those in need. He's a peppy sort of goofball, but possesses unparalleled skill with the sword; a sword, by the way, that as a reverse blade. But before he became the optimistic pacifist most people know him as, back during Bakumatsu (the end of the Tokugawa regime of Japan) he was known as the legendary assassin Hitokiri Battousai. Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen is the remembrance story of the events that ultimately shaped his ideals. Fans of the series, and probably a good majority of anime fans in general, should need no introduction to this tragic and epic tale of a boy who had to learn the hard way of what it means to protect something. In contrast to the much lighter TV series, this Original Video Animation is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum in terms of mood. It's dark, bloody, foreboding, and all kinds of melancholy. Technically, if you haven't seen the series you could just as easily watch these 4 episodes by themselves, but I feel the familiarity of the character (at least up to episode 62 of the series) makes for a much more shocking and poignant transition when it goes from "campy" to "dreary." Not to mention this story path also follows the manga in terms of linearity (Tokyo arc -- Kyoto arc -- Tsuioku-hen -- Jinchuu arc). There's also a second OVA and movie that follow afterwards with the movie being just out there (taking place during the Kyoto arc, actually) and the second OVA being a total disgrace to the manga, but I'll leave that for another review. Regardless, though, Tsuioku-hen is renowned for its storytelling and characterization (whether you know Kenshin's "present day" character or not). It's a story of innocence lost, coming of age, love and tragedy, and the beginnings of what would become one of the highest-renowned shounen franchises in all of anime/manga. Featuring some gorgeous and fluid art and animation by Studio DEEN, a truly sweeping and epic score by Taku Iwasaki, and some masterful voice acting by some great veteran seiyuu, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen is a classic to this day.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
I don't have them, but I remember the quality of the initial R1 DVDs. They were good, but not great. There was a bit of dirt, colors were washed out, the framing had some shake in it, and edge enhancement was fairly obvious. Then they released a director's cut that merged all 4 episodes together to make a movie version, but the aspect ratio was CROPPED into 16:9 of all things. Despite the slightly better video quality that solved about half the problems that plagued the initial single releases, you just shouldn't mess with the original aspect ratio and crop. Thankfully, though, they put a really high amount of effort into mastering this for BD. Back before this edition came out, the official website of the product had a streaming video of one of the producers explaining how they were going about re-master everything. It was a time in the industry where digital animation was starting to evolve and they ended up doing Tsuioku-hen partially on film and partly digital (I'd guesstimate around 90 to 10 in terms of percentage). In scanning the film parts, however, she says they were able to bring out a LOT more detail than they ever thought they could. And the result really shows (back in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, no doubt). The first thing I noticed most when I watched this was the coloring. Colors are bold and perfectly saturated really giving the art direction that grittier look apart from the series. Contrast is very balanced helping to reveal a lot of excellent line detail as well. They're sharp, full, and give the characters and backgrounds a lot of texture. In addition, black levels are nearly flawless outside of a speck here or there, though I'd attribute that more to the artwork in general than as a video anomaly like dirt or artifacting. The digital parts of the film are essentially SD upconverts, but they're so short that there's never really any time for them to sink in. The picture overall is so, so smooth in comparison to what I saw on the DVDs. Lines are straight with no aliasing, colors are very vibrant with respective senses of warmth and coldness depending on the point of the story, and I've never seen it look any better. A big thank you to Studio DEEN for doing a remarkable job of re-mastering the video.
It's not often that a sound design for anime has much to offer. Unless they were full feature-length films with really high budgets, most anime just never got a lot of pampering in the sound department. The R1 DVDs offered a measly Dolby Digital 2.0 for both languages during its release. Then the R1 director's cut had lossy 5.1 English and lossy 2.0 Japanese. The R2 Japanese DVD had LPCM 2.0 Japanese and, I believe, lossy 2.0 English. Well, in addition to remastering the video, they also did a stupendous job on the audio. Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen features LPCM 2.0 Japanese, DTS-HD MA 5.1 Japanese, and DTS 2.0 English. Bit rates for each are 1.5Mbps, around 2.8Mbps average, and 477Kbs, respectively. Sound effects play a big part, but are actually used quite sparingly as a result of the action scenes moving so quickly. High and low ends for swords clashing and feet shuffling on the ground are spot-on. However, I was really surprised at the level of separation. Dialogue stays in the center for the most part unless characters are talking off-camera, while music and nature effects are evenly dispersed at an excellent volume between the fronts and rears. In particular, rears do a very good job of reflecting the mood and creating a sort of ambiance with various sounds of cicadas, rainfall, wind blowing, and crowd-goers to make you feel immersed for the given situations. LFEs are there, but are most prevalent via the score. Ah yes, the score. As much as I love Noriyuki Asakura for composing the series' music, Taku Iwasaki brings Kenshin to a whole other level with this one. As I mentioned about the dispersal of music, it is, by far, the driving element of the sound. It sets the mood, moves the story along, and really keeps you tuned in to anything and everything on screen. That being said, I wouldn't say this is reference material compared to a sonic behemoth like Akira or anything, but considering the genre (more so a period drama with a little action instead of an all-out blade fest like Sword of the Stranger), it sounds extremely good for what it's worth thanks in huge part to the score and its emotional effectiveness.
Extras - 2.0
Aside from a trailer, the disc itself doesn't have anything. Instead, this digipak includes two booklets, one in the original Japanese, then another translated into English. The Japanese booklet seems a bit more in-depth by including artwork and sketches to go with character biographies. The English booklet includes translated bios and an interview with series and OVA director Kazuhiro Furuhashi. The interview itself is only a little over a page and talks about some of the nuances in the writing of the OVA, which was actually written while the manga was still being published, and a little bit about how the violence was used as more of a storytelling tool to convey the emotions and ideals of the times. It's not much, and I would've preferred something along the lines of interviews with cast and crew on the disc itself, but oh well.
Overall - 4.5
Regarded as one of THE masterpieces by a good majority of anime fandom, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen manages to tell a very gripping story within just 4 episodes that essentially is the building block and ongoing legacy of the Kenshin franchise. It's a story that displays strength, philosophy, all the good and bad sides of life, and the fortitude to choose how one lives on past their own tragedy and sadness. The character content for this franchise is intricate and amazingly deep. If you're new to the franchise, I'd recommend watching the TV series from episodes 1-62, watching Tsuioku-hen, then finishing up the last arc with manga volumes 20-28. You could even skip the first season of the anime (episodes 1-28) and just read the Tokyo arc in the manga (volumes 1-6) if you don't want to experience some filler. But whatever you do, if you're a fan of the franchise, do yourself the favor of trying to get a copy of this BD. Tsuioku-hen has never looked or sounded better, and the story itself should more than earn its weight for the money. Hopefully, with the new Shin Kyoto-hen OVA coming out, the franchise might garner enough popularity again to make for either some sort of reboot, or at least a proper production of the Jinchuu arc. Fans.. must.. own this.
Eight year old Kenshin travels through the countryside with a group that includes his family. Most of the group is killed by a gang of bandits in a fight, but young Kenshin is spared. He is soon taken in by a master who sees...
Rurouni Kenshin is my favorite all-time anime/manga franchise. It follows the story of Himura Kenshin, a wandering swordsman, who travels around Japan during the Meiji era and helps those in need. He's a peppy sort of goofball, but possesses unparalleled skill with the sword; a sword, by the way, that as a reverse blade. But before he became the optimistic pacifist most people know him as, back during Bakumatsu (the end of the Tokugawa regime of Japan) he was known as the legendary assassin Hitokiri Battousai. Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen is the remembrance story of the events that ultimately shaped his ideals. Fans of the series, and probably a good majority of anime fans in general, should need no introduction to this tragic and epic tale of a boy who had to learn the hard way of what it means to protect something. In contrast to the much lighter TV series, this Original Video Animation is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum in terms of mood. It's dark, bloody, foreboding, and all kinds of melancholy. Technically, if you haven't seen the series you could just as easily watch these 4 episodes by themselves, but I feel the familiarity of the character (at least up to episode 62 of the series) makes for a much more shocking and poignant transition when it goes from "campy" to "dreary." Not to mention this story path also follows the manga in terms of linearity (Tokyo arc -- Kyoto arc -- Tsuioku-hen -- Jinchuu arc). There's also a second OVA and movie that follow afterwards with the movie being just out there (taking place during the Kyoto arc, actually) and the second OVA being a total disgrace to the manga, but I'll leave that for another review. Regardless, though, Tsuioku-hen is renowned for its storytelling and characterization (whether you know Kenshin's "present day" character or not). It's a story of innocence lost, coming of age, love and tragedy, and the beginnings of what would become one of the highest-renowned shounen franchises in all of anime/manga. Featuring some gorgeous and fluid art and animation by Studio DEEN, a truly sweeping and epic score by Taku Iwasaki, and some masterful voice acting by some great veteran seiyuu, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen is a classic to this day.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
I don't have them, but I remember the quality of the initial R1 DVDs. They were good, but not great. There was a bit of dirt, colors were washed out, the framing had some shake in it, and edge enhancement was fairly obvious. Then they released a director's cut that merged all 4 episodes together to make a movie version, but the aspect ratio was CROPPED into 16:9 of all things. Despite the slightly better video quality that solved about half the problems that plagued the initial single releases, you just shouldn't mess with the original aspect ratio and crop. Thankfully, though, they put a really high amount of effort into mastering this for BD. Back before this edition came out, the official website of the product had a streaming video of one of the producers explaining how they were going about re-master everything. It was a time in the industry where digital animation was starting to evolve and they ended up doing Tsuioku-hen partially on film and partly digital (I'd guesstimate around 90 to 10 in terms of percentage). In scanning the film parts, however, she says they were able to bring out a LOT more detail than they ever thought they could. And the result really shows (back in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, no doubt). The first thing I noticed most when I watched this was the coloring. Colors are bold and perfectly saturated really giving the art direction that grittier look apart from the series. Contrast is very balanced helping to reveal a lot of excellent line detail as well. They're sharp, full, and give the characters and backgrounds a lot of texture. In addition, black levels are nearly flawless outside of a speck here or there, though I'd attribute that more to the artwork in general than as a video anomaly like dirt or artifacting. The digital parts of the film are essentially SD upconverts, but they're so short that there's never really any time for them to sink in. The picture overall is so, so smooth in comparison to what I saw on the DVDs. Lines are straight with no aliasing, colors are very vibrant with respective senses of warmth and coldness depending on the point of the story, and I've never seen it look any better. A big thank you to Studio DEEN for doing a remarkable job of re-mastering the video.
It's not often that a sound design for anime has much to offer. Unless they were full feature-length films with really high budgets, most anime just never got a lot of pampering in the sound department. The R1 DVDs offered a measly Dolby Digital 2.0 for both languages during its release. Then the R1 director's cut had lossy 5.1 English and lossy 2.0 Japanese. The R2 Japanese DVD had LPCM 2.0 Japanese and, I believe, lossy 2.0 English. Well, in addition to remastering the video, they also did a stupendous job on the audio. Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen features LPCM 2.0 Japanese, DTS-HD MA 5.1 Japanese, and DTS 2.0 English. Bit rates for each are 1.5Mbps, around 2.8Mbps average, and 477Kbs, respectively. Sound effects play a big part, but are actually used quite sparingly as a result of the action scenes moving so quickly. High and low ends for swords clashing and feet shuffling on the ground are spot-on. However, I was really surprised at the level of separation. Dialogue stays in the center for the most part unless characters are talking off-camera, while music and nature effects are evenly dispersed at an excellent volume between the fronts and rears. In particular, rears do a very good job of reflecting the mood and creating a sort of ambiance with various sounds of cicadas, rainfall, wind blowing, and crowd-goers to make you feel immersed for the given situations. LFEs are there, but are most prevalent via the score. Ah yes, the score. As much as I love Noriyuki Asakura for composing the series' music, Taku Iwasaki brings Kenshin to a whole other level with this one. As I mentioned about the dispersal of music, it is, by far, the driving element of the sound. It sets the mood, moves the story along, and really keeps you tuned in to anything and everything on screen. That being said, I wouldn't say this is reference material compared to a sonic behemoth like Akira or anything, but considering the genre (more so a period drama with a little action instead of an all-out blade fest like Sword of the Stranger), it sounds extremely good for what it's worth thanks in huge part to the score and its emotional effectiveness.
Extras - 2.0
Aside from a trailer, the disc itself doesn't have anything. Instead, this digipak includes two booklets, one in the original Japanese, then another translated into English. The Japanese booklet seems a bit more in-depth by including artwork and sketches to go with character biographies. The English booklet includes translated bios and an interview with series and OVA director Kazuhiro Furuhashi. The interview itself is only a little over a page and talks about some of the nuances in the writing of the OVA, which was actually written while the manga was still being published, and a little bit about how the violence was used as more of a storytelling tool to convey the emotions and ideals of the times. It's not much, and I would've preferred something along the lines of interviews with cast and crew on the disc itself, but oh well.
Overall - 4.5
Regarded as one of THE masterpieces by a good majority of anime fandom, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen manages to tell a very gripping story within just 4 episodes that essentially is the building block and ongoing legacy of the Kenshin franchise. It's a story that displays strength, philosophy, all the good and bad sides of life, and the fortitude to choose how one lives on past their own tragedy and sadness. The character content for this franchise is intricate and amazingly deep. If you're new to the franchise, I'd recommend watching the TV series from episodes 1-62, watching Tsuioku-hen, then finishing up the last arc with manga volumes 20-28. You could even skip the first season of the anime (episodes 1-28) and just read the Tokyo arc in the manga (volumes 1-6) if you don't want to experience some filler. But whatever you do, if you're a fan of the franchise, do yourself the favor of trying to get a copy of this BD. Tsuioku-hen has never looked or sounded better, and the story itself should more than earn its weight for the money. Hopefully, with the new Shin Kyoto-hen OVA coming out, the franchise might garner enough popularity again to make for either some sort of reboot, or at least a proper production of the Jinchuu arc. Fans.. must.. own this.
Dominic and his crew find themselves on the wrong side of the law once again as they try to switch lanes between a ruthless drug lord and a relentless federal agent.
So I hadn't seen a single Fast & Furious movie prior to this. But I was browsing through Best Buy for my copies of other titles that came out that day when I saw the BB exclusive SteelBook edition. So for the first time in a while, I made a blind-buy based solely on the aforementioned packaging and the fact that The Rock was in it. I expected the preconceived notion that the other films had established (fast cars and hot girls), but was very surprised at how great of an action-heist-thriller this turned out to be. The story starts with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) being sentenced to prison (I'm guessing from F4), and then breaking out. Meanwhile, former federal agent turned fugitive, Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker), and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) are on the run in Rio de Janeiro. They agree to take a job to steal some federally-impounded cars belonging to Brazilian crime boss Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). During the robbery a couple of DEA agents are killed, in which the U.S. government then sends DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) to apprehend Dom and O'Connor. Like I said, I've not seen a single film in the series, so whatever character-building there was I don't know about it. I just thought it would be interesting for once to take a movie this far into the lineup, watch it, and see if I'd like it (which I really did). Oddly enough, there wasn't as much street racing as I thought there'd be considering that's what I heard to be the draw. The action in this particular entry, however, is pretty exhilarating. I've been wanting to see The Rock in another action flick since The Rundown and Faster, and it's good to see him back doing what he does best (can't wait to see him in G.I. Joe either). And from what little I'd seen of Vin Diesel, I thought he was a pretty good action guy himself. But to see both he and The Rock duking it out (quite viciously, too) was very cool to watch. On top of that, the last half hour with the vault heist and all the stunt work they had to coordinate is among the best I've seen from a production standpoint. If you haven't seen any of the Fast & Furious yet, I can wholeheartedly recommend you at least start here.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Fast Five is another one of those movies that was filmed on 35mm then digitally processed, and it looks perfect on this transfer. I was convinced after just the first few minutes when they were stealing the cars from the train that the image would be a stunner. Contrast displays itself best during this sequence showing a lot of fine detail throughout the interior shots of the train when O'Connor and Mia are walking through the passenger car, down to the car car (it sounds weird saying that), and to the point when they cut the walls out to take the cars. In particular, the details I'm talking about are the shadow delineation amongst the lighting, the fact that you can see many of the grains of sand blowing through the air, and even some of the hairs on O'Connor's arms when he jumps out and hangs on the escape truck. Furthermore, when things get darker (from a lighting perspective) the detail remains just as immaculate. For me, it was the articulation of Hobbs' sweat running down his head and all the way to his beard. You can see each individual bead even when its dark outside. Colors are also handled extremely well, most notably in the scene with the car congregation where all the flashy cars, lights, and colorfully scantily-clad women make for some great eye candy. There are no instances of any tinkering whatsoever and the picture is as clean as can be. From a cinematographic view, I was very impressed with a lot of the footage they were able to get or integrate using as little CG as possible. A lot of the overhead shots of Brazil and the favelas add a nice exoticism to the feel of the movie itself, and I hope DP Stephen F. Windon gets more work in the future. My favorite scenes for reference are the chase in the favelas for its overall balance in detail amongst all the chaos, the police Charger street race in the middle for some great black levels, the aforementioned car congregation for all the colorfulness it exudes, and of course the scene where Gisele is getting Reyes' hand print because it's detailed, colorful, and I'm a guy and thinks she looks really hot in a bikini.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track here is every bit as captivating as the video. Oddly enough, Jon Taylor, the re-recording mixer, has worked on mostly romantic comedies or dramas in his career. He has a few horror and action titles under his belt, but considering how aggressive the sound is for Fast Five, I'm surprised his talents have been so underused. With that being said, though, whether you're a fan of the series or a complete newbie like me, the audio alone makes up a good third of the enjoyment. As I've noticed with a lot of other car-involving sound designs (particularly The Transporter series), a really good car can make for some cool sound effects. The first one you really get to hear is Dom's 1970 Charger. And holy crap, is that thing loud. Its first appearance comes in from the rear left and not only packed a floor-shaking rumble, but even managed to rattle the driver in my dinky old Yamaha tower speaker. And then you have the revving of the engines of the cars they steal off the train, and even the train itself, making for lots of noise. Dynamic range is especially proficient with a lot of the vehicles because of the various engine types, car builds, and the way in which they're used (some for racing, some for ramming, and others for towing). In addition, there's also a lot more gunfire than I expected for the supposedly racing-oriented film I thought I was going to get. When the chasing and shooting ensue, directionality and separation are outstanding. Much like the various number of vehicles shown in the movie, there are also various weapons as well. Something like 150 different guns were made for the film, and while I couldn't keep track of all the calibers and makes, I'll take their word for it based on what I heard. LFEs are a given if you haven't associated everything else about the sound design with bass already, which should also be apparent if you're familiar with the work of composer Brian Tyler (who puts a lot of bass into his music). My favorite scenes are the favela chase, the shootout with Hobbs' team, and that crazy vault heist sequence at the end that destroys and damages things all over the place.
