Beowulf Blu-ray

Beowulf

 (2007)

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy



Set in a magical era veiled by the mists of time, replete with heroes and monsters, adventure and valor, gold and glory, one exceptional man emerges to save an ancient Danish kingdom from annihilation by an ungodly creature. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, Beowulf (Ray Winstone) incurs the undying wrath of the beast's ruthlessly seductive mother (Angelina Jolie), who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle resonates throughout the ages, immortalizing the name of Beowulf.

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

Starring: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Robert Zemeckis

Beowulf Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Beowulf finally arrives on Blu-ray in an expectedly pristine 1080p, 2.35:1 framed transfer. What can I say? This disc is another top-notch effort from Paramount. Captured from live action via motion capture technology and digitally altered and placed into a completely digital world, the film is a pure rendition of what the animators created. Beowulf is extremely dark in nature, full of poorly lit rooms, various outdoor nighttime scenes, and dark, dank caverns. Nevertheless, the picture excels, featuring tremendous blacks, fantastic depth, and clarity that will leave you awestruck. There are some daytime, exterior sequences in the movie, and these sparkle, too. The film's climax features some of the finest picture quality we've yet seen on Blu-ray. The image is practically three-dimensional with extravagant colors, jaw-dropping gorgeous and intricate detail, and razor-sharp animation that's half a step away from looking real. As expected, detail is fantastic, and the digital artists and the motion capture technology leave nothing to the imagination. Look at Hrothgar's garb in chapter two the morning after the attack. Granted, it's all animated, so we expect it to look great, but nevertheless there is a fine texture, flow, and realism to the garment that looks like it was literally taken off a hangar and placed in the film. Likewise, facial detail is fantastic. One need look no further than to the scene where Beowulf arrives on shore, greeted by the tip of a spear in his face. Each stubble of facial hair, scar, pit, and blemish is revealed, and the image is as sharp as the tip of the spear inches from our hero's eye. Grendel looks disturbingly fabulous, too. Each of the boils, exposed muscles and tendons, and loose pieces of skin flapping in the wind, all appear meticulous and grotesquely perfect. As mentioned earlier, the line between reality and animation is sometimes blurred in certain shots, but the 1080p Blu-ray transfer offers an incredible viewing experience.

Beowulf Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Paramount doesn't stop at perfect video for this Blu-ray edition of Beowulf. The studio has smartly included an equally impressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless surround sound track that suits the film perfectly. An oddly effective choice of music to open the film, it is a powerful, exciting score with a modern pizzaz and the chants of a male choir backing it up. No doubt it sounds great on the disc, as it is perfectly balanced across the entire soundstage. The boisterous, drunken party at the beginning is an active, "you are there" style sonic event as the chants, speeches, clanking of cups, and other atmospherics come to vivid life. The subsequent attack at the hands of the giant Grendel is as loud as it is stomach-churning. Backing up the gore and intensity of the scene is a well-balanced audio presentation that seamlessly integrates the viewer into the experience from a sonic perspective and crescendos as your living room becomes Hrothgar's bloodied hall. The voice of Grendel's mother echoes nicely all around us in chapter two as Grendel returns from the attack. Flip to chapter three as Beowulf sails towards Denmark in a terrible storm at sea. The film's score swells and the deep lows it engenders rock the subwoofer as the rainstorm engulfs the rest of the listening area. Dialogue in the scene is never hindered thanks to the powerful music and effects, and the scene is a joy to behold sonically. In fact, dialogue is always clear throughout. A sudden strike of what sounds like thunder in chapter eight might scare you out of your seat. It blasts and sounds as if it crashes at your feet, a perfect wake up call and sudden jolt of electricity into a scene that was otherwise quiet. The soundtrack is an exercise in sound design done right. It's loud but clear with great use of the entire sound stage in both the quietest scenes calling for the most miniscule of ambience or the most thunderous of action sequences. Tally another sonic winner in Paramount's column.

Beowulf Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - July 29th - July 29, 2008


• Beowulf Announced for Blu-ray - May 28, 2008

Beowulf Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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