Outbreak Blu-ray offers solid video and great audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
A deadly virus is carried by a monkey host from the African rainforest to a small town in Northern California,
where it quickly begins infecting the entire population. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) is unable to treat it, the resources of the US military, including the United States Army Medical Research
Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), are called upon to contain it by any means necessary.
The single biggest threat to man's continued dominance on the planet is the virus.
How far do you think the government would go to contain a virus? How far would they go to cover
up its existence? How far would they go to mask an antidote to further an
agenda? Outbreak is a film that examines these questions as a deadly virus rapidly
descends and spreads throughout a small California town. The film cleverly and efficiently molds
itself into a multi-genre picture, and never misses a beat as it offers thriller, drama, and horror
elements, expertly intertwined and presented with gusto. It
tackles difficult subject material with sometimes hard to watch efficiency and detail, and while there
are plenty of "Hollywood" moments littered throughout the film, along with a few implausible
scenarios, Outbreak maintains a good pace (even considering a runtime that surpasses the
two-hour mark), features fine acting, and is well-crafted under the always steady hand of director
Wolfgang Petersen (In the Line of Fire).
Profile, very good, now face forward please!
A deadly virus, known as Motaba, ravages a village in the war-torn African country of Zaire. The
village is destroyed,
and the virus thought terminated. Years later, Motaba returns, this time in a strain that
is not airborne and seems to be contained. When a member of Zaire's local wildlife population, a
monkey carrying the virus, is illegally brought to California's shores, it quickly infects one person,
then two, and eventually, nearly the entire populace of Cedar Creek finds itself staring death
in the eye and the town is quickly quarantined by the U.S. military. The Centers for Disease
Control's top virologist, Col. Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman, Mr. Magorium's Wonder
Emporium), disobeys Brigadier General Billy Ford's (Morgan Freeman, Batman Begins) orders
to stay away from the site and enters the fray in search of the disease's source, and a cure.
Joined by his ex-wife Robby (Rene Russo, The Thomas Crown
Affair), and his assistants, Major Casey Schuler (Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects)
and Major Salt (Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jerry Maguire), the
race for the cure, and against Major General Donald McClintock's (Donald Sutherland, Space Cowboys) plan
of wiping the town off the map, is underway.
Much of the success of a film like Outbreak is dependent upon the believability of the
material. It plays with elements that sometimes require a suspension of disbelief, as most any
movie does, but when dealing with material that hits home, and presents itself as a scenario that
could conceivably play out in our own cities, our own communities, even inside the walls of our
own homes, filmmakers must walk a fine line to ensure the material is believable while still
maintaining a taut pace and plenty of excitement to keep audiences interested. Director
Wolfgang Petersen handles Outbreak very well. The film's primary flaw lies with its
highly predictable nature, but knowing what to expect next never hinders the film's pace or level
of excitement. At times frightening, at times exciting, and at times nail-bitingly intense, the film
shifts gears several times in an effort to allow itself to play to a myriad of audiences and
sensibilities, and each one is handled well. While the outcome is never in doubt, the spectacle
and horror of the situation is always palpable, always real, consistently worsening and becoming
more harrowing with every passing moment.
Generally, the film avoids pandering to the
audience, though two scenes do stick out like a sore thumb and come off as nothing but cheap
attempts at audience manipulation. The first is the movie theater scene where the virus is first
seen spreading. It's a lame attempt at further scaring the theater-bound audience, and no doubt
many a theater patrons deliberately coughed and hacked while watching Outbreak at the
local multiplex some 13 years ago. The second is a well-meaning scene featuring a mother's
separation from her family as she is taken away by the military. It comes off as far too
melodramatic and staged, unbelievable and overly sentimental, and instead of tugging at the
heartstrings it smacks the funny bone instead. Nevertheless, these are exceptions to the rule,
and for the most part, Outbreak plays out very well as a better-than-average picture that
is intense and offers source material a bit outside the norm.
Outbreak also features an incredible ensemble cast that boasts six Oscar wins and 14
total nominations among the six primary players. Dustin Hoffman brings a rather strong
performance to Outbreak, exemplified by his impassioned speech during the film's climax.