Extras - 4.5
- Audio Commentary (Director Justin Lin)
With this being both the first F&F and Justin Lin-directed film I've seen, I was very surprised at how informational it was. Lin has a very candid tone and talks about a lot of the filming, the production, the themes he wanted to portray with the characters, the evolution of the franchise from the first to the fifth, and what it was like working with everyone involved. And for a director I'd never heard of prior to this, I have to say he sounds like he has a pretty good grip on things.
- Deleted Scenes (HD; 1:40)
- Gag Reel (HD; 4:17)
- The Big Train Heist (HD; 7:37)
Deconstructing the production and stunt work of said heist. Particularly how they wanted to use as little CG and visual effects as possible and to outdo action sequences from the previous films. I think they succeeded.
- Reuniting the Team (HD; 4:59)
The casting of the characters and actors from previous F&F films. Again, not having seen any of the previous incarnations I have no idea who's supposed to be who and what kind of emotional baggage they're carrying. But I'm glad they got Gal Gadot!
- A New Set of Wheels (HD; 10:09)
Talking about all the cars they used here in F5 and how they sort of represent some of the characters. It's a pretty interesting take on car-to-character symbolism, especially in the case of the main characters.
- Dom's Journey (HD; 4:55)
A look at the motivations and evolution of Vin Diesel's character. I never took Diesel seriously as anything more than just another action body playing the tough guy, but this feature actually sheds a good deal of light on the character of Dom Toretto.
- Brian O'Connor From Fed to Con (HD; 5:55)
A look at Paul Walker's character across the series. Weird to see how much of a West Coast, middle class ricer he seemed to be in F2 with the blond hair and super Caucasian attire. Hard to think he progressed so much up to this point.
- Enter Federal Agent Hobbs (HD; 5:50)
A look at The Rock's character. I love the fact that they even have him in this film. The guy is charismatic and brings a lot to the table with his natural ability to look, act, and be tough in any kind of action role he gets, yet appears so humble off screen.
- Dom vs. Hobbs (HD; 7:31)
A breakdown of the big fight and the challenges faced in filming it. Both Diesel and Johnson talk about how they really respect each other and have wanted to work together for a while. Well, they got their chance, and boy did they give a good show.
- On Set with Director Justin Lin (HD; 8:36)
A look at filming the Porsche test-drive scene. He seemed a little annoyed at the fact that the stunt coordinators and driver weren't giving him what he wanted. They did quite a few takes and had a lot of talk in-between. Thankfully, they got what they needed to.
- Inside the Vault Chase (HD; 9:20)
A great look at how they put the logistics and production together for this thrilling sequence. This is one of the coolest action/heist sequences I've seen in a while. Some of it is visual effects, but a lot of it actually isn't. If you're interested in film-making in general, definitely check this one out.
- Tyrese TV (HD; 6:35)
The actor goofing around on set. He talks to the camera, goes around and talks to Justin Lin and Ludacris, and then hypes himself up like only he can. If you like his personality and sense of humor, this is worth a look.
- U-Control
A P-i-P commentary featuring 17 segments of behind-the-scenes footage NOT seen in the other features averaging about 3 minutes per segment totaling to another 50-ish minutes of total bonus features. There's also an option to turn on Scene Explorer during U-Control to show 3 versions of the train heist in PreVis, Dailies, and B-t-S all at the same time or just one a time (in which the single view will take up the entire screen). The U-Control feature is a little more cumbersome to sit through and navigate than Warners' Maximum Movie Mode or Lionsgate's Bonus View, but is still pretty informational.
Overall - 5.0
I've heard the F&F franchise is something of a mixed bag. Some people say it's good entertainment and others say it's a waste of time. Not having seen any of the previous films, I can't tell you what I think yet. But based solely on F5 alone, I have to say I'm pretty damn interested in seeing them now. F5, in particular, is a great heist flick with lots of action and style that ironically and apparently also has some of the long-rumored elements of The Brazilian Job (as in, the sequel to The Italian Job) in it. For whatever reason The Brazilian Job never made it out of production hell, nobody knows. But if the F5 crew did manage to sneak it in here, all the better. The video and audio are easily reference quality and the extras amount to well over 2 hours plus a great commentary. So if you're a fan of the franchise (I guess) or at least a fan of this installment, don't hesitate to pick it up and enjoy the ride.
Blu-ray + DVD
Universal Studios | 2011 | 132 min | Rated PG-13 | Region A, B (C untested) | Oct 04, 2011
Dominic and his crew find themselves on the wrong side of the law once again as they try to switch lanes between a ruthless drug lord and a relentless federal agent.
So I hadn't seen a single Fast & Furious movie prior to this. But I was browsing through Best Buy for my copies of other titles that came out that day when I saw the BB exclusive SteelBook edition. So for the first time in a while, I made a blind-buy based solely on the aforementioned packaging and the fact that The Rock was in it. I expected the preconceived notion that the other films had established (fast cars and hot girls), but was very surprised at how great of an action-heist-thriller this turned out to be. The story starts with Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) being sentenced to prison (I'm guessing from F4), and then breaking out. Meanwhile, former federal agent turned fugitive, Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker), and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) are on the run in Rio de Janeiro. They agree to take a job to steal some federally-impounded cars belonging to Brazilian crime boss Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). During the robbery a couple of DEA agents are killed, in which the U.S. government then sends DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) to apprehend Dom and O'Connor. Like I said, I've not seen a single film in the series, so whatever character-building there was I don't know about it. I just thought it would be interesting for once to take a movie this far into the lineup, watch it, and see if I'd like it (which I really did). Oddly enough, there wasn't as much street racing as I thought there'd be considering that's what I heard to be the draw. The action in this particular entry, however, is pretty exhilarating. I've been wanting to see The Rock in another action flick since The Rundown and Faster, and it's good to see him back doing what he does best (can't wait to see him in G.I. Joe either). And from what little I'd seen of Vin Diesel, I thought he was a pretty good action guy himself. But to see both he and The Rock duking it out (quite viciously, too) was very cool to watch. On top of that, the last half hour with the vault heist and all the stunt work they had to coordinate is among the best I've seen from a production standpoint. If you haven't seen any of the Fast & Furious yet, I can wholeheartedly recommend you at least start here.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Fast Five is another one of those movies that was filmed on 35mm then digitally processed, and it looks perfect on this transfer. I was convinced after just the first few minutes when they were stealing the cars from the train that the image would be a stunner. Contrast displays itself best during this sequence showing a lot of fine detail throughout the interior shots of the train when O'Connor and Mia are walking through the passenger car, down to the car car (it sounds weird saying that), and to the point when they cut the walls out to take the cars. In particular, the details I'm talking about are the shadow delineation amongst the lighting, the fact that you can see many of the grains of sand blowing through the air, and even some of the hairs on O'Connor's arms when he jumps out and hangs on the escape truck. Furthermore, when things get darker (from a lighting perspective) the detail remains just as immaculate. For me, it was the articulation of Hobbs' sweat running down his head and all the way to his beard. You can see each individual bead even when its dark outside. Colors are also handled extremely well, most notably in the scene with the car congregation where all the flashy cars, lights, and colorfully scantily-clad women make for some great eye candy. There are no instances of any tinkering whatsoever and the picture is as clean as can be. From a cinematographic view, I was very impressed with a lot of the footage they were able to get or integrate using as little CG as possible. A lot of the overhead shots of Brazil and the favelas add a nice exoticism to the feel of the movie itself, and I hope DP Stephen F. Windon gets more work in the future. My favorite scenes for reference are the chase in the favelas for its overall balance in detail amongst all the chaos, the police Charger street race in the middle for some great black levels, the aforementioned car congregation for all the colorfulness it exudes, and of course the scene where Gisele is getting Reyes' hand print because it's detailed, colorful, and I'm a guy and thinks she looks really hot in a bikini.
The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track here is every bit as captivating as the video. Oddly enough, Jon Taylor, the re-recording mixer, has worked on mostly romantic comedies or dramas in his career. He has a few horror and action titles under his belt, but considering how aggressive the sound is for Fast Five, I'm surprised his talents have been so underused. With that being said, though, whether you're a fan of the series or a complete newbie like me, the audio alone makes up a good third of the enjoyment. As I've noticed with a lot of other car-involving sound designs (particularly The Transporter series), a really good car can make for some cool sound effects. The first one you really get to hear is Dom's 1970 Charger. And holy crap, is that thing loud. Its first appearance comes in from the rear left and not only packed a floor-shaking rumble, but even managed to rattle the driver in my dinky old Yamaha tower speaker. And then you have the revving of the engines of the cars they steal off the train, and even the train itself, making for lots of noise. Dynamic range is especially proficient with a lot of the vehicles because of the various engine types, car builds, and the way in which they're used (some for racing, some for ramming, and others for towing). In addition, there's also a lot more gunfire than I expected for the supposedly racing-oriented film I thought I was going to get. When the chasing and shooting ensue, directionality and separation are outstanding. Much like the various number of vehicles shown in the movie, there are also various weapons as well. Something like 150 different guns were made for the film, and while I couldn't keep track of all the calibers and makes, I'll take their word for it based on what I heard. LFEs are a given if you haven't associated everything else about the sound design with bass already, which should also be apparent if you're familiar with the work of composer Brian Tyler (who puts a lot of bass into his music). My favorite scenes are the favela chase, the shootout with Hobbs' team, and that crazy vault heist sequence at the end that destroys and damages things all over the place.
Extras - 4.5
- Audio Commentary (Director Justin Lin)
With this being both the first F&F and Justin Lin-directed film I've seen, I was very surprised at how informational it was. Lin has a very candid tone and talks about a lot of the filming, the production, the themes he wanted to portray with the characters, the evolution of the franchise from the first to the fifth, and what it was like working with everyone involved. And for a director I'd never heard of prior to this, I have to say he sounds like he has a pretty good grip on things.
- Deleted Scenes (HD; 1:40)
- Gag Reel (HD; 4:17)
- The Big Train Heist (HD; 7:37)
Deconstructing the production and stunt work of said heist. Particularly how they wanted to use as little CG and visual effects as possible and to outdo action sequences from the previous films. I think they succeeded.
- Reuniting the Team (HD; 4:59)
The casting of the characters and actors from previous F&F films. Again, not having seen any of the previous incarnations I have no idea who's supposed to be who and what kind of emotional baggage they're carrying. But I'm glad they got Gal Gadot!
- A New Set of Wheels (HD; 10:09)
Talking about all the cars they used here in F5 and how they sort of represent some of the characters. It's a pretty interesting take on car-to-character symbolism, especially in the case of the main characters.
- Dom's Journey (HD; 4:55)
A look at the motivations and evolution of Vin Diesel's character. I never took Diesel seriously as anything more than just another action body playing the tough guy, but this feature actually sheds a good deal of light on the character of Dom Toretto.
- Brian O'Connor From Fed to Con (HD; 5:55)
A look at Paul Walker's character across the series. Weird to see how much of a West Coast, middle class ricer he seemed to be in F2 with the blond hair and super Caucasian attire. Hard to think he progressed so much up to this point.
- Enter Federal Agent Hobbs (HD; 5:50)
A look at The Rock's character. I love the fact that they even have him in this film. The guy is charismatic and brings a lot to the table with his natural ability to look, act, and be tough in any kind of action role he gets, yet appears so humble off screen.
- Dom vs. Hobbs (HD; 7:31)
A breakdown of the big fight and the challenges faced in filming it. Both Diesel and Johnson talk about how they really respect each other and have wanted to work together for a while. Well, they got their chance, and boy did they give a good show.
- On Set with Director Justin Lin (HD; 8:36)
A look at filming the Porsche test-drive scene. He seemed a little annoyed at the fact that the stunt coordinators and driver weren't giving him what he wanted. They did quite a few takes and had a lot of talk in-between. Thankfully, they got what they needed to.
- Inside the Vault Chase (HD; 9:20)
A great look at how they put the logistics and production together for this thrilling sequence. This is one of the coolest action/heist sequences I've seen in a while. Some of it is visual effects, but a lot of it actually isn't. If you're interested in film-making in general, definitely check this one out.
- Tyrese TV (HD; 6:35)
The actor goofing around on set. He talks to the camera, goes around and talks to Justin Lin and Ludacris, and then hypes himself up like only he can. If you like his personality and sense of humor, this is worth a look.
- U-Control
A P-i-P commentary featuring 17 segments of behind-the-scenes footage NOT seen in the other features averaging about 3 minutes per segment totaling to another 50-ish minutes of total bonus features. There's also an option to turn on Scene Explorer during U-Control to show 3 versions of the train heist in PreVis, Dailies, and B-t-S all at the same time or just one a time (in which the single view will take up the entire screen). The U-Control feature is a little more cumbersome to sit through and navigate than Warners' Maximum Movie Mode or Lionsgate's Bonus View, but is still pretty informational.
Overall - 5.0
I've heard the F&F franchise is something of a mixed bag. Some people say it's good entertainment and others say it's a waste of time. Not having seen any of the previous films, I can't tell you what I think yet. But based solely on F5 alone, I have to say I'm pretty damn interested in seeing them now. F5, in particular, is a great heist flick with lots of action and style that ironically and apparently also has some of the long-rumored elements of The Brazilian Job (as in, the sequel to The Italian Job) in it. For whatever reason The Brazilian Job never made it out of production hell, nobody knows. But if the F5 crew did manage to sneak it in here, all the better. The video and audio are easily reference quality and the extras amount to well over 2 hours plus a great commentary. So if you're a fan of the franchise (I guess) or at least a fan of this installment, don't hesitate to pick it up and enjoy the ride.
Lionsgate Films | 1994 | 154 min | Rated R | Region A (locked) | Oct 04, 2011
An inside look at a memorable community of criminals. Prizefighter Butch Coolidge has decided
to stop payment on a deal he's made with the devil. Honey Bunny and Pumpkin are a couple of
young lovers and small time thieves who...
The first time I saw this I was like, 12 years old, and it was on VHS. It looked cool at the time, but my teenage brain couldn't handle anything past the loud voices and constant cussing, but kudos for style points. The second time I saw it (maybe another 12 years after the first) I believe it was supposed to be a DVD rip, but the sound encoding was atrocious, so I only enjoyed it in part. The the third time I saw it (about 3 months ago) was off of Netflix streaming with decent enough audio, but not so great video. Ironically enough, the one time I finally get to see and hear the darn thing with quality A/V is on Blu-ray. That being said, it should go without question by user vote on IMDb, critic appraisal, or any number of awards and accolades given to this film that Pulp Fiction has cemented itself as a true game-changer in the halls of cinema legend. Be it the achronological storytelling, the sassy script, the dark humor, the quirky characters, or just the amazing level of star power involved from every which way, there's a lot to like about this film. For me, personally, it's the method. I don't mean the cut-up timeline (which is enjoyable in itself and keeps you on your toes), but how so much of the dialogue is "just there" from a purely jovial or character-developing perspective. Talks of Amsterdam and their legalization of drugs, the differences between European and American culture, the frivolous comparison between a foot massage and going down on a girl, the significantly comedic monologue of a P.O.W. storing his best friend's watch up his anus for years only to deliver it to his son, and all kinds of other seemingly random stuff "capped off" by a stride at redemption would make you think otherwise about this being nominated for seven Oscars, right? Well, as most people often say about Quentin Tarantino films, "you should just see it for yourself to know what I mean." And the result after almost 20 years? It's a part of our modern day pop culture with all kinds of quotable lines, a beacon of entertainment and inspiration within the industry,and, for all intents and purposes, one really fun movie to watch. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But most would say it is.
