Angel-A Blu-ray

Angel-A

 (2005)

Adventure | Romance



A moralistic tale about a man, Andre, who gets a second chance in life when he meets Angela, a tall, femme fatale whom he saves from a suicide bid in the Seine River. The two spend a memorable summer night in nearly deserted Paris where Angela exposes herself as a true angel, sent down to save Andre from himself.

For more details about Angel-A on Blu-ray, see the Angel-A Blu-ray Review

Angel-A Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Luc Besson's Angel-A arrives on Blu--ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

I have to say that this is a disappointing high-definition transfer. There are certain portions of the film that are tolerable, but the rest certainly isn't up to the standards we have come to expect from the British distributors. The key issue here is that Angel-A has undergone serious filtering. As a result, detail is often missing, especially during many of the panoramic shots from Paris. Furthermore, edge-enhancement is very prominent, and I suspect that many of you who have larger that 50' screens would be annoyed by it. The color-scheme also suffers substantially - the otherwise deep blacks tend to look smeared and unfocused; the whites are slightly less problematic.

I also noticed some mild contrast boosting. Once again, there are portions of the film where the contrast boosting isn't too distracting, but elsewhere it is most definitely an issue of concern. On a positive side, the transfer is healthy - there are no large debris, scratches, or dirt that I detected. Still, I cannot help but think that Angel-A is very much a missed opportunity.

Note: This is a Region-B "locked" disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content.

Angel-A Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French LPCM 2.0. I opted for the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the French LPCM 2.0 track for the purpose of this review.

Unlike the video treatment, the audio treatment is solid. The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is rich and potent. The bass, though not too prominent, is certainly very effective. The rear channels are intelligently used as well, while the high frequencies are not distorted. The dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Anja Garbarek's score also sounds lovely. Finally, there are absolutely no pops, cracks, or hissings that I detected.

The French LPCM 2.0 track is rather good. During most of the action scenes it is not as effective as the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, but its decent range of dynamics are pleasing. Still, there is no reason not to opt for the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Please note that Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

Angel-A Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Optimum Unleashes Blu-ray Deluge - June 2, 2009

Angel-A Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

Topic

Replies

Last post