His is a character that plays perfectly against the film's villain, portrayed by Donald
Sutherland. Where Sutherland's every move speaks of a hidden agenda meant to promote his
own self-interest, Hoffman's character is one that remains unfazed in the face of wrong, standing
tall and refusing to go down without a fight for what he, and the audience, know is right, moral,
and just. He fights for everyone but himself, for the common good, putting people, not politics,
first.
Morgan Freeman delivers another standout performance (is he capable of anything but?) playing
as a middle man between the extremes of Sutherland's and Hoffman's characters, and must
choose an allegiance by film's end. Likewise, Hollywood veterans Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey, and
Cuba Gooding, Jr., all turn in better-than-average performances.
Outbreak won't infect your television with a poor transfer. Offering a 1080p, 1.78:1
transfer, the disc offers a clean, generally robust image that won't disappoint. The transfer is
nicely
detailed, and offers moderately good depth. The image looks a bit dull in spots, almost like a filter
was placed over the lens, but there are no striking shortcomings to complain about here. Colors
aren't overly bright, but they appear natural. Some do beg to be noticed; the bright yellow bio
suits
worn in
various segments of the film, numerous exterior shots of Cedar Creek, or various green foliage
found in the Zaire sequences that stands out as almost neon in color next to the more natural
greens of the dense jungle and various plants seen around the village. The army green uniforms
look fantastic. We can make out the smallest stitches in Morgan Freeman's uniform, for
example,
and later, the interior of a cargo plane is dark but intricately detailed. The image has a decent
film-like quality about it that is a bit grainy in places, and seemingly grain-free in others. Flesh
tones
appear a bit rosy but never offer too much of a red push. Outbreak doesn't hold up to
the
best of the best on Blu-ray, visually, but it offers better-than-adequate high definition material
and
makes the movie all the better.
Outbreak should relieve the ill-effects many listeners experience when not hearing
lossless audio. Warner Brothers has stepped up to the plate for this one and offers a Dolby
TrueHD 5.1 lossless mix, and it is a good one. The opening of the film does a fine job at creating
a
rich jungle atmosphere in our listening area. It suddenly comes alive with the sound of
automatic weapons fire and explosions in a battle ground in Zaire. The soundstage is full and
fairly immersive, with an impressive range of sound as lead rains down from all directions.
Helicopter rotors buzz around; propellor-based aircraft fly from front to rear; voices yell in all
directions; and finally, a terribly large explosion rocks the listening area as a bomb is used to wipe
out an entire disease-ridden camp. The track continues to feature a fine surround presence
throughout, generally in the form of helicopters flying and various land-based military vehicles
cruising the streets of Cedar Creek. The film's rather exciting and well-done score, courtesy of
James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight),
sounds clean and precise, placed nicely around the front, and it supports the movie very well,
particularly during a climactic helicopter chase in chapter 38. Dialogue is always clear and
accurate, and even various scenes where it is filtered through biohazard suits, it never loses
much of an edge. Outbreak offers a surprisingly robust soundtrack, one that supports
the film well and does its part to engulf viewers in the horrors, thrills, and drama of the story.
Outbreak is a tense, well-crafted horror/thriller that offers a predictable plot, but the film
retains a high level of tension and excitement throughout. Wolfgang Petersen, whose body of work
entails some of the better films of the past quarter-century, including Das Boot, Enemy
Mine, and The Perfect Storm,
directs an all-star cast and rarely misses a beat during two hours of solid visuals, slick editing, and
rapid pacing. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of Outbreak is fine from a technical
perspective, but the lack of supplements is sure to turn away many potential buyers. Nevertheless,
fans of the film should be pleased with the 1080p video presentation and lossless soundtrack, and
the disc is worth its current $14.95 asking price from Amazon. Recommended.
Various sources have indicated that Warner Home Video is set to announce five action Blu-ray titles, all due to hit store shelves on September 2nd. These titles include, 'Eraser', 'Outbreak', 'Under Siege 2', 'Every Which Way But Loose', and 'Gauntlet'. As these ...
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