Video - 5.0
- Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
- Video resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
- Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
The front and back of the slipcover and the back of the cover art says that this transfer was supervised by Quentin Tarantino himself and even has a copy of his signature on the slip, so what you see here was what the director intended. And I have to say, after 3 very poor video outings (VHS, a crappy DVD rip, and Netflix streaming), I have to say I've never seen the movie look this good (literally). The production budget was only $8 million, which by today's standards would still only be about $12 million. But wow, am I glad Tarantino used some quality film stock. First and foremost, I have to commend the black levels. All the tiny little details, linings, reflections, and textures look absolutely pristine on this presentation. Particularly, the wetness of Jules' Jheri curl, as laughable as the look is intended to be, adds a nice aesthetic sense of throwback to the Blaxploitation genre that Mr. Jackson's character is portraying. And then you have the hallmark scene where Vincent is taking Mia to Jack Rabbit Slim's, which is FULL of dark lighting, and yet still manages to display an amazing amount of detail around the restaurant itself, its patrons, on Thurman's hair, and in Travolta's suit in addition to the smoke he's blowing. Colors, while somewhat muted from an art direction standpoint, are surprisingly bold. The scene where Butch is taking money from Marsellus in the bar is full of red light, but in comparison to other brightly red-lit backdrops (which isn't many), I'm pleased at how a lot of the detail still remained intact. Then, of course, is the blood. Maybe it was more so the stuff they used to be the blood, but when it splatters, it looks great. Not real per se, but it's one of those artistic subtleties that Tarantino does well in his films. I am also happy to report that there is very little, if any, hints of dirt or artifacting. There's a fine layer of grain (and I mean very fine), but it doesn't seem like any DNR was added. Edge Enhancement? Not too sure, I'm typing this review with only 4 hours of sleep and might've seen a tiny little bit, but it's hard to say when I'm not all there. Regardless, though, I can tell you everything else looks superb, especially for its age.
Audio - 5.0
Languages
- English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles
- English, English SDH, Spanish
Another big part of Tarantino's films outside of its aesthetic and literary homages is the sound, particularly the music. As soon as Surf Rider starts playing it's easy to tell that this DTS-HD MA 5.1 track will do its job and do it well. LFEs are at their most prominent when any of this great soundtrack starts playing. Even as the radio switches to Jungle Boogie in the opening sequence, there's not a discrepancy to be heard. But how do the rest of the sound elements hold up on this seemingly quaint sound design? I mean, how can 230 pages of script possibly earn a 5 point rating? Oddly enough, this film's sound scape has a LOT of immersion. Shortly after the credits have done their thing we get a great audio treat in the first scene where Pumpkin and Honey Bunny are contemplating their change in venue for an upcoming robbery. I actually wouldn't even know this if I hadn't accessed all the extras, but the trivia track says that even in this very first scene, despite the achoronlogical plot structure, if you listen hard enough during Pumpkin and Honey Bunny's conversation you can distinctly hear Jules talking to Vincent in the background from a scene to be shown later on in the film. How cool is that? And while the weak point of the sound effects may be in the meager gunshots, the sheer sense of engulfment that every other crowded scene has to offer is sonic gold. Directionality and separation sound wonderful during these parts putting you right there in the thick of things. Meanwhile, high and low ends still manage to be very well-calibrated, specifically in the scene where Mia is getting her adrenaline shot between all the paper raffling around and the eventual thump on her chest. Oh yeah, and the dialogue couldn't be any clearer. From Jules' intimidating preacher vibrato to Fabienne's sweet and sexy accented-English, the movie has never looked OR sounded better. My favorite scenes to test the audio would be the aforementioned robbery attempt at the beginning of the film and the always-exalting trademark scene of Vincent and Mia going to Jack Rabbit Slim's (when they walk to their table and when they start dancing).
Extras - 5.0
Wow, I should really have taken a nap before work instead of trying to rush this review out for everyone to get a fresh take on the product, but I'm glad I at least got to learn a lot of things despite my soon-to-be headache at the crap hole at which I work. At any rate, this BD is loaded with extras. Most of them are DVD ports, but I'd never seen this on DVD anyway, and thus, am just seeing all of this for the very first time.
- Not the Usual Mindless Boring Getting to Know You Chit Chat (HD; 43:01)
A new HD retrospective with most of the film's actors discussing how they were cast, how the shooting went, and all of the things that ensued after the film came out. There's a lot of information here about the movie itself, its writing, and how a lot of the actors felt working with Tarantino.
- Here are Some Facts on the Fiction (HD; 20:37)
Another newly-produced featurette that shows a roundtable discussion with critics and their thoughts on how Pulp Fiction has affected the industry, their favorite parts, and some of the things that make the movie so good.
- Pulp Fiction: The Facts – Documentary (SD; 30:31)
Is from the Special Edition DVD (as is everything else from here on out) and is something of a mishmash of the pre-production, filming, and reception of the movie up to 2001.
- Deleted Scenes (SD; 24:30)
Feature commentary for 4 out of the 5 scenes by Tarantino and are enjoyable, if you want to at least take a one-time look.
- Siskel & Ebert At the Movies: The Tarantino Generation (SD; 16:00)
Is a short look at the quick rise of Tarantino's status and whether or not they think he was legit at the time. It comes off rather pretentious, though, so I wouldn't recommend it.
- Charlie Rose Show (SD; 55:27)
Features a GREAT interview with Tarantino and discusses a lot of his film-making roots, his philosophy as a movie-lover, and what he believes makes a good film.
- Independent Spirit Awards (SD; 11:29)
- Cannes Film Festival – Palme D'Or Acceptance Speech (SD; 5:20)
- Marketing Gallery (SD; 16:13)
Lots and lots of trailers/teasers.
- Still Gallery
- Enhanced Trivia Track
A trivia track that pops up all sorts of tidbits of information in the subtitles telling you all the quirks about the film itself, if any of you like that sort of thing (and some of it being very funny).
Overall - 5.0
As fervid as my review sounds, I'm actually not that big a fan of Tarantino. Aside from seeing this and Inglorious Basterds more than two times each, I've only seen his other films once. I didn't really get into Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bills were stylish enough, but keep in mind it's been nearly five years since I've seen those, and five years is a lot of time for my brain to better develop. But to the point, yes, Pulp Fiction is definitely one of those films that somehow managed to turn a bunch of dialogue into a fun and raucous movie. It's well-written, especially well-acted, and is a good way to spend two and a half-hours. With top-notch A/V quality and over 3 hours of specials, an SRP of $19.99 is practically nothing for such an renowned title that finally made its way to a proper BD release.
FUNimation Entertainment | 2009 | 325 min | Not rated | Region A (locked) | Aug 24, 2010
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood faithfully recreates the story from the classic manga - see Fullmetal Alchemist the way the creator intended!
Edward and Alphonse Elric's reckless disregard for alchemy's fundamental laws ripped...
Picking up after the rehash that is Part 1 (episodes 1-13), the series now steps into completely new territory and aptly separates itself from its first incarnation by miles and miles. While the original FMA may have been "good" for its time, I've always been a big proponent to maintaining as faithful an adaptation as possible when it comes to manga and their anime counterparts. The stories of the authors should be presented as is, otherwise he or she would never have made it, and an anime company wouldn't have animated it. However, not being much of a manga reader anymore (as I prefer the moving picture medium with color and sound), I can't attest to how great the actual story was on paper, but I'll be damned if this new series doesn't kick the old one's butt around the world and into infinity twice. This next set of episodes (14-26) not only tops the character development of the entire first series and creates an actual sense of empathy for each of the characters, but the plot twists, narrative, scripting, and screenplay are so genuinely addicting, I find myself craving more and more of the series. In fact, I'm even poised to say I feel cheated to have ever bought the entire first series back in its heyday. Barely a third of the way through FMA: Brotherhood, the feeling I have is reminiscent of my anime-marathoning days when I used to watch entire series in a matter of days to a week. It honestly really is that addicting. The Elric brothers feel so much more determined than ever, conspiracies between the Homunculi and State Alchemists abound, the search for the truth behind the Philosopher's Stone continues, and the drama, action, etc. all maintain an excellent pace with nary an episode to bog it down. Fans of the first series would do well to forget it ever existed and behold a much more superior product that is FMA: Brotherhood. It easily surpasses its predecessor in every way imaginable: the artwork is cleaner, the animation smoother, the music not as complex and heavy-handed (not to say Michiru Oshima is a bad composer, quite the contrary, I think her work was too good), the pacing is much quicker, the characters are more empathizing, and even some of the scripting/voice acting has more impact. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Video - 4.5
Contrary to the jaggies reported, I discovered through research and analysis of the Japanese BDs that it's not necessarily a problem of the transfer being bad, but in fact, the source material itself being a little on the cheap side. While it's great that Japanese studio BONES animated the show for HD and provided the same masters to FUNimation, I find it completely understandable if the crew felt the need to take certain art and animation shortcuts for budgetary constraints on such a long-planned series (64 episodes total). Aside from the jaggies, which aren't even that noticeable unless you sit really close or have a big screen, I think the image looks excellent, especially in comparison to older anime on DVD. Color reproduction has a lot of vibrancy and pop looking infinitely better than some of my other anime series on BD. Line detail is fine (maybe too fine under certain circumstances), though I'm saying this after taking into consideration the old warning, "when watching anime, sit far away and in a well-lit room," so perhaps the ironic proverb helped in my viewing experience after all. Continuing on, contrast is never a problem either, and overall image detail between the backgrounds and key animation have a very nice distinction from one another in terms of line style and color palette. There also doesn't seem to be any instances of DNR, Edge Enhancement, artifacting, or aliasing either, though there is some slight banding in the more colorfully layered shots that tend to have a mix of bright shades of certain primaries. But overall, great job by FUNimation in presentation for a huge improvement over their more recent trend in not-so-good upscales and the like.
Audio - 4.0
As part of their new practice, FUNimation's claim to at least provide lossless audio for both languages seems to be holding true so far. The Japanese track is presented in TrueHD 2.0, with the English dub getting a TrueHD 5.1 track. Obviously, the Japanese track will pale in comparison to the upscaled mix of the dub, but it still sounds good. Dialogue, sound effects, and music don't offer much in terms of separation across a front-only sound stage. However, depth is relatively adequate and even creates a bit of immersion during the more active sound sequences with a various mix of sound effects and dialogue switching between the left and right speakers. The Japanese version of the BD is only limited to PCM 2.0 tracks as well, so the limitations are warranted and speak for themselves and won't get any better than this. On the other hand, the English dub provides for a more filling experience. While it's only a remix of the Japanese sound masters into a matrixed 5.1 field, it offers a slightly more buoyant, but not quite authentic, surround experience upgrade. Dialogue stays clear in the center and sounds good for the most part, though did come off either a little more flat or lower in volume when I tried switching directly between the two. But being the artificial 5.1 that it is, a little increase in the volume by about 5 notches fixed it right up. Separation is mainly dispersed between the front left and right speakers, with the occasional sound effect panning to the rears. LFEs are present mostly through the bass parts of the opening and ending credits and occasionally through the series' sound effects, but aren't as trembling as I expected. Either way, fans of both languages should be pleased, regardless.
Overall - 4.5
After getting through the repetitious stuff and finally into the canon material of the manga, FMA: Brotherhood easily outdoes its first incarnation, and in bold execution. With that said, it's definitely starting to become one of my favorite titles of the shounen genre for its gripping storytelling, character drama, and always-fun-to-watch fantasy elements. Some of the comedy is still a bit on the fluffy side, but the timing is getting better and doesn't appear to be as rampant as the first 13 episodes. With excellent video, presentable audio (and a good dub), though next to nothing in extras (again), unless you just can't wait for a complete series box set (I rented this off of Netflix), $25-30 would be a good pricing point if you really need to have it right now. Definitely recommended for shounen fans.
FUNimation Entertainment | 2009 | 325 min | Rated TV-PG | Region A, B (locked) | May 25, 2010
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood faithfully recreates the story from the classic manga - see Fullmetal Alchemist the way the creator intended!
Edward and Alphonse Elric's reckless disregard for alchemy's fundamental laws ripped...
Fans of the franchise, and probably many anime watchers in general, should already be aware that this a reboot of the popular shounen series, so I'll skip the introduction. This set is the first 13 episodes of FMA: Brotherhood, which basically plays catchup to about the halfway point of the first series. I haven't read the manga or seen anymore of the series past this, but I hear it gets considerably darker and has a much more epic story. For what it is, though, these rehash episodes do a pretty good job (re-)establishing the origin of the Elric brothers, their quest, and providing some of the motivations that are driving them to become stronger and achieve their goal. A good deal of the supporting characters are also (re-)introduced, adding various amounts of diversity to, what I feel, are a lot of forthcoming plot twists. But the most interesting aspect I've always enjoyed about the series is the fantasy/sci-fi element of alchemy, particularly how it's applied as both the central cog to the story/themes and as a core basis for all the action/battle sequences within the FMA universe. With that said, this set of episodes has its moments of emotional drama, coolness, and shock, though I'm assuming it's nowhere close to the scope of things to come. The only real drawbacks I had were some of the cutesy/comedic moments and the overused "shorty" gag for Ed. I don't mind a little comedy mixed in with potentially epic storylines and all, but leave it to anime to be over-the-top. Production-wise, the art, animation, and music have a slightly different style than the previous series. Most of the seiyuu (voice actors) return for there roles in the Japanese version, as do the English voice actors. I found both languages to be quite serviceable in acting, scripting, and overall tone and would recommend either one for whatever your preference is. And personally, I'm anxious to see what happens next, as a couple of my friends tell me it completely blows the old series out of the water.
Video - 4.5
Contrary to the jaggies reported, I discovered through research and analysis of the Japanese BDs that it's not necessarily a problem of the transfer being bad, but in fact, the source material itself being a little on the cheap side. While it's great that Japanese studio BONES animated the show for HD and provided the same masters to FUNimation, I find it completely understandable if the crew felt the need to take certain art and animation shortcuts for budgetary constraints on such a long-planned series (64 episodes total). Aside from the jaggies, which aren't even that noticeable unless you sit really close or have a big screen, I think the image looks excellent, especially in comparison to older anime on DVD. Color reproduction has a lot of vibrancy and pop looking infinitely better than some of my other anime series on BD. Line detail is fine (maybe too fine under certain circumstances), though I'm saying this after taking into consideration the old warning, "when watching anime, sit far away and in a well-lit room," so perhaps the ironic proverb helped in my viewing experience after all. Continuing on, contrast is never a problem either, and overall image detail between the backgrounds and key animation have a very nice distinction from one another in terms of line style and color palette. There also doesn't seem to be any instances of DNR, Edge Enhancement, artifacting, or aliasing either, though there is some slight banding in the more colorfully layered shots that tend to have a mix of bright shades of certain primaries. But overall, great job by FUNimation in presentation for a huge improvement over their more recent trend in not-so-good upscales and the like.
Audio - 4.0
As part of their new practice, FUNimation's claim to at least provide lossless audio for both languages seems to be holding true so far. The Japanese track is presented in TrueHD 2.0, with the English dub getting a TrueHD 5.1 track. Obviously, the Japanese track will pale in comparison to the upscaled mix of the dub, but it still sounds good. Dialogue, sound effects, and music don't offer much in terms of separation across a front-only sound stage. However, depth is relatively adequate and even creates a bit of immersion during the more active sound sequences with a various mix of sound effects and dialogue switching between the left and right speakers. The Japanese version of the BD is only limited to PCM 2.0 tracks as well, so the limitations are warranted and speak for themselves and won't get any better than this. On the other hand, the English dub provides for a more filling experience. While it's only a remix of the Japanese sound masters into a matrixed 5.1 field, it offers a slightly more buoyant, but not quite authentic, surround experience upgrade. Dialogue stays clear in the center and sounds good for the most part, though did come off either a little more flat or lower in volume when I tried switching directly between the two. But being the artificial 5.1 that it is, a little increase in the volume by about 5 notches fixed it right up. Separation is mainly dispersed between the front left and right speakers, with the occasional sound effect panning to the rears. LFEs are present mostly through the bass parts of the opening and ending credits and occasionally through the series' sound effects, but aren't as trembling as I expected. Either way, fans of both languages should be pleased, regardless.
Overall - 4.0
As good as the series is setting up to be, and as good as the A/V quality is, there's next to nothing useful in the extras. How about scrounging some interviews with the Japanese creators about why they even decided to do this reboot, or a little something from the seiyuu about their role reprisals and expectations? But no matter, the anime itself makes for an entertaining watch and should satisfy most anime fans who probably don't care much for extras anyway. I would recommend this if you really can't wait for a complete collection box set (I actually borrowed this from a friend). But if that's too long a wait, then try to find it cheap.
Danny the Dog
Universal Studios | 2005 | 103 min | Unrated | Region free
| Sep 14, 2010
Danny is raised from childhood by a ruthless crime boss to become a violent killing machine. When a blind piano tuner takes him in, Danny tries to start a new life, but his brutal past follows him, forcing him to fight back.
