Death Race Blu-ray

Death Race

 (2008)

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller



Terminal Island: The very near future. The world's hunger for extreme sports and reality competitions has grown into reality TV bloodlust. Now, the most extreme racing competition has emerged and its contestants are murderous prisoners. Tricked-out cars, caged thugs and smoking-hot navigators combine to create a juggernaut series with bigger ratings than the Super Bowl. The rules of the "Death Race" are simple: Win five events, and you're set free. Lose and you're road kill splashed across the Internet. International action star Jason Statham leads the action-thriller's cast as three-time speedway champion Jensen Ames, an ex-con framed for the murder of his wife. Forced to don the mask of the mythical driver Frankenstein, a "Death Race" crowd favorite who seems impossible to kill, Ames is given an easy choice by Terminal Island's ruthless Warden Hennessey (Joan Allen): Suit up and drive or never see his little girl again. His face hidden by a hideous mask, he must win the insane three-day challenge in order to gain freedom. But to claim the prize, Ames must survive a gauntlet of the most vicious criminals--including nemesis Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson)--in the country's toughest prison. Trained by his coach (Ian McShane) to drive a monster Mustang V8 Fastback outfitted with 2 mounted mini-guns, flamethrowers and napalm, an innocent man must destroy everything in his path to win the most twisted spectator sport on Earth.

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

Starring: Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, Joan Allen, Natalie Martinez
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Death Race Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Death Race crashes onto Blu-ray with a high quality 1080p transfer presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. There is a slight golden push to much of the image, and flesh tones veer slightly towards the red side of the scale. Most every shot reveals high-quality imagery that shows off the strength of both the transfer and the Blu-ray format, as the film exudes a cinematic look and feel in every shot. Film grain permeates the image, but it is never seen in abundance. Black levels are remarkably rich and deep. Parts of the film, particularly interior shots that don't take place in the prison, is shot with a soft light that gives the film a warm look. Otherwise, the film often features a rather cold, unwelcoming, steely look that matches up nicely with the action and style of the film. It's definitely not a bright, happy Disney movie for sure, but the visuals add to the hard, violent world presented in the film. The transfer also features solid depth and detail across the board, from character features (scars, wounds, and tattoos), to all of the minutiae that make up the cars, the track, and the prison. Death Race is an upper-level transfer, one that might not immediately come to mind as demonstration-worthy material, but one that could easily serve that purpose if called upon.

Death Race Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Death Race speeds onto Blu-ray with another explosive DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack from Universal. This mix offers a fine sense of space that effortlessly pours from every speaker, filling the room with rich, clear, and loud music and effects. The film's nearly nonstop music sounds fantastic, insofar as the quality of the presentation. Bass is deep, the beats and lyrics of some of the rap material fill up the listening area, and it often seems to come from all directions. Nevertheless, Death Race isn't about music; it's about revving engines, explosions, and machine guns. Machine gun fire thumps away as heavy caliber weapons fire downrange and impact onto the armor-plated bodies of the vehicles, the sensation similar to one of Blu-ray's current definitive reference moments, the armored stagecoach robbery sequence in 3:10 to Yuma. The first major, extended action sequence comes in chapter eight during the first stage of the race. The track never takes the foot off the accelerator, pounding away aggressively yet precisely with hard-hitting thuds, crashes, explosions, music and dialogue, all delivered with both excitement and ease. Like the movie, this mix never slows down, and even the best systems will do some heavy lifting to ensure proper delivery of this one, but it's easily worth it. This is the kind of mix sure to drive the neighbors crazy.

Death Race Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Death Race Announcer Contest Extended - January 12, 2009


• Death Race Feature Cost Universal $750K - December 22, 2008


• Death Race Announced for Blu-ray - October 31, 2008

Death Race Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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