Been a while since I'd seen this movie. I used to own in on DVD and saw it something like 3 times before selling it to make room for the transition to Blu-ray. It took a while, but it's good to finally see this title on BD. And after so many years, I have to say I actually like it a lot more now than I did initially. Danny the Dog (aka Unleashed in the U.S.) is the story of Danny (Jet Li), a poor soul raised from childhood as a human attack dog that does the dirty work of small-time Glasgow kingpin, Bart (Bob Hoskins). Danny is literally treated like a dog given a collar to wear 24/7, is fed food from a can, and lives a pretty desolate life as nothing more than a mere animal. But one day, Danny befriends a blind piano tuner named Sam (Morgan Freeman) who, through a stint of piano tuning, manages to elicit some of Danny's human side, if but for a few minutes. Then, when an accident injures Danny and sets him free from the grips of his cruel master, he seeks out Sam, who accepts him with open arms and offers to care for him with the help of his stepdaughter, Victoria (Kerry Condon). And in their time together, the two manage to re-humanize Danny and salvage his broken spirit from the dark depths of violence and emotional turmoil. This couldn't have been a more perfect role for Li. As apparent by his other Hollywood films, while he does show some actual acting prowess (though more so in his Chinese work) from time to time, the language barrier has always been his weak point. And what better a way to utilize his not-so-good English than with a character that's more about movement (which Li is a master technician of from all that wushu) and less about dialogue? Throw in the opposing fatherly-forces in Hoskins and Freeman (who play outstanding contrasts to one another) and some cutesy lighthearted bonding moments with Condon, and you've got a fairly gripping story. Needless to say, it's also a Jet Li movie choreographed by Yuen Wo Ping, and the action is absolutely brutal when you get down to it. But what surprises me the most is how the entire film manages to be not just an entertaining romp, but also a touching tale and character drama. This is easily Louis Leterrier's best film to date with a little help from his mentor, Luc Besson, in the writing department, and soon-to-be director, but current DP, Pierre Morel. In fact, speaking of Besson, I'd even go so far as to say Danny the Dog was this decade's Leon, albeit a tad less developed, but excellently portrayed, nonetheless.
Video - 4.5
It's been too long for me to remember what this looked like on DVD, but thankfully the extras are in SD, which is enough to remind me of the difference in quality. That being said, Pierre Morel's photography looks excellent. With Leterrier wanting to achieve a film noir-look, colors aren't particularly vibrant. In fact, just about any scene outside of Danny's bonding moments with Sam or Victoria are very cold, drab, and opaque. There are lots of blues, whites, grays, and charcoals used in a majority of the gangster life sequences when we see Danny living as a dog. From his dirty clothes to the grimy streets of Glasgow, the production design gives off a depressing quality befitting of the life Danny has lead to that point. Contrast is also slightly more desaturated in these scenes, though black levels are maintained very well throughout. During the happier times in Sam's apartment or in the various other non-criminal locales, hues are much fuller and create a sense of warmth to counteract the coldness of the former. Contrast and saturation feel more natural making flesh tones appear very lifelike and just a lot more pleasant to the eye. Image detail is actually a lot sharper than I remember and especially in comparison to some of the SD shots from the extras giving the visual presentation a nice sense of depth and HD pop. For instance, you can see all the little indentations of the food at the supermarket, the lining of Victoria's braces, or the fuzzy textures on Danny's teddy bear. The film also possesses a fine layer of film grain to keep the picture feeling gritty, and there appear to be no signs of DNR. There are some instances of Edge Enhancement and some scenes of the movie are a bit nosier than others (like the really, really dark scenes), and there are occasions of dirt and debris popping up here and there, but overall I'm very satisfied with the quality of the picture, especially in comparison to those SD shots from the DVD port. I think all the various color schemes, filters, and whatever other methods they used to portray the different outlooks of Danny's life are a great way of compliment and contrast for another.
Audio - 5.0
In addition to an excellent video transfer, Universal also outputs a booming and reference-level audio experience. The DTS-HD track has quite a bit of rumble to it. LFEs are the most prominent feature making their mark through the pounding bass of the music and various low end sound effects (like dramatic whirring and such). Dialogue is crisp and clear from the center with no distortion or dropout problems, while a majority of the sound effects are not quite front-heavy per say, but slightly more towards the front as a result of the sound design. It's not until guns start blazing that the rears get their fair share of noise distribution, which for all intents and purposes sound awesome because there really aren't that many sequences of it till around the end of the movie. But being most notably a martial arts-centric film, a majority of the effects come from the frequent punching, kicking, whacking, and body thuds. Again, much like the gunplay, there's not an incredible amount of the stuff, but when the violence starts, you can really hear and feel it. I was very happy to feel the thumps and wuds emanating from the sub-woofer and wouldn't expect anything less from this genre. The music by Neil Davidge and Massive Attack give the film a great balance of upbeat ambience for the action and slow, mellow piano/orchestral pieces for character development. Again, directionality and separation don't do a whole lot and are more sporadic in the first and second acts of the film, but immersion is excellent when the fighting ensues. Obviously, the best parts you could use for reference are Danny's fight in the arena and his battle against that bald-headed, wannabe Shaolin monk white guy (never liked his look, but he did a pretty good job keeping up with Li). The arena fight has a lot of sound immersion from the crowd and music with some great body hits and weapon clash effects. And the white guy battle is reference brutality, when they start fighting in the toilet room and literally beat the crap out of each other I can't help but find that scene violently beautiful. The clarity of the smacking of fist on head, fist to body, then foot to head are quite rousing.
Extras - 2.0
While everything else about this disc is great, the extras are very underwhelming and a bit of a disappointment. First, there's a 5-minute clip of Leterrier talking about the film where he basically gives the premise, tells a little bit about the kind of picture he wanted to make, all the star power involved, and how great it was to work with all of them. It's very short and not a bad watch, but an audio commentary would've been nicer. Then there's the feature "Serve No Master," which basically shows the fight choreography for the scene in the arena with some snippets of commentary from Li rounding out to about 10 minutes. Most of it is the fight itself taken straight from the movie with a little bit of P-i-P comparisons from the filming. This one is pretty skipable. Next, there's "The Collar Comes Off," which is a little bit more in-depth about the overall filming and writing. It recycles most, if not all of the commentary and interviews from Serve No Master, though does have some input from Freeman, and a little more from Hoskins. This feature is about 12 minutes long, but again is severely lacking in depth. And lastly, there are a couple of music videos featuring the music of Massive Attack and The RZA. Altogether these videos are about 4 minutes total and are nothing more than highlight reels of the fight scenes. The extras aren't shabby, but they're not that interesting either. Oh well, better than nothing.
Overall - 4.0
Danny the Dog is probably my favorite non-Chinese Jet Li film to date (although I'm not really sure which side I'd put The Forbidden Kingdom on, it's Hollywood-made, but for the most part was made in China..). It's a riveting story about an unfortunate person who came to live a sad life, but was saved from it with a little bit of kindness and lotta' bit of martial arts to take his pursuers out. Ever since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon set a new standard for me in terms of wushu/wuxia movies with a story, I've found some pretty good gems since then in Hero, Danny the Dog, Huo Yuan Jia (aka Fearless), and maybe even Chi Bi (aka Red Cliff) if I ever get around to watching part II. But I definitely can say is this another one of the greats. With excellent video and reference audio (though a disappointing amount of extras), Danny the Dog (or Unleashed, or whatever you're used to calling it) comes highly recommended.
Blu-ray + DVD
Disney / Buena Vista | 2010 | 109 min | Rated PG | Region free
| Nov 30, 2010
Balthazar Blake is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath. He can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler, a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden...
I think I've only seen Fantasia once all the way through, and I was probably around 6 or 7, meaning I remember next to nothing about it other than Mickey Mouse making household objects dance and clean stuff, the melody for that particular piece of the movie, and the fact that the entire thing was a musical. I will, however, admit I'm a big Nicholas Cage fan and have always liked him as an actor. And given his track record with director Jon Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer over the last decade or so I was at least pretty excited to see what appears to be yet another addition to the seemingly increasing number of action/fantasy movies in 2010. The Sorcerer's Apprentice follows Balthazar Blake (Nicholas Cage) from the time of Merlin up to the present day where he was, at some point, supposed to find the Prime Merlinean - the one magician who would be destined to defeat the evil Morgana. In finding him, Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) turns out to be the apparent successor to Merlin and must learn the ways of sorcery. Somewhere along the way Morgana's servant, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) is on the loose and looking to free Morgana as well. For a PG-rated movie it's very lighthearted, but still manages to have a good amount of humor, just enough character empathy, and a lot of very well-coordinated action sequences. The fantasy element alone is pretty cool to look at and makes for a fun and adventurous kind of film, and I'm surprised it didn't fair as well during it's theatrical run. What I liked the most about it was the relationship between the "crazy and quirky, but all-knowing" master and his "just wanna be normal, but really can't because he's not" apprentice. It makes for some cute, fluffy situational humor here and there, but never loses site of the fact that it's still a simple good vs. evil story between magicians and their pupils. I thought Cage played the eccentric Balthazar very well opposite a convincingly villainous Molina. This is only my third serving of Baruchel's acting (outside of Tropic Thunder and How to Train Your Dragon), but he plays that nerd gimmick pretty well for what it's worth.
Video - 5.0
Being a newly-minted transfer, the picture is as pristine as can be. The best aspect to me is the sheer lack of noise in practically every shot. But despite the lack of noise, the film has a very, very fine layer of film grain that gives it something of a gritty, but also filmic and theatrical look. Even in the shots of old Britain through the dark and drab lighting of Merlin's lair (at least I think that was his lair), detail is very sharp and easy to decipher amongst the shadowy look of the place. Black levels especially benefit from this giving off a great sense of depth and delineation in facial textures, costuming, and low-lit scenes. You can see all the lines and differences in brown and black between Balthazar's rawhide coat and black suit underneath, the scruffiness of his beard, the shagginess of his hair, the wrinkles on his face, and the objects within the shadows of Dave's lab. In terms of color, there's quite a bit of it throughout the film in the form of blue energy bolts, green, red, and orange magical flames, and so forth. But the best display, in my opinion, is the Chinatown scene. With a street parade carrying on, fireworks popping, and confetti falling all over the place (literally over a ton of it according the extras), the predominant color here is red (with slight hints of yellow), but it's never overly so and provides a very clear and immaculate sheen to the overall picture. Contrast is also perfect revealing lots of subtle textures and detail (as mentioned earlier about Balthazar) with somewhat of a warm hue to skin tones, but again, not overly so providing for a well-balanced color palette. Because of this CG-integration is very remarkable as well (as will be mentioned in the extras) making for a very believable and realistic presentation of all the film's special effects. It's a very clean picture and easy go-to reference material for friends and the yet-to-converted-from-DVD crowd. There are no absolutely no signs of aliasing, noise, edge enhancement, artifacting, dirt, or any of those bothersome video anomalies. Disney succeeds yet again in producing another stunning transfer with a movie that's every bit as deceptively enjoyable as people don't realize.
Audio - 5.0
The film starts off with a pretty good tease in the Jerry Bruckheimer logo imitating the sounds of the Tesla Coil lightning effects with a great deal of crackle and rumble. Dynamic range and separation are amazing between the narrator explaining the backstory and the on-screen action between Merlin, Morgana, and the rest of the apprentice gang. Magical explosions literally burst through the walls creating some awesome LFEs and bass. Chains clang, more magic is shot, and it goes into something of a musical montage to the almost-present day where we get to hear Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" (which sounds pretty good in lossless) and kid-Dave reaches Arcana Cabana where some of the real effects start to break out. After the seal on Horvath's Grimhold is broken the crawling roaches forming his body and the thunderous footstep he takes will really wake you up. The actiony music picks up in tempo as they start exchanging hits and shooting energy bolts. There's an excellent amount of clarity in both high and low ends. The fronts do most of the work with music coming from the rears creating some nice ambience. Probably the best scene in the movie in terms of overall sound usage, though, (much like the video) is the scuffle in Chinatown. You've got a little bit of everything here from subtle directionality in the crowd noise dispersing through the four surrounds, audible dialogue from the center despite the chaos that ensues, a very healthy dose of LFEs from the dragon that chases Dave around, and a balanced level of volume between all of that and Trevor Rabin's adventurous score (you can even hear the falling confetti at the end of the scene). And this isn't even mentioning the Tesla Coil show or thrilling car chase later on. But the quieter moments have great subtitle to them as well, like when Balthazar is walking around and you can hear his jacket flapping, the weight and density of his old-man shoes as he walks around, the honking horns and squeaking of brakes in the city scape, crackling fires burning, the echo of subway cars, and so on. Like the video, there are no flaws to be found here either. Bravo to the sound team on both sides.
Extras - 3.5
We start off with "Magic in the City," which covers the shooting of the film in New York to give it that contemporary and relatable fantasy feel. It shows them constructing sets from scratch, mixing it up with plate shots, and a lot of the coordination that was required for the Chinatown shot in particular. "The Science of Sorcery" attempts to set some logical grounds for the magic seen throughout the movie by applying real-life facts, talk about historical distortion, advancements of technology, the ever-changing interpretations of believability over the years, and how it's all supposed to tie in to the plot for a more realistic concept. "Making Magic Real" delves into the film's effects with most of the emphasis being on the fact that they tried to get as much of it in-camera as opposed to using visual effects and post-production CG. A lot of it was actually very physical and down-to-earth through the use of stringed props, wire-rigged stunts, air cannons, and various controlled apparatuses. "Fantasia: Reinventing a Classic" gives a little background on the project as a whole with interviews from mostly Bruckheimer and Turteltaub, but a few of the other cast and crew. It's more so reminiscence based on everyone's experiences and viewings of the classic short in the original Fantasia but shows how excited they were to be part of this particular piece of Disney canon and lore. "The Fashionable Drake Stone" takes a quick peek at the bizarre and ostentatious costuming of Toby Kebbell's character. I don't know what it is about his role in the movie, but I personally got this David Bowie kind of vibe (who ironically played Nikola Tesla in The Prestige, another magic movie, whose connection is made via the Tesla Coils in this film). "The Encantus" shows us a little bit of the design that went into the book of spells. "The World's Coolest Car" makes us aware that the Rolls Royce used in the movie was indeed Cage's one-of-a-kind. And then there's some fluff on the wolves and an assortment of some pretty funny deleted scenes and outtakes. All in all, not bad for an hour's worth. Would've liked a P-i-P or audio commentary, but still decent.
Overall - 4.5
This movie caught me by surprise. I was pretty sure the production values would be through the roof with Turteltaub and Bruckheimer behind the project, but I didn't expect to find the overall screenplay and script as fun as it turned out to be. Compared to the other contemporary-set title of this genre from the year, Percy Jackson, I think having star power like Cage and Molina made just enough of a difference to bump this into the next level of modern-day fantasy films. With a reference level A/V presentation and a pretty decent set of extras, The Sorcerer's Apprentice comes highly recommended.
Balthazar Blake is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath. He can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler, a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden...
I think I've only seen Fantasia once all the way through, and I was probably around 6 or 7, meaning I remember next to nothing about it other than Mickey Mouse making household objects dance and clean stuff, the melody for that particular piece of the movie, and the fact that the entire thing was a musical. I will, however, admit I'm a big Nicholas Cage fan and have always liked him as an actor. And given his track record with director Jon Turteltaub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer over the last decade or so I was at least pretty excited to see what appears to be yet another addition to the seemingly increasing number of action/fantasy movies in 2010. The Sorcerer's Apprentice follows Balthazar Blake (Nicholas Cage) from the time of Merlin up to the present day where he was, at some point, supposed to find the Prime Merlinean - the one magician who would be destined to defeat the evil Morgana. In finding him, Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) turns out to be the apparent successor to Merlin and must learn the ways of sorcery. Somewhere along the way Morgana's servant, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) is on the loose and looking to free Morgana as well. For a PG-rated movie it's very lighthearted, but still manages to have a good amount of humor, just enough character empathy, and a lot of very well-coordinated action sequences. The fantasy element alone is pretty cool to look at and makes for a fun and adventurous kind of film, and I'm surprised it didn't fair as well during it's theatrical run. What I liked the most about it was the relationship between the "crazy and quirky, but all-knowing" master and his "just wanna be normal, but really can't because he's not" apprentice. It makes for some cute, fluffy situational humor here and there, but never loses site of the fact that it's still a simple good vs. evil story between magicians and their pupils. I thought Cage played the eccentric Balthazar very well opposite a convincingly villainous Molina. This is only my third serving of Baruchel's acting (outside of Tropic Thunder and How to Train Your Dragon), but he plays that nerd gimmick pretty well for what it's worth.
Video - 5.0
Being a newly-minted transfer, the picture is as pristine as can be. The best aspect to me is the sheer lack of noise in practically every shot. But despite the lack of noise, the film has a very, very fine layer of film grain that gives it something of a gritty, but also filmic and theatrical look. Even in the shots of old Britain through the dark and drab lighting of Merlin's lair (at least I think that was his lair), detail is very sharp and easy to decipher amongst the shadowy look of the place. Black levels especially benefit from this giving off a great sense of depth and delineation in facial textures, costuming, and low-lit scenes. You can see all the lines and differences in brown and black between Balthazar's rawhide coat and black suit underneath, the scruffiness of his beard, the shagginess of his hair, the wrinkles on his face, and the objects within the shadows of Dave's lab. In terms of color, there's quite a bit of it throughout the film in the form of blue energy bolts, green, red, and orange magical flames, and so forth. But the best display, in my opinion, is the Chinatown scene. With a street parade carrying on, fireworks popping, and confetti falling all over the place (literally over a ton of it according the extras), the predominant color here is red (with slight hints of yellow), but it's never overly so and provides a very clear and immaculate sheen to the overall picture. Contrast is also perfect revealing lots of subtle textures and detail (as mentioned earlier about Balthazar) with somewhat of a warm hue to skin tones, but again, not overly so providing for a well-balanced color palette. Because of this CG-integration is very remarkable as well (as will be mentioned in the extras) making for a very believable and realistic presentation of all the film's special effects. It's a very clean picture and easy go-to reference material for friends and the yet-to-converted-from-DVD crowd. There are no absolutely no signs of aliasing, noise, edge enhancement, artifacting, dirt, or any of those bothersome video anomalies. Disney succeeds yet again in producing another stunning transfer with a movie that's every bit as deceptively enjoyable as people don't realize.
Audio - 5.0
The film starts off with a pretty good tease in the Jerry Bruckheimer logo imitating the sounds of the Tesla Coil lightning effects with a great deal of crackle and rumble. Dynamic range and separation are amazing between the narrator explaining the backstory and the on-screen action between Merlin, Morgana, and the rest of the apprentice gang. Magical explosions literally burst through the walls creating some awesome LFEs and bass. Chains clang, more magic is shot, and it goes into something of a musical montage to the almost-present day where we get to hear Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" (which sounds pretty good in lossless) and kid-Dave reaches Arcana Cabana where some of the real effects start to break out. After the seal on Horvath's Grimhold is broken the crawling roaches forming his body and the thunderous footstep he takes will really wake you up. The actiony music picks up in tempo as they start exchanging hits and shooting energy bolts. There's an excellent amount of clarity in both high and low ends. The fronts do most of the work with music coming from the rears creating some nice ambience. Probably the best scene in the movie in terms of overall sound usage, though, (much like the video) is the scuffle in Chinatown. You've got a little bit of everything here from subtle directionality in the crowd noise dispersing through the four surrounds, audible dialogue from the center despite the chaos that ensues, a very healthy dose of LFEs from the dragon that chases Dave around, and a balanced level of volume between all of that and Trevor Rabin's adventurous score (you can even hear the falling confetti at the end of the scene). And this isn't even mentioning the Tesla Coil show or thrilling car chase later on. But the quieter moments have great subtitle to them as well, like when Balthazar is walking around and you can hear his jacket flapping, the weight and density of his old-man shoes as he walks around, the honking horns and squeaking of brakes in the city scape, crackling fires burning, the echo of subway cars, and so on. Like the video, there are no flaws to be found here either. Bravo to the sound team on both sides.
Extras - 3.5
We start off with "Magic in the City," which covers the shooting of the film in New York to give it that contemporary and relatable fantasy feel. It shows them constructing sets from scratch, mixing it up with plate shots, and a lot of the coordination that was required for the Chinatown shot in particular. "The Science of Sorcery" attempts to set some logical grounds for the magic seen throughout the movie by applying real-life facts, talk about historical distortion, advancements of technology, the ever-changing interpretations of believability over the years, and how it's all supposed to tie in to the plot for a more realistic concept. "Making Magic Real" delves into the film's effects with most of the emphasis being on the fact that they tried to get as much of it in-camera as opposed to using visual effects and post-production CG. A lot of it was actually very physical and down-to-earth through the use of stringed props, wire-rigged stunts, air cannons, and various controlled apparatuses. "Fantasia: Reinventing a Classic" gives a little background on the project as a whole with interviews from mostly Bruckheimer and Turteltaub, but a few of the other cast and crew. It's more so reminiscence based on everyone's experiences and viewings of the classic short in the original Fantasia but shows how excited they were to be part of this particular piece of Disney canon and lore. "The Fashionable Drake Stone" takes a quick peek at the bizarre and ostentatious costuming of Toby Kebbell's character. I don't know what it is about his role in the movie, but I personally got this David Bowie kind of vibe (who ironically played Nikola Tesla in The Prestige, another magic movie, whose connection is made via the Tesla Coils in this film). "The Encantus" shows us a little bit of the design that went into the book of spells. "The World's Coolest Car" makes us aware that the Rolls Royce used in the movie was indeed Cage's one-of-a-kind. And then there's some fluff on the wolves and an assortment of some pretty funny deleted scenes and outtakes. All in all, not bad for an hour's worth. Would've liked a P-i-P or audio commentary, but still decent.
Overall - 4.5
This movie caught me by surprise. I was pretty sure the production values would be through the roof with Turteltaub and Bruckheimer behind the project, but I didn't expect to find the overall screenplay and script as fun as it turned out to be. Compared to the other contemporary-set title of this genre from the year, Percy Jackson, I think having star power like Cage and Molina made just enough of a difference to bump this into the next level of modern-day fantasy films. With a reference level A/V presentation and a pretty decent set of extras, The Sorcerer's Apprentice comes highly recommended.
Paramount Pictures | 2010 | 103 min | Rated PG | Region A (B, C untested) | Nov 16, 2010
Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and...
Water.. Earth.. Fire.. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed when a girl and her brother discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills were great, he still had a lot to learn before he was ready to save anyone. But she believed Aang could save the world. This first chapter of Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Aang, Katara, and Sokka on their journey around the globe. As they travel, they run into many adventures, people, and events along the way that would go on to shape them not only as warriors to bring peace and balance back to the four nations, but also evolve as people. In pursuit is Prince Zuko, banished son of the Fire Nation who is obsessed in capturing the Avatar to restore his lost honor, and with him is his ever-loving uncle, Iroh, who serves as Zuko's conscience, voice of reason, and occasional recommender of tea. Traveling about on Aang's Air Bison, Appa, and with his old flying lemur temple buddy, Momo, the "Aang gang" proceed to the Northern Water Tribe in an effort to teach the Avatar mastery of his first element -- water. What makes the Avatar franchise so great is its amazing ability to tell an epic fantasy story full of diverse characters. Be it the goofy, often funny smart-ass remarks and one-liners of Sokka, the nurturing and maternal instincts of Katara, the silly and innocent playfulness of Aang, a boy who didn't even want the weight of the world on his shoulders in the first place, the conflicting choices of right and wrong within the tempestuous Zuko, or the whimsical words of wisdom from his uncle that would ultimately be the difference maker, one can't deny the existence of some level of empathy, entertainment, or joy from their interactions and experiences. And that's not even mentioning the excellent wushu-based elemental-bending choreography, the rousing score, tons of comedic, dramatic, and storytelling elements, and all rolled up into a presentation reminiscent of anime. By the way, this movie has none of that.
Instead, we get this: The director of The Happening put together a movie starring this kid with big nostrils who's released from a giant iceberg by some cute girl and her Twilight vampire brother given a movie name derived from a water gun only to find out that Big-nostril Kid is the Avatar whose name sounds like the broken ending sound of a deaf person trying to speak. All of a sudden, the Slumdog Millionaire and his uncle who saved Tony Stark two years earlier spot the beam of light where the Avatar was freed. In getting to the village, the much taller Slumdog Millionaire grabs Big-nostril Kid and threatens to burn the place down if he doesn't go willingly. When Big-nostril Kid escapes the boat he, the cute chick, and Twlighty go to visit the old Air Temple he used to live at only to find everybody's been turned into the biodegradable aftermath of one Dexter Morgan's handiwork. Big-nostril Kid screams "noooo~!," lights up, produces some fine Low Frequency Effects from within the sub-woofer then calms down after 30 seconds of dialogue from the cute girl. After that, the cute girl and unfunny brother make up their minds without any hesitation or emotional motivation whatsoever to accompany the Avatar to the Northern Water Tribe where he will inexplicably learn water bending from that one priest in Constantine. On their way, they save an Earth Kingdom village while showcasing the film's one and only comedic moment and then proceed to display the slow, Matrix-like speed of their martial arts dancing/bending. In the process, Big-nostril Kid gets captured after being tricked by the tattoo artist in Ninja Assassin only to be rescued by a guy dressed as the demon version of Troy Polamalu. Angered by constant setbacks in the war, the Fire Lord who had ironically been disintegrated on the Icarus 1 some three years back comes up with a plan to take the Northern Water Tribe. But Big-nostril Kid had an unestablished epiphany, scared the Indians away, and everyone was unified.. just.. like.. that. The film ends with a grinning girl who seemed way too happy to have been cast in the movie.
Video - 5.0
The image is stellar. What with the whole four elements theme being a prominent factor in the movie's production design, there's quite the diverse color palette throughout. The reds, golds, and blacks of the Fire Nation are vibrant and deep, most notably in their armor, costuming, and mechanical devices. The Water Tribe is represented by mostly blues, whites, and purples that add a very soothing sense of calm and (to quote the terrible analogy of the script) "flowing emotions." Earth Kingdom colors are a bit dingy and muddy, as we don't even get to see Omashu or the glorious capital city of Ba Sing Se, but the yellows, greens, and browns are displayed very well. We also get a glimpse of what was the Air Nomads through various yellows, golds, oranges, and a little bit of brown (think Buddhist monks). So yeah, colors are awesome. Black levels are equally perfect with a great deal of shadow delineation visible in a lot of the intricate fabrics worn. Nighttime scenes are especially easy to look at and don't show a whole lot of noise at all. I swear I could see all the soldiers, the lines in their armor, and every little detail in the ground and set during the Blue Spirit scene. Contrast is perfect as well showing a lot of overall detail and sharpness. From the big nostrils of the Avatar to the uncalled for stubble of Twilighty's face to the directions of the water in the frozen ice, the image makes for some relatively commendable cinematography. Special effects shots (while really, really slow in conjunction with the needlessly slower martial arts) look about as "realistic" as you can get without the film taking itself less seriously. Fire firing, water watering, earth unearthing, and air airing are essentially equal to their cartoon counterparts. Other than some really bad photography (zooming in way too close to Big-nostril Kid's face on a few shots), the picture quality is flawless.
Audio - 5.0
Yet another technical marvel on this BD, the sound has two things going for it: the brilliant and epic (albeit vastly different from the original) score by James Newton Howard, and the action effects. Dialogue is unintelligible, yet crisp from the center channel with no issues in overall volume level or dynamics, while the front sides do an amazing job of separation between music, panning voices, and the aforementioned slew of effects. And while the visual side of the action sequences may be questionable, the auditory portion is some of the best material I've heard. Crackling flames during any kind of fire bending will literally encircle you as it travels throughout each speaker starting from the back left or right and swooping around to somewhere in the front. Explosions from said fireballs create a good rumble and really give the sound field a sense of depth amidst the boisterous sound editing and design. Water bending is particularly light depending on who's doing it and to what degree, though one scene that will definitely give your system a workout is at the end when a giant tidal wave is summoned by the Avatar against the Fire Nation navy. I thought my sub had overloaded itself or broken, but it was just the creaking of the ships' hulls and the rumbling of the wave itself. Rear channel usage, by the way, is amazing. The sound clarity between the trumpets, strings, and drums of the score do an excellent job at staying up front and never become mixed with any of the ambient effects or distorting the on-screen speech. And if you haven't guessed it by now, LFEs are killer. The action for the most part is disappointingly slow, but its one benefit from this is the result of some reference level audio. Yes, it's that good. If you by chance are willing to even have this movie in your collection, there would be a lot of scenes you could use to wow the guests.
Overall - 3.5
If you're a fan of the cartoon series, you'll probably hate this movie. It has no humor, a plodding screenplay, a choppy script, bad child actors, way-too-close-on-the-face photography, super slow motion elemental bending, too much martial arts arm flailing, and absolutely zero character development. If you've never seen Avatar: The Last Airbender, you might find this decent at best for all its fantasy atmospherics, but that's about it. Fans: skip it. The Uninitiated: rent it, first. For what this movie could've been: watch The Forbidden Kingdom.
Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy
Paramount Pictures | 2010 | 103 min | Rated PG | Region A, B (C untested) | Nov 16, 2010
Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and...
Water.. Earth.. Fire.. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed when a girl and her brother discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills were great, he still had a lot to learn before he was ready to save anyone. But she believed Aang could save the world. This first chapter of Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Aang, Katara, and Sokka on their journey around the globe. As they travel, they run into many adventures, people, and events along the way that would go on to shape them not only as warriors to bring peace and balance back to the four nations, but also evolve as people. In pursuit is Prince Zuko, banished son of the Fire Nation who is obsessed in capturing the Avatar to restore his lost honor, and with him is his ever-loving uncle, Iroh, who serves as Zuko's conscience, voice of reason, and occasional recommender of tea. Traveling about on Aang's Air Bison, Appa, and with his old flying lemur temple buddy, Momo, the "Aang gang" proceed to the Northern Water Tribe in an effort to teach the Avatar mastery of his first element -- water. What makes the Avatar franchise so great is its amazing ability to tell an epic fantasy story full of diverse characters. Be it the goofy, often funny smart-ass remarks and one-liners of Sokka, the nurturing and maternal instincts of Katara, the silly and innocent playfulness of Aang, a boy who didn't even want the weight of the world on his shoulders in the first place, the conflicting choices of right and wrong within the tempestuous Zuko, or the whimsical words of wisdom from his uncle that would ultimately be the difference maker, one can't deny the existence of some level of empathy, entertainment, or joy from their interactions and experiences. And that's not even mentioning the excellent wushu-based elemental-bending choreography, the rousing score, tons of comedic, dramatic, and storytelling elements, and all rolled up into a presentation reminiscent of anime. By the way, this movie has none of that.
Instead, we get this: The director of The Happening put together a movie starring this kid with big nostrils who's released from a giant iceberg by some cute girl and her Twilight vampire brother given a movie name derived from a water gun only to find out that Big-nostril Kid is the Avatar whose name sounds like the broken ending sound of a deaf person trying to speak. All of a sudden, the Slumdog Millionaire and his uncle who saved Tony Stark two years earlier spot the beam of light where the Avatar was freed. In getting to the village, the much taller Slumdog Millionaire grabs Big-nostril Kid and threatens to burn the place down if he doesn't go willingly. When Big-nostril Kid escapes the boat he, the cute chick, and Twlighty go to visit the old Air Temple he used to live at only to find everybody's been turned into the biodegradable aftermath of one Dexter Morgan's handiwork. Big-nostril Kid screams "noooo~!," lights up, produces some fine Low Frequency Effects from within the sub-woofer then calms down after 30 seconds of dialogue from the cute girl. After that, the cute girl and unfunny brother make up their minds without any hesitation or emotional motivation whatsoever to accompany the Avatar to the Northern Water Tribe where he will inexplicably learn water bending from that one priest in Constantine. On their way, they save an Earth Kingdom village while showcasing the film's one and only comedic moment and then proceed to display the slow, Matrix-like speed of their martial arts dancing/bending. In the process, Big-nostril Kid gets captured after being tricked by the tattoo artist in Ninja Assassin only to be rescued by a guy dressed as the demon version of Troy Polamalu. Angered by constant setbacks in the war, the Fire Lord who had ironically been disintegrated on the Icarus 1 some three years back comes up with a plan to take the Northern Water Tribe. But Big-nostril Kid had an unestablished epiphany, scared the Indians away, and everyone was unified.. just.. like.. that. The film ends with a grinning girl who seemed way too happy to have been cast in the movie.
Video - 5.0
The image is stellar. What with the whole four elements theme being a prominent factor in the movie's production design, there's quite the diverse color palette throughout. The reds, golds, and blacks of the Fire Nation are vibrant and deep, most notably in their armor, costuming, and mechanical devices. The Water Tribe is represented by mostly blues, whites, and purples that add a very soothing sense of calm and (to quote the terrible analogy of the script) "flowing emotions." Earth Kingdom colors are a bit dingy and muddy, as we don't even get to see Omashu or the glorious capital city of Ba Sing Se, but the yellows, greens, and browns are displayed very well. We also get a glimpse of what was the Air Nomads through various yellows, golds, oranges, and a little bit of brown (think Buddhist monks). So yeah, colors are awesome. Black levels are equally perfect with a great deal of shadow delineation visible in a lot of the intricate fabrics worn. Nighttime scenes are especially easy to look at and don't show a whole lot of noise at all. I swear I could see all the soldiers, the lines in their armor, and every little detail in the ground and set during the Blue Spirit scene. Contrast is perfect as well showing a lot of overall detail and sharpness. From the big nostrils of the Avatar to the uncalled for stubble of Twilighty's face to the directions of the water in the frozen ice, the image makes for some relatively commendable cinematography. Special effects shots (while really, really slow in conjunction with the needlessly slower martial arts) look about as "realistic" as you can get without the film taking itself less seriously. Fire firing, water watering, earth unearthing, and air airing are essentially equal to their cartoon counterparts. Other than some really bad photography (zooming in way too close to Big-nostril Kid's face on a few shots), the picture quality is flawless.
Audio - 5.0
Yet another technical marvel on this BD, the sound has two things going for it: the brilliant and epic (albeit vastly different from the original) score by James Newton Howard, and the action effects. Dialogue is unintelligible, yet crisp from the center channel with no issues in overall volume level or dynamics, while the front sides do an amazing job of separation between music, panning voices, and the aforementioned slew of effects. And while the visual side of the action sequences may be questionable, the auditory portion is some of the best material I've heard. Crackling flames during any kind of fire bending will literally encircle you as it travels throughout each speaker starting from the back left or right and swooping around to somewhere in the front. Explosions from said fireballs create a good rumble and really give the sound field a sense of depth amidst the boisterous sound editing and design. Water bending is particularly light depending on who's doing it and to what degree, though one scene that will definitely give your system a workout is at the end when a giant tidal wave is summoned by the Avatar against the Fire Nation navy. I thought my sub had overloaded itself or broken, but it was just the creaking of the ships' hulls and the rumbling of the wave itself. Rear channel usage, by the way, is amazing. The sound clarity between the trumpets, strings, and drums of the score do an excellent job at staying up front and never become mixed with any of the ambient effects or distorting the on-screen speech. And if you haven't guessed it by now, LFEs are killer. The action for the most part is disappointingly slow, but its one benefit from this is the result of some reference level audio. Yes, it's that good. If you by chance are willing to even have this movie in your collection, there would be a lot of scenes you could use to wow the guests.
Overall - 3.5
If you're a fan of the cartoon series, you'll probably hate this movie. It has no humor, a plodding screenplay, a choppy script, bad child actors, way-too-close-on-the-face photography, super slow motion elemental bending, too much martial arts arm flailing, and absolutely zero character development. If you've never seen Avatar: The Last Airbender, you might find this decent at best for all its fantasy atmospherics, but that's about it. Fans: skip it. The Uninitiated: rent it, first. For what this movie could've been: watch The Forbidden Kingdom.
Blu-ray + DVD
20th Century Fox | 2006 | 110 min | Rated PG-13 | Region A (locked) | Jun 08, 2010
Eisenheim is a stage magician who amazes the audiences of turn-of-the-century Vienna, drawing the attention of Crown Prince Leopold. When the Prince's intended, Sophie von Teschen, assists the magician onstage, Eisenheim and...
The Illusionist is something of an oddity. Though it may have gotten lost in the shadow of Christopher Nolan's The Prestige and coincidentally center around the same theme of magic, the two really don't share much else in common. Nolan's film is a calculated and theatrically-charged mystery/thriller, while Burger's is more a romantic drama with a big twist at the end. Overall, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, regardless of the trivial comparative controversy between the two. Several reasons I like this film are because of its cast, simplicity, and of course that big twist ending. Edward Norton plays the role of a regular guy in love with royalty (Jessica Biel) who, despite her being "socially engaged" to a very villainous prince (played brilliantly by Rufus Sewell), loves him back just as much. Within these events, Paul Giamatti plays the role of an up and coming candidate for police commissioner under the Prince's new regime, but is ultimately a man caught between the future of his reputation and doing what he feels is right. The simplicity of the narrative lies in its characters, their emotions, and a very fine script to bring it all about. It's apparent the two lovers really feel for each other, that the villain truly is a villain, and that somewhere in-between the one man watching all of this unfold is genuinely conflicted with what he should do. With that being said, the film is quite character-driven and builds upon some very basic emotions to tell its story. As we're introduced to them from the beginning of their relationships as children and up to the present, it makes for a refreshing tale of love, loyalty, and longevity. By film's end, I was nearly disappointed with how things were turning out. But the last 90 seconds literally transforms the movie into, what I thought was, a dazzling and ingenious turn of events that made all 100 minutes prior worth the title's namesake.
Video - 4.0
The cinematography for this film is something of a unique situation. It's not flashy or bright by any means, but instead uses (or so I hear) a sepia tone lens, which explains the heavy amounts of darkened browns, tans, and deep, deep blacks. Personally, I like how it fits with that particular time period and setting. It doesn't make much for Blu-ray showcasing, but aesthetically speaking, I think it adds a sense of surrealism to the screenplay and overall plot. Colors are there, though not very vibrant at all, and the monochromatic palette is sure to divide videophiles who might be mistaking this for a bad transfer. But rest assured, it's not. As mentioned, black levels are very deep and benefit greatly from the type of photography used. Contrast suffers as a result, obviously, but image detail is still quite good. Sharpness of objects get a little lost in longer shots, but a lot of the film's closeup shots show some serviceable textures and skin hues, particularly in Giamatti's beard and Biel's flushed cheeks. There also don't appear to any signs of Edge Enhancement or DNR. For what the movie is and considering the kind of content it involves, it's certainly good enough, though nothing to write home about compared to other dramas I've seen.
Audio - 4.0
Much like it's visual presentation, the audio is equally reserved, but accurate enough to warrant some merit. The DTS-HD track for this film very subdued and relies heavily on just two elements: the dialogue and score. Dialogue is very well-enunciated. Taking place in Vienna, I was a little disappointed in some of the linguistic authenticity, being that I didn't believe any one character was actually Austrian, but that's okay. The acting itself and the excellent script sound great through the center channel. I felt as if I was almost watching some kind of stage play, what with the picture framing and audio giving it that "silent, but understood" feeling. The score by Philip Glass is fairly low key, but does a wonderful job enhancing the more emotional and plot-driven scenes. What little sound effects there are disperse and direct themselves accordingly, though are very limited to either horse hooves on the ground, the grinding wheels of a carriage, or crowd noise in and outdoors with some decent separation provided amongst the rears, as well as some panning across the front speakers. There's one scene where the Prince is practicing with a shotgun that really wakes you up, but that's about as loud as it gets. LFEs are next to non-existent, as I'm pretty sure I heard my subwoofer go to standby on multiple occasions. Again, it's not going to wow your guests, but it's serviceable enough.
Overall - 4.0
I was really surprised at how well this movie turned out. It managed to psychologically suck me into its plot from the very start, and then provide me with a great amount of emotional satisfaction in all but 90 seconds at the end. After hearing so much controversy between this and The Prestige, I have to say any and all comparisons are, indeed, unwarranted and needless outside of the one theme they have in common: magic. Other than using magic as a driving force for the plot, they're so thematically different, I urge anyone who hasn't seen both to just not listen to the hype and take each film for face value, as they're both entertaining in their respective rights. With very good A/V quality, though unfortunately no extras worth mentioning, The Illusionist comes recommended on the strength of the storytelling alone.
Blu-ray/DVD Combo
Summit Entertainment | 2010 | 128 min | Rated PG-13 | Region A (locked) | Aug 03, 2010
After his predecessor perishes under mysterious circumstances, a ghostwriter agrees to help a former British prime minister finish his memoirs, but the author but finds himself in danger when he uncovers a web of secrets and...
I know the name Roman Polanski, but I'm embarrassed to say this is only the first film of his I've ever seen. My curiosity for this movie was nudged after hearing his name and the names of some very fine actors being involved, namely: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, and Tom Wilkinson. In watching The Ghost Writer, I had gone in expecting some sort of political thriller along the lines of State of Play (the last political thriller I saw and really, really liked); something with a lot of twists, turns, and deception from every which way until a shocking resolution was reached. Instead, I was completely surprised with a good deal of British charm, wit, and whimsicality involved, and then a little dazzle in the discovery of one Mr. Polanski's talent. The Ghost Writer is, indeed, a thriller that managed to captivate and keep me guessing what would happen next, but in a very odd manner. Usually, when watching political thrillers, or thrillers in general, I've always had this "expectancy of complexity" factor in which I just about always expected the unexpected to happen, and often. But in experiencing this film, I was surprised at how it achieved the same effect, though in much less flashy theatrics and writing. From the very beginning, we know someone is dead, this ghost is assigned to finish the memoirs of a controversial former Prime Minister, and that things just logically snowball deeper and deeper into conspiracy. However, what surprised me the most was at how well-ground and down-to-earth the screenplay felt. It was very simple in nature, and not at all what I was expecting, and yet I couldn't help but become more and more intrigued by the mysteries that lied therein until everything came to revelation, and the movie was over just as the symbolism of the ghost implies. If Polanski was always this good, then I apologize up-front that I never bothered to discover him in the first place. The drama, sleuthing, and pacing were very enjoyable.
Video - 5.0
You wouldn't think a political thriller would make for much reference-level material, but don't let the generalization fool you. The Ghost Writer looks stunning on BD with a perfect transfer whose simplicity in writing is as deceptively commendable as its photography. Colors offer a wide selection of vibrancy throughout the various locations, sets, and costumes. And as plain as they are, flawless picture reproduction is still flawless. Black levels are deep and equally without fault, providing for some excellent foreshadowing as the film progresses. And speaking of shadows, line/shadow delineation is some of the best I've seen in recent memory (in relation to recent films). There were parts of the movie when McGregor would be sitting and reading in the dark, and the level of depth between his silhouette, the shadows behind him, and the natural lighting from the screen were ridiculously accurate and separated from one another. Contrast and lighting benefit from this very much as well, as apparent in the very fine skin and cloth detail from the gray hairs on Brosnan's head, to the fibers of a bath robe, to the stretch (or plastic surgery) marks on Kim Cattrall's body (have to say, though, she looks pretty good for 54). Sharpness is razor sharp and presents the overall photography with a kind of subtlety worthy of Blu-ray and the hype that comes along with its label of "pristine picture." This is definitely a winner, and should get at least an Oscar nomination for cinematography.
Audio - 4.5
Again, political thrillers don't usually instill that, "wow, that's going to sound awesome," kind of feeling, but this movie just kept surprising me. Dialogue sounds perfect through the center and all (don't know how anyone can screw that up), and the script/acting come off very well to help the carry the plot. My biggest surprise, though, is in the score. Alexandre Desplat's compositions completely caught me off guard. They're not bad or anything, but the instrumentation and overall ambiance just really kept me into the film for some reason. It'd be something tense and suspenseful at one moment with a bunch of strings, and then all of a sudden transition into an almost goofy set of drums, woodwinds, and brass that, strangely, still had the right sense of setting a tone. I really don't know how to explain the feeling I got from his work, but it seemed off, yet oddly satisfying. As for sound effects, a lot of it is left to a particular kind of ambiance as well. The effects are relatively just there in the background, like cars driving on gravel, rainfall, ocean waves, the wind, or various creaks and taps on the furniture, but it makes for a great mix, regardless of their frivolities. I think my subwoofer went to standby once or twice from the inactivity of LFEs, so that should be pretty self-explanatory. For a film like this, though, you don't really need them.
Extras - 3.5
Not a whole lot of special features here other than an interview with the author of the original novel, Robert Harris (who is also the screenwriter for the film), interviews with the four main actors in what they thought about working with Polanski, and then an interview with Polanski himself, all of which are presented in HD. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that, while the extras themselves don't amount to much in terms of quantity (just under 30 minutes), I still very much enjoyed the quality of them, mainly because this is the only thing I've ever come to see or hear about in relation to Roman Polanski and the notoriety that comes with his name as a director. From what I've heard about him, I get this image that he's a highly-renowned and very well-respected director that's something of an icon in the industry. And after hearing these comments about him, I'd even go to say the general consensus is to call him a sort of living legend. From his demeanor and the quality of work shown in this film, I can certainly see why he's earned a lot of this praise, and I'm very curious to play catchup on his career now. With that being said, I thought the extras also helped to add a decent amount of depth to the characters, plot, and filming process, though obviously they could've been longer or more fully-explained. I also would've loved to have heard an audio commentary by Polanski and Harris for the film, but too bad, I guess. Despite these shortcomings, I was pleased to be enlightened about Polanski's image in general.
Overall - 4.5
The Ghost Writer certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea. It's a thriller, yes, but it's nowhere near as fancy or flashy as a gangster, cop, or espionage entry into the genre. It's a much more simplistic, logical, almost humdrum kind of thriller filled with witty characters and tout dialogue, but could still be entertaining if you're in to this type of film. I'd never seen a Polanski film till now, but I'm proud to say I'm damn curious to see some more. With reference video, near-reference audio, and a pretty short, though very informative, set of extras (for me, anyway), I highly recommend this BD for fans of the movie. Others may want to give it a rent to see if it fits their preferences, first.
Warner Bros. | 2006 | 151 min | Rated R | Region free
| Feb 13, 2007
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg star in Martin Scorsese's new crime
drama The
Departed. The Departed is set in South Boston where the state police force is waging an all-out war to take
down...
Gangster movies were not something I watched a lot of, at least as a kid. All the grit, violence, drama, complexities, etc. were way over my head. But in growing up, I came to acquire a taste for these things and eventually learned to like them a lot. I still haven't seen any of the Godfather movies, but I've recently been catching up on Scorsese. And in being one of the few that's actually seen and can appreciate Infernal Affairs (the original inspiration for The Departed), I have to say I was pretty excited after initially hearing Scorsese was attached to direct this Western adaption. When I first saw The Departed on DVD some years ago, I'd never seen a whole Scorsese film in any kind of entirety, but I knew his films by name and heard he was a great director. After finally watching his most renowned work in Goodfellas, I could see why he earned such praise. With that said, upon this subsequent viewing of the The Departed I definitely like it a lot more than I did initially. It's the story of two moles: a gangster in the police and a cop in the mob. The two work their opposing bosses into trusting them, but the bosses are on to the fact that there is, indeed, an enemy mole within their own outfits. Violence, deception, drama, and thrills ensue as each mole gets closer to finding the other. In terms of comparison, I'd have to say Infernal Affairs makes for a more entertaining and fast-paced story with its kinetic score and attention to subtlety in both narrative and characters for the viewer to fill in on their own (along with 50 minutes less in running time). On the other hand, Scorsese does a wonderful job in making his version more of a character drama with the elements of the aforementioned on the side and set on the mean streets of South Boston that works very well, though tends to feel a bit cumbersome and underwhelming at times (like the love triangle, the lack of empathy for Nicholson's character compared to his Chinese counterpart, or the overuse of record label songs as opposed to an actual score). However, the film more than makes up for these shortcomings through a wonderful script and some excellent performances with an A-list cast, particularly Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, and a very foul-mouthed (though funny to listen to) Mark Wahlberg. Both are excellent movies in their own right that should cater to either side of the spectrum depending your preference for flash and execution vs. grit and progression, though I'd personally lean a little more towards the original just because it doesn't feel as tedious in certain aspects.
Video - 4.5
For being one of the flagship BDs from Warner Brothers' early days into HD home video, the video quality actually looks pretty good. Compared to other flagship titles released from around the same time, in which some of them do or don't still hold up to today's standards, The Departed presents itself very well. The first thing that caught my eye during Nicholson's little prologue speech were the black levels and shadow delineation. As you see his silhouette walking through with a white background behind him, it instantly set the tone for me and made for some lovely foreshadowing to the film's narrative about the deceit, secrets, and hiding to occur throughout. Colors aren't very bold, and are even a bit drab, but still manage to put some real-world depth into the picture making the audience know full well that the grit and dirtiness are there. Blues, grays, and blacks tend to stick out the most in the form of police uniforms, gangster attire, and various low-lit settings, while red tends to show themselves a bit more towards the end when people start getting off'd. Contrast is also excellent and helps to accentuate some very fine textures and facial features from the creases in shirts and lining in suits to the stubble of unshaven mob goons and the wrinkles under their eyes. Overall image detail has a great deal of clarity and sharpness with near-reference quality outside of some artifacts and debris that pop up on occasion and the every-so-often instance of overly red skin tones. But all things considered, audiences should be pleased with the picture quality and that it didn't end up as badly botched as say.. Batman Begins or V for Vendetta was.
Audio - 4.5
Using that memory-eater of a codec in Uncompressed PCM , The Departed outputs at a constant bitrate of 4.6Mbps and sounds just as excellent as one could hope. The movie starts off silent and fades into Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter at a very adequate volume that gives the film some ambiance, but never overpowers Nicholson's opening speech. Dialogue throughout remains clear and discernible from the center channel, and I was very.. amused at how well I could understand those Bostonian accents (still had to turn the subtitles on, just to be safe). Directionality is a bit sparse, but does take advantage of the clarity of lossless audio by giving off some very fine subtleties in sound effects like the opening and closing of doors, the churning of cars plodding down the street, the ringing of telephones across the room, and the approaching footsteps of people off screen. Music varies between a lot of cuts of Gimme Shelter and Dropkick Murphys' I'm Shipping Up to Boston and a little bit of score from Howard Shore here and there. For the most part, it's a fairly music-less sound scape with the dialogue doing most of the work, though gunshots and fist fights make themselves known when need be. Separation is handled perfectly between all of these elements with a lot of the music staying in the front and guns and punches panning between the fronts and rears, most notably during a raid scene towards the end. The only downside to this audio presentation is the lack of any potent LFEs, which obviously don't have very many moments to shine aside from some bass in the music, but it's still a fine movie without them.
Extras - 3.5
With just over 45 minutes of special features, there are two of them presented: one talking about infamous Southie gangster Whitey Bulger (whom Nicholson's character is based on), and another featurette talking about Scorsese's history in film as well as his previous experiences in the gangster genre. The Whitey Bulger segment adds an intriguing sense of realism. There are various interviews with news correspondents, former law enforcement officials, and even former mob men that talk about the scope and influence of Bulger, the power he possessed for almost 30 years, and a little bit of the of stigma a person like him carried around. I'm still a bit new to the gangster genre myself and found this to be a pretty cool piece of information. It wasn't overly factual, but still managed to tell me enough that I could relate it to the movie and give it a more objective view. The Scorsese "portfolio" segment was a very great watch. Like I said, I'm just now getting into him as a director and it fascinates me to learn about his history growing up, the kinds of films he made, and a lot of the similarities and influences those works share with one another. I see him as being quite charismatic, and I'm a bit disappointed they didn't include a commentary of some sort for the movie itself. Then finally, there are also deleted scenes in SD with introductions for each one. All in all, there aren't a lot of specials in terms of quantity, but I personally enjoyed them for the outright quality.
Overall - 4.5
The Departed is a fine adaptation of Infernal Affairs that really works for western audiences. It's not as flashy or well-executed in terms of screenplay, but it makes up for those losses in gritty atmosphere and more fleshed-out characters. And who better to portray this than a man who's certainly becoming one of my favorite directors in Martin Scorsese. I was shocked that he never won an Oscar prior to this film, but I'm glad to see he got his just due at some point. If you like cop/gangster thrillers, this would probably be near the top of my recommendations (though I would also say you try Infernal Affairs if you don't mind subtitles). With excellent video and audio specs and a good amount of informative extras, The Departed comes highly recommended.
Blu-ray + Digital Copy
Warner Bros. | 2010 | 118 min | Rated R | Region free
| Jun 15, 2010
A lone hero must fight his way across the wasteland of a post-apocalyptic America to protect a sacred book that holds the key to saving the future of humanity.
I've never been much of a religious person. And when I first saw the trailer for this movie, I thought to myself, "well, Denzel can be pretty bad ass, but this whole Christian vibe has me a bit iffy. I hope it doesn't end up feeling pretentious or anything." Thankfully, the Hughes Brothers and company managed to surprise me. After finally getting to see the film in theaters, I liked it a lot. The story takes place in a post-Apocalyptic future where Earth has been scorched by war into a barren wasteland and humanity has degraded itself into packs of scavengers and nomads who kill, and even eat, each other just to survive. Enter Eli (Denzel Washington), a man on a mission traveling west to deliver what is apparently the very last copy of the King James Holy Bible. On his journey he comes across a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who is looking for the very same book. But sensing the ill intentions in Carnegie's plan to use it, Eli refuses to give up the book and must fight his way through with the help of a young girl, Solara (Mila Kunis). Thematically speaking, the movie itself isn't so much about Christianity (like I was afraid it would be), but the power of faith and the implied applicability of religion. Being an atheist, I always found it irksome that religion was so misinterpreted and taken out of context and that people were so vehement about it that I decided to stop believing in it altogether. In The Book of Eli, however, I find it refreshing that they can offer such a bold perspective on what it really means to follow in what you believe. Religion was never about which god is the right one or where it all originally started. It was simply about learning, finding something to believe in, possibly teaching and passing it down, and proceeding to pursue those beliefs with your own conviction. Mix bits and pieces of that with some stunning action sequences and a great cast of opposing actors and you've got a pretty good film. By the way, don't let the premise and symbolic inclination fool you. While I, personally, found the quasi-theological undertones enlightening, it's still choreographed by Jeff Imada (most famous for the Bourne films), so take from that what you will. Sci-fi actioners with a message -- gotta' love 'em.
Video - 5.0
I remember seeing this in theaters and thinking that the film quality had a peculiar darkness to it. I was hoping the photography would present itself a little better on BD, and I was right. The movie is very desaturated (as briefly touched upon in the extras) and doesn't have much vibrancy at all until the end of the film. Something like 50-70% of the color scheme was intentionally made to almost monochromatic or like a black and white picture. But in exchange for that drabness, black levels and contrast have an amazing amount of depth and clarity. A lot of the backgrounds were digitally shot or painted and incorporated into the filming and it really, really shows in this transfer. You can see all sorts of fine detail from the little grains of sand in the ground or blowing through the air, the individual follicles and oil reflections from Eli's beard, the dirt and grime on peoples' faces, skin wrinkles and imperfections, notches and kinks in metallic structures, you name it. Backgrounds look especially bleak and reflect the mood of the production design well with ominous cloud cover and very low lighting. Getting back to the black levels, these are among the best I've seen on BD to date. In the scene where Eli fights off the thugs in the underpass you can see his silhouette perfectly, but even better, still make out individual shapes and textures in his clothes and backpack despite the darkness of the tunnel. And best of all, there's very little noise in any of the dark or low-lit scenes. I've never seen anything so immaculately black. Furthermore, black levels make for some great scenic shots that help to compliment the brooding nature of the film itself. One of my favorite shots in the movie (from an aesthetic viewpoint anyway) is when Eli is walking on the destroyed overpass with the camera looking at him from below. Something about the angle of the shot and obvious aftermath of what the wars did to the world is frightening to think about, but at the same time very cool sci-fi stuff. There's very little to complain about in this video transfer, if anything at all, outside of your own personal preference for coloring. What a great effort by WB on this one.
Audio - 5.0
The Book of Eli is an a word - aggressive. From the opening forest sequence we get a steady dose of ambient bass as the camera pans across displaying the state of the world and result of our own destruction via the war that ended civilization. The wind howls eerily along the front sound stage right before Eli shoots his arrow into his soon-to-be dinner as a somewhat jarring thump emanates from the bow. We're then introduced to some of the film's score with an ethereal-sounding piece composed by Atticus Ross during the flash of the movie's title. Afterward, Eli comes upon an abandoned house looking to seek shelter as he kicks the door in and produces an even more jarring LFE. As he searches the house, all the little creaks and cringes of the old wood spread and separate amongst the front and rears. When he settles down for the night, his mp3 player gives us a little of Al Green's "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," a soothing piece of soul that's definitely a contrast to the world Eli lives in, but makes for a good listen once we get to hear a part of it in full lossless surround. But if you want action, the underpass fight is where things start to make themselves heard. Reverberation is stunning when Eli steps back into the shadows and takes out each of those thugs with his "samurai machete." Limbs get sliced and bodies impaled with bloody cold execution, while the chainsaw guy, despite his loud and powerful hardware, basically acts as a test dummy for a rather large blade. But the real highlight of this precision soundtrack is in the town shootout. Guns are fired from a multitude of heights and angles with absolutely zero music resulting in a very impressive display of directionality and dynamics as bullets fly from the right front to left rear, right rear to left front, and any number of combinations therein. Shots echo with deadly accuracy and is probably one of the best shootouts I've heard in a while. The action then comes to a close during another big shootout at the old couple's house. Here we get to hear a good amount of automatic weapons fire, a bomb, a bazooka, and a Gatling gun. It's a pretty awesome sound design.
Extras - 4.0
We start off with Maximum Movie Mode as the movie plays itself like normal with bits and pieces of behind-the-scenes footage dispersed throughout and little Focus Points icons at certain parts. You push enter on your controller there and it takes you to a separate screen that breaks down whatever aspect they're attempting to explain (usually in 3-4 minute segments). It's a big mix of production design, writing, filming, and commentary about what the cast and crew wanted to achieve in terms of literary themes, symbolism, and entertainment. I actually played the movie at 1.5x speed to make things a little faster but still slow enough to where I could re-watch the film itself while somewhat conserving time. And while the Focus Points can be accessed as a standalone feature (34 minutes worth, total), I still stand by the opinion that watching these during the movie itself adds a good deal of real-time context and perspective to the on-screen action, which is a very cool variation of the Picture-in-Picture track. Next is a 5-minute motion comic ("A Lost Tale: Billy") that gives a little bit of background information on Carnegie's childhood. It's short, but a good revelation and indicator as to the motivations we see in his current state during the movie. After that is a 13-minute feature ("Starting Over") talking about some the story's themes, comparing that world to ours, and discussing the symbolism in what it means to truly start over from scratch. "Eli's Journey" (about 18-minutes) analyzes the character of Eli himself the production of the film, the casting of Denzel, various collaborations and writing points, and the character's motivations. Both of these features are diced and served in parts throughout Maximum Movie Mode, but feel much more in-depth when watched as complete segments. And then finally is "'The Book of Eli' Soundtrack," which shows a sit-down interview with composer Atticus Ross and co-director Allen Hughes. I was expecting this to delve more into theme composition or instrumentation, but it turned out to be just a session of praise from Hughes and a little bit of confirmation by Ross. Altogether, it amounts just over an hour of extras.
Overall - 4.5
The Book of Eli is a movie that interests me a lot. I was never big on religion, but I like how this film in particular highlighted the context of religion, or faith in general, as a personal driving force rather than as a branch of organized control (which it seems more approximated to be nowadays). It's difficult to explain, though I can say it's certainly given me something of a new perspective on things. Denzel Washington never ceases to amaze me, and it was a delight to see him opposite Gary Oldman. With a philosophical approach to society and civilization, but just the right balance of action, it made for a very entertaining movie. Add to that reference A/V quality and a healthy dose of extras, and The Book of Eli comes highly recommended.
Paramount Pictures | 2010 | 138 min | Rated R | Region free
| Jun 08, 2010
It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a
patient from Boston's Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital. He's been pushing for an assignment on the island for...
Out of all the Scorsese films I've seen in the past decade or so (let's say, from Gangs of New York and up), I have to say Shutter Island is certainly the most surprising. Like a lot of people do, I'm sure the mere mention of the director's name is, more often than not, associated with gangster movies or gritty character dramas. But here, he delves into something new - a psychological thriller. Shutter Island follows U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) to the aforementioned facility for the criminally insane, in which he's been asked to help find an escaped patient. During his investigation, he stumbles upon revelations and discoveries that lead to even more mysteries as he starts to question the true intentions of Dr. Cawley (Sir Ben Kingsley), the rest of the staff, and even his own partner (Mark Ruffalo). But with dreams and broken pieces of his past beginning to haunt him, paranoia, distrust, and denial are bound to distract his attention and twist his beliefs. Without spoiling the plot, Shutter Island is an excellent film set in the 1950s with an old-school detective feel to it that manages, not only to intrigue, but also present a good deal of empathy for the characters (something Scorsese excels at). In addition, it also manages to put something into perspective that I've never quite appreciated, and that's the acting ability of one Leonardo DiCaprio. I didn't particularly care for any of his roles in the '90s outside of The Quick and the Dead, but ever since seeing him in this, I've been playing catchup from Gangs of New York till now, and I have to say he's certainly developed into a fine actor with a lot of screen presence and charisma. Equally supportive of his work in the film, though, are some stellar supporting performances by Sir Kingsley, Ruffalo, and what little parts there are for Max von Sydow and Jackie Earle Haley. Shutter Island is a great psychological mystery/thriller that managed to keep me suspended from beginning to end and also has a good deal of replay value as well. You'll know what I mean when you see it.
Video - 5.0
By far the best quality of this video presentation is the colors. I was amazed at how vibrant the different shades of primaries were from scene to scene and in-between reality and Teddy's memories/dreams. From the cold and murky flashbacks of his days during the war and the snow-covered fields that covered the dozens of corpses in his path to the bright yellows and oranges of his wife's dress and their apartment, Robert Richardson's eye-popping photography makes for an equally tripped-out vision of the many layers residing in the film's visual progression. Black levels and contrast are perfect, giving the movie that dark and gritty Scorsese feel, but also complimenting the atmospherics. The fine lines in clothing, the blades of grass and lush tree leaves in the courtyard, and all the little cracks and crevices within the island's surrounding rocks and cliffs look astonishing. This is by far the prettiest gritty picture I've seen from Scorsese yet and is something I'm very pleased with. One of my favorite shots is the scene where Teddy and Chuck (Ruffalo) are standing on the cliff with the deputy warden looking down at the water. I'm not sure whether or not the clouds and background behind them were green screened, but something about that shot just feels dark, spooky, and ominous and very befitting for the kind of movie this is. The picture is pristine and free of any artifacts or debris and shows no signs of any kind of manipulation whatsoever. Here's hoping to the same kind of quality for Scorsese's future projects.
Audio - 5.0
Complimenting the reference video is an equally reference audio track. While it's certainly lacking overall LFEs, I have to say I absolutely love what it does for general atmospherics and ambiance, regardless. Robbie Robertson's music supervision and use of pre-recorded compositions from various sources does a splendid job from the very beginning with the foghorn piece to string, brass, and other classical pieces played throughout. Dialogue is especially crisp with its varying amounts of indoor-voice, whisper, and scream volumes and never becomes muddled or lost in the music. Directionality of sound effects disperse themselves from the fronts and rears adding that extra sense of calm and craziness when need be in the form of screaming patients, storm noises outside the facility, metal doors slamming shut, waves washing ashore, birds chirping during the daytime, wind howling at night, the crackling of a fireplace in Dr. Cawley's study, and the dripping of water droplets within the silent tension of Ward C. Separation of said effects, music, and dialogue never bog one another down and really help to showcase the wonders of, yet, another commendable lossless track. While this probably won't hold up to the sound designs of modern day blockbusters, it was perfect enough for me and works very well with the subject matter of the plot.
Extras - 3.0
Shutter Island only comes with a mere 38 minutes of behind-the-scenes interviews from the cast, crew, author of the novel, and a mental health consultant. In the first vignette they explain bits and pieces of how the film came to fruition from book to movie, what Scorsese wanted to do with it, and a little bit of the actual filming process like set design and music. The second feature focuses more on the medical perspective and history of mental health from back in those days and talks about the transition that was occurring at the time, how the practice evolved between then and now, and the accuracy of how it's depicted within the film itself. While an audio commentary or a more in-depth look at how the movie was made would've been nice, the extras still provide a good deal of information about the story's themes and really helped me, personally, understand the kind of perseverance and dedication it takes to be a mental health professional. But given how fascinated I've recently become with Scorsese and his approach to film-making, I really wish Paramount had gone all out with a whole second disc of extras and one or two commentaries, at least. As much as I hate to double-dip, I actually wouldn't mind doing it for this, pending on what they might add.
Overall - 4.5
I took the film to be something more along the lines of a conspiracy thriller when I first saw the trailer, which it is in some fashion. But the big twist at the end really threw me in a loop and caught me by surprise. Some people may find this too "different" from the norm of Scorsese, but I found it quite refreshing and very entertaining at the same time. Shutter Island is certainly a mystery, but also a finely-crafted thriller that will more than likely have you duped the first time around. Thankfully, it has a lot of replay value and should make more sense a second or third time through. With reference A/V quality, though a much-to-be-desired set of extras, Shutter Island comes highly recommended.
Se7en
New Line Cinema | 1995 | 127 min | Rated R | Region free
| Apr 26, 2011
Lt. William Somerset, a burnt-out veteran cop, is on the brink of retirement. Forced to train his ambitious and eager replacement, Somerset is teamed with Detective David Mills on an investigation that draws these disparate cops...
I saw Se7en for the first time in 2007, 12 years after its theatrical debut and a little on the late side, but better late than never. I didn't quite get the script and allegory like I can for a lot of films nowadays, nor was I thoroughly enamored and familiar with the likes of one David Fincher. All I knew back then was that Se7en was one damn bleak and depressing movie involving the seven deadly sins. However, seeing the film on subsequent viewings and knowing what I know today, I admit I can definitely appreciate it for all its underlying themes and literary prowess. As mentioned earlier, Se7en's plot revolves around a series of murders being perpetuated under the personification of the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, lust, pride, envy, and wrath. It's a taut mystery-thriller that's often and genuinely disturbing, yet poignantly indicative about the state of society, today. But what surprises me the most isn't its shocking imagery or chilling atmosphere, it's the conviction and certainty of the beliefs in which these acts are committed. I've never been a religious person by any means, but I can appreciate the various lessons and fables through all kinds of religions about the many virtues/evils of man. In making this masterpiece of a film, Fincher portrays that seemingly endless cycle of sin, showing the world for what it is, while providing little to no hope for even the slightest chance at salvation. The film is dark, gritty, and unforgiving in just about every facet of technicality from the visual style, storytelling, music, and production design down to the freakin' menu and cover art. And this doesn't even take into consideration the stellar acting abilities of the ever-reliable Morgan Freeman and the soon-to-be-realized Brad Pitt. Both actors bring their own convincing, yet oppositely-charged, personas to the screen and play those roles brilliantly. It's a gripping, compelling, even addicting narrative to watch unfold. And yet, despite all the tragedy, it still manages to not be a complete downer. There's a slight ray of hope that comes at the expense of some important characters. It's a bittersweet one, but it's a moral victory, nonetheless, showing the world isn't beyond saving. Se7en was an instant classic film-noir murder-mystery allegory the day it finished production. And it's a shame that it never got the rightful recognition it deserved by the Academy with its meager and only nomination for Best Editing, when it easily could've won at least.. 7 more awards.
Video - 5.0
So after seeing this 6 times previously on DVD (I shit you not), my 7th viewing was on glorious Blu-ray. And despite what minor nitpicks some people may find with Se7en's video presentation, I personally couldn't be happier with what's presented here by New Line and Fincher (who approved the transfer himself). Simply put: the picture quality looks amazing. Colors have a very natural look to them with very deep blacks and an immaculate sense of clarity to all the little intricacies in costumes, props, and sets. In particular, during the opening scene where Somerset and Mills are investigating the Gluttony murder I was astonished at being able to see every single drop of rain falling in the foreground. You could see the little beads of water rolling off their jackets, the tiny little splashes, and even the lining of their clothes through the thick of it all. The hue of the film is also decidedly much warmer with a slight hint of orange, but I think this does wonders in terms conveying a more empathetic connection not just to the characters, but the setting and plot, too. Ultimately, this just so happens to create a very sharp and detailed picture. Textures are fine down to the smallest object and the subtle facial features I saw before on DVD surprised me on the BD. Oh, and getting back to the black levels, shadow delineation is probably my favorite improvement from the SD presentation. Specifically, whenever we see John Doe on screen before having is identity revealed, as dark as the lighting is and as hard as they try to hide his face, I really like how they were able to keep everything covered despite how much of him they actually had on camera, so big ups on that one. In the end, I am very happy with how the picture turned out. After nearly 15 years, I'm glad all the involved parties went to such an extent for things to turn out great. There's little to no noise, a fine filmic texture, and nary a bit of manipulation outside of the color timing (which is also a pretty cool feature in the extras if you want to check it out). Se7en has never looked better, and I'd have to say this is probably one of my favorite BDs in terms of photography and transfer.
Audio - 5.0
Equally striking in improvement is the sound. While the DVD's DTS-ES 6.1 track was great for its time, this DTS-HD 7.1 track blows it out of the water. Ambience, ambience, and more ambience is what we get here. From the very get-go during the Gluttony murder investigation, we're immersed in Ren Klyce's creepy atmospherics and Howard Shore's haunting score. Rain is falling all over the place, while the music stimulates both the high and low ends of the sound spectrum with some tense and uneasy instrumentals. Dialogue comes through the center channel clear and concise, never really conflicting with the rest of the sound effects. Those effects, by the way, do a great job in terms of directionality and separation. What with 7 (get it?) speakers in use, I was pleasantly surprised at at how well-dispersed everything was. While playing the movie, I walked around the room listening to each speaker and also discovered some excellent subtlety in volume levels and dynamic range. Most notably, all the scenes with any kind of city noise were my favorite. The fronts would maintain the majority of the on-screen action, while the sides would do a lot of the complimentary effects (cars, people, more rain), and the rears would also do a little of the same, but with more music. Gunshots (what few there are) are resounding. A lot of pre-mid-90s movies tend to feel a little watered down when I eventually hear them transferred to BD, but when the bullets start to fly in this one, it's almost jarring to hear how crisp they are. Altogether, it makes for a very engrossing sound design and is really befitting for the movie and the nature of its plot. As for LFEs, while Se7en certainly isn't comparable to the likes of your typical Hollywood blockbuster, bass levels have an excellent level of fidelity that really help to compliment all of the other aforementioned elements of directionality, separation, and that overall sense of immersion. Being dialogue-driven, but at the same time something of a psychological horror film, I think the bass really helps the sound jump that final hurdle into reference-level quality. Great job, yet again, by the people at New Line.
Extras - 4.5
All of the extras from the 2000 2-disc special edition have been ported over to this BD release. With that being said, the extras are quite informative. There are 4 commentaries that cover different aspects of the film's construction: The Actors, The Story, The Picture, and The Sound. The Actors commentary starring Fincher, Pitt, and Freeman gives a little perspective on how the actors were approached for their roles, their experiences working with one another, and even some entertaining anecdotes about the industry in general. The Story with Fincher, author Richard Dyer (who's also present in the remaining 3 commentaries), writer Andrew Kevin Walker, and New Line president of production (at the time) Michael de Luca gives us a breakdown of the all the rewrites that occurred, detailed analysis of the story's themes and allegory, and the various kinds of reception the film itself received when they were screening it. The Picture with Fincher, DP Darius Khonji, editor Richard Francis-Bruce, and production designer Arthur Max covers the photography, editing choices/cuts of the master footage, and all the work that went into designing the sets and backgrounds of the film. And lastly, The Sound with Fincher, sound designer Ren Klyce, and composer Howard Shore talks about the sound effects, music, and the kind of ambience they were attempting to create; note, there are a good deal of isolated tracks within this commentary as well (all of which are presented in lossy 5.1), so if you're a big fan of the film's score, definitely give this a listen. The rest of the features include photo galleries, deleted/alternate scenes, a look at the opening credits' construction, and some of the technical tweaks they did for post-production, all of which have commentary as well. While there's not a wealth of overall material with actual behind-the-scenes footage, the plentiful amount of commentaries are still very enjoyable to listen to with all kinds of pertinent information that more than make up for everything else. If you're any kind of film geek, a Fincher fanatic, or are aspiring to get into the industry, these are highly recommended listens.
Overall - 5.0
If you know David Fincher and have seen this movie enough, then by now I'm sure a recommendation of this BD upgrade will seem like a no-brainer. It's a dark, dreary, and enthralling murder-mystery typical of Fincher's brooding social commentary and in only the way he can do it. Yes, it's downer of a movie if you take it seriously enough, but it's a finely-produced film with a great deal of technical merit, pacing, writing, and acting, nonetheless. I am happy with all aspects of the transfer and couldn't think of anything better to have other than some kind of retrospective featurette with Fincher, his crew, and the main actors, but it's a pretty damn good package as it is. If you've yet to see this, but like murder-mystery thrillers, I would still highly recommend this film just for its general creepiness. But for Se7en and Fincher fans, this is must-own.
After the death of Richard the Lionheart in the Crusades, Sir Robin of Loxley returns from war to his home in the north of England. There, he comes up against the oppressive regime imposed by the tyrannical new Sheriff of...
I admit I don't know much about the general mythos of Robin Hood itself other than the "steal from the rich and give to the poor" ideal and various names of the characters. My experience with the franchise is limited to 1973's animated Disney film and 1991's Prince of Thieves, of which I'd say it's been at least 15+ years since viewing either. I do, however, know of Ridley Scott and his penchant for being a very detail-oriented director, especially in period pieces. And with that said, my expectations for this re-visioning of Robin Hood lore were set somewhere between "really high" for the production side of things and "to be surprised" for the story (going in as a blank slate). Thankfully, I wasn't let down on either end. Robin Hood (2010) is the origins story of Robin Longstride, an archer who served under King Richard during the Crusades that, under some dire circumstances, came to inherit the identity of Sir Robert Loxley. Upon returning to England, he would assume the life of Sir Loxley in Nottingham and make some discoveries about his true past that would eventually turn him into the outlaw of legend, Robin of the Hood. There are sub-plots and conspiracies abound throughout such as the genesis of Prince John's tyranny, the betrayal of Godfrey, and the invasion of the French, which, for all intents and purposes, never manage to bore. But what I love about the film, in addition to its storytelling, is its balance of thematic elements and truly exuberant production design. We get to see the foundation for Robin's beliefs established, a little bit of (unexpected) whimsical comedy between his comrades and initial relationship with Lady Marion, some inspiring drama about the freedoms of choice and its rise against the rule of oppression, and, of course, a bevy of stunningly photographed action sequences. As a result, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this film and really hope they make a sequel, given how much they've built things up and established a grittier kind of portrayal for this new Robin universe. I've read many a negative review saying the story isn't representative enough of the Robin Hood they "know," but considering the nature of legends and folklore in the first place (and the fact that this is a movie), who's to say a little re-interpretation isn't allowed every now and then? Casino Royale and Batman Begins rebooted their respective franchises and seem to have garnered a good amount of critical reception. Not to mention, the original screenplay for Robin turned out to be something like 7 hours long (all the more reason for a sequel or two). But regardless of the truncation for what could be a massive epic, I, for one, am very happy with what Sir Ridley has managed to create here by way of a great crew and cast of actors. If you haven't seen this yet, I highly recommend the Director's Cut, and that version only. It's only 16 minutes longer, but much like Kingdom of Heaven, those minutes really make the difference.
Video - 5.0
Photographed by John Mathieson, his second Ridley Scott medieval-project after Kingdom of Heaven, Robin Hood looks spectacular. Overall saturation and filtering are a smidgen on the dark side, and colors are a little subdued and less vibrant than could be, but I absolutely love the filmic texture and theatrical feeling it brings to the picture. Being set 20 years after the events of Kingdom (no direct correlation to the story, but just as an example of aesthetic continuity) and at the end of the Third Crusades, I really like the kind of grimy "aftermath" effect the photography has in showing the harshness of poverty for all the townsfolk and how it sets a much darker and realistic tone for this new Robin incarnation. Greens, browns, blue, silver, and black tend to be the most noticeable colors within the artistic palette and may not be as awe-striking to others as it is to myself, but I personally find it refreshing to see such elaborate and authentic-looking costumes, props, and sets (without the inferior MPEG-2 encode *cough* Kingdom) in all their glory. Contrast is especially excellent, revealing a lot of the tiny lines in facial features, armor, and various background objects. Black levels are deep and inky as well, providing some great shadow delineation and nighttime shots, of which the latter has very little presence of noise, if any. But my biggest praise goes to the image detail. Despite having a slightly darker look, overall detail always maintains a reference level of sharpness. Everything from beard stubble and hair, down to the notches and kinks in armor and weapons show an immaculate sense of depth. And to top things off, the fine layer of film grain present throughout the movie is never bothered in the least. There are also no signs of artifacting or debris to speak of and what looks to be zero traces of EE, DNR, and banding. This is one of my favorite BD transfers of the current year, and with the beautiful cinematography, should be a visual delight for fans of the film.
Audio - 5.0
Equally as impressive as its video transfer, the audio transfer for Robin is just as immersive. About 5 minutes into the film (the French castle invasion, yet again) the movie just opens up with what seems like an auditory overload of creaking wood, screaming soldiers, clanging metal, burning fires, and flying arrows all about the sound field, followed by a healthy dose of LFEs upon the ignition of some oil bombs stuck to the castle gate. Spatial separation and directionality are key in providing listeners with a sense of ambience. And while the action is dispersed in chunks throughout the film, you'll be sure to hear the transition when it happens. However, what blew me away the most wasn't the fullness of the blockbuster-esque sound effects, but the subtlety of the dynamics and all the little noises. Buzzing bees travel about the front and rear surrounds with amazing clarity, while the jingling and jangling of chainmails give the film a very 12th-century authenticity (as if the visual aspect didn't do it enough already). Dialogue is fairly centered for the most part, but does pan a little from the sides here and there whenever Max von Sydow's character is around. It's not a problem at all (and is actually kind of cool to hear), never resulting in lost lines or awkward mumbling. It's as much of a Ridley Scott Robin Hood movie as you could ask for with a great deal of balance in every audio aspect. Also, I really have to give my praise to Marc Streitenfeld for a wonderfully composed score. In the extras, he said that 12th-century music is something that can't really be pinpointed based on what little knowledge there is about the instrumentation of the period. But with that aside, he still infuses a great Celtic orchestral feel that manages to be as epic and adventurous as the rest of the film. Low ends from the music, horse hooves, and various heavy hits round out this reference track in terms of general LFEs.
Extras - 3.5
The extras are something of a disappointment for me. While Scott's other period masterpieces (Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven) got hours upon hours of bonus features (Kingdom of Heaven on the 4-disc DVD, anyway), those presented here on Robin Hood feel much more underwhelming. To start, there's the "Director's Notebook," a P-i-P commentary that's only available for the Theatrical Cut of the film where Scott and various cast and crew talk about the making of the film. It plays a lot like Warner Brothers' Maximum Movie Mode, though I have to say it's not nearly as immersive. There's a lot of empty space between sequences where nothing happens at all, and when the interviews/commentary do pop up, it's only for a mere matter of 4 to 5-minute chunks, hardly representative of the work I feel they must've put in. Outside of the commentary, the meat of the extras are crammed into a 1-hour behind-the-scenes feature, "Rise and Rise Again: The Making of Robin Hood." Here, it covers pre-production (18 minutes), production (29 minutes), and post-production (15 minutes). Sadly, it's in SD and totals only an hour in length, as opposed to an hour per segment and in HD on a separate BD. While it's a pretty informative look at the workmanship that went into making this film, I really wish these extras were given a more thorough and in-depth presentation. And how about a segment or two on the past interpretations of Robin Hood, or maybe interviews/comments from historians or scholars interested in the myth and what they like about this new Robin in comparison? But alas, it seems someone decided to stymie up on the extras. To end things, there are also deleted scenes with commentary, picture galleries, and a section for all the trailers and TV spots of the film. Hopefully, if there's a sequel it'll get the special features it deserves.
Overall - 4.5
I've recently become a big fan of Sir Ridley Scott these past few years and really appreciate his fine attention to detail in film-making. I also don't know much about the legend of Robin Hood either, but I like the apparently darker tone this new Robin takes. It's not quite as gloomy as Gladiator, nor is it as thematically heavy as Kingdom of Heaven. However, I like how it borrows just enough from both, adapts those elements with this iconic hero, and manages to give the myth a fresh twist. Presented by Universal with reference A/V quality, though a "could've been better" set of extras, Robin Hood (2010) comes highly recommended.
Paramount Pictures | 2002 | 117 min | Rated R | Region A (locked) | Aug 03, 2010
Twelve-year-old Michael Sullivan Jr is curious about what his father does for a living, and one night decides to
hide in his car as he goes off to work. It soon transpires that the elder Sullivan is a hitman for the mob, and...
I'd never seen the movie until a few years ago when a friend of mine let me borrow it on DVD. I had little expectations going in, other than the fact that Tom Hanks (of all people) was playing a hitman. I hadn't (and still haven't seen, at the time of this review) American Beauty and only knew who Sam Mendes was by name, and not reputation. Back then, I thought the movie was pretty good. I saw it mostly as a revenge-themed story, liked the bits of character development throughout, and enjoyed the overall aesthetic feel of post-Depression 1930s gangster-dom. Today, after having developed a better sense of awareness and taste for a film's writing, I am completely blown away by the level of depth in story and character on this subsequent viewing. Plot summary aside, I find Road to Perdition to be everything I remember and so much more. It's a coming-of-age story for sons, a resolution for fathers, a testament to the brutality of violence, and an emotional tale about the preservation of innocence all brilliantly disguised in the form of a revenge thriller. I was particularly engrossed by the parallel relationships shared between father and son through all forms: Sullivan and his son, Rooney and his son, then Rooney and Sullivan Sr. The similarities shared between the father-son pairings make for some very quaint and believable bonds, while still managing to make these characters empathetic. Without revealing too much, the story possesses a lot of thematic value and is a very moving drama that tells a masterful story through a lost setting that we just don't see much of anymore (that is, the 1930s gangster era). Tom Hanks is in top form as Sullivan Sr. with outstanding support performances by Daniel Craig, Stanley Tucci, Jude Law, Tyler Hoechlin, and the late Paul Newman. It's great that the film won an award for Cinematography and was nominated for some other technical categories, but nothing for Best Picture, Director, or Actor? Oh well, regardless of Oscar snubs, I'm happy to say this is definitely a new all-time favorite for me now.
Video - 4.5
As mentioned, Road to Perdition won an Academy Award for Cinematography, and with good reason. The picture looks gorgeously bleak. Colors are subdued, with a lot of grays, charcoals, and solid blacks being the focus. Primaries don't make much of an appearance apart from the happier moments outside in the sunlight or in any scenes where blood is present. But despite the photography, they look as good as can be. Skin tones have a very natural presentation to them and never feel too pale or over-saturated, providing for some very fine textures in hair and face wrinkles. By far the most eye-catching aspect of the camera work is the black levels. Blacks are super deep and inky, with some especially excellent line and shadow delineation amidst the many, many darkly-lit scenes and layers of clothes being worn. The detail is so great, and I was really impressed at being able to see all the little things I don't think I ever noticed on the DVD, like the scene where Hanks goes into the night club and you can clearly see the paper over the gun and lamp shades shaking to the music, or when Hanks is walking on the street in the dark and you can see all the linings between his vest, suit, and overcoat. The image is one of the finest I've seen on BD to date. Unfortunately, while just about everything else is preserved, the only detractor would be the very frequent amounts of dirt and debris throughout. Aside from that one little mishap, the picture is essentially perfect.
Audio - 5.0
Unlike the video, however, the audio comes across just fine and dandy. As soon as the film started and I heard the sound of the waves crashing, I knew I would be in for good things from a sound perspective. Buoyancy is a word I use a lot for audio descriptions and is a term I like to think of as identifying a quality of "pop" to the presentation, much like the editors and critics use for the video portions of a review. Well, the DTS-HD track here really does have a pop to it, and right from the get-go. Directionality and separation offer all kinds of goodness from proper placement to panning, to flawless mixing between dialogue and music. The sound crew was nominated for a couple of Oscars in both mixing and editing, and this BD shows exactly why. Every subtle sound, high and low, front, left, right, and back are handled with a great amount of care and detail. The dialogue is always pitch-perfect and never distorts through the center, while the occasional background noise, street crowd, blowing of wind, and car engine add a good deal of depth to the city of Chicago. Thomas Newman's score (another shocking fact to know he hasn't won an Oscar yet) sounds wonderful and emotionally stirring, propelling the drama on-screen, yet never overpowering the dialogue or sound effects. And as for the sound effects, gunshots dominate the sound field and conquer with just cause when need be. I believe this is my first time hearing a Tommy Gun in lossless audio, and boy is it frightening. LFEs are mostly inherent within the music, background and score-wise, but have a particularly great moment during the passing of a subway train when we first meet Jude Law's character. This is definitely reference material.
Extras - 4.0
From the DVD we get the basic making-of featurette, deleted scenes with optional commentary, and extremely poignant feature film commentary by Sam Mendes. The making-of is really as basic as it comes and isn't much to talk about. The deleted scenes provide a little more context to the story that we might not have known, yet are still surprised by. And the commentary by Mendes is as good as they come. Next to Michael Mann and Christopher Nolan, this one of the best commentaries I've heard. He's very into the explanation of the film, both from a technical and literary viewpoint, and really gets in-depth with a lot of the explanations concerning what he wanted to convey on-screen, how he did it, or why/how it's different from the original graphic novel. New to the BD is an introduction by Mendes to this new and impressive Blu-ray edition, a retrospect on the life and career of the film's master cinematographer, the late Conrad L. Hall, and an interactive library explaining some of the period elements of the film. At this point, I'm just now making it a habit of getting to know some of the technicians behind the camera, in addition to the many other important names I feel are important. And I have to say, after seeing the feature on Mr. Hall, my interest in the man has really peaked now. Before seeing this film, I knew photography could make a world of difference in the way a movie feels. And for as good as his craft was in Road to Perdition, I really am curious to see his other works at some point. As for the new library archive, I found it very interesting in terms of content, but the tiny screen thing was a problem. I'm pretty sure it can't be blown up, but personally, I wish they had just put it all together as a regular HD featurette. For what it is, though, it's full of some pretty good, albeit sparse, information.
Overall - 4.5
I thought the movie was pretty good when I first saw it. But knowing what I know now, and with the help of Blu-ray, I have to say I really love the film. It's a character drama that's full of heart and really draws a lot of empathy from me, personally. With Grade-A quality in all aspects of both technical and literary departments, the film is an extreme joy for me to watch, thanks in huge part to the cinematography, cast, and score. The A/V specs are definitely the pinnacle of BD technology, and it's nice to even get a blessing from Mendes himself (an admitted skeptic, initially). Add to that a great set of special features, and you have yourself a must-own piece of film-making brought graciously to you by Paramount.
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