Can "sexy" be "family?" When it comes to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, the answer is "yes." Beautiful women tastefully photographed in
tantalizing yet not-too-extreme poses, dressed like any other beach-goer and wearing more than what passes for "clothing" in the MTV culture, and
accentuating the juxtaposition between human and natural beauty, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoots are the stuff of legend not only amongst
young men but in the world of modeling, too. Time and again the girls of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience repeat the
refrain of how posing for SI, as the magazine is perhaps better known, is not just a job, it's an honor, a sign of not only accomplishment, but of
absolute success in the profession. And when following in the footsteps of all-time classic beauties like Rebecca Romijn, Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks,
Elle Macpherson, and Cindy Crawford -- all of whom have exposed almost all for the world to see on the shiny pages of the world-renowned
magazine -- it's easy to see why SI is amongst the highest of the high points on the supermodel career ladder.
Oh yes, you will buy this disc.
Three girls appear in this year's (the first of many, perhaps?) Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience video. First is the
Russian
cover girl Irina Shayk who's ascendancy in the world of modeling is matched only by her story of escaping the almost absolute
anonymity
that was life in her small Russian town Yemanzhelinsk, situated near the Kazakhstan border. Irina's appeared in every SI Swimsuit Edition since
2007,
taking her stardom in stride and presenting a humble façade that's just as impressive as her naturally curvaceous body. Second is Houston native
and
veteran model Julie Henderson whose hair is always the hit of the shoot. She, too, humbly speaks on her rise to prominence as a multiyear SI girl,
and
her take-charge attitude seems to serve her well during the gruel of the shoot. Last is newcomer Alyssa Miller, appearing for the first time in Sports
Illustrated. Alyssa is awed both by the natural splendor of Maui and admits to being slightly intimidated to be working with modeling powerhouses
like
Julie and Irina, but she's settled in quickly and is impressed with the family-like atmosphere the Sports Illustrated shoots promote. The lucky man
behind the camera is one Bjorn Iooss, a native of Temple, Texas who's become synonymous with Sports Illustrated, having hundreds of photographs
appear in the magazine and on its cover.
There's really only one reason to buy this release, and it's not to hear the girls talk. While this brief film takes the time to introduce audiences to the
girls, the bulk of the runtime is dedicated to sultry shots of each model against the equally beautiful Maui backdrop. The girls say all that needs to be
said, and aside from a few interview clips with photographer Bjorn Iooss and a couple of brief behind-the-scenes shots that show the photographers
in action, there's very little here that's not absolutely focused on the trio of girls who tantalize viewers with skimpy bikinis and sexy poses in water,
on sand, in trees, and on land. The girls play it safe, of course, both verbally and physically. Everything that needs to remain covered remains
covered, even when the bikini top comes off. They also only have positive things to say about Sports Illustrated and the life of modeling, so anyone
hoping for any nuggets as juicy as the images will be disappointed and will need to wait for some tell-all book that may or may not materialize down
the road. To call this a "fluff piece" would be an understatement; it's absolutely safe and in no way revealing or hard-hitting, but then again, it
doesn't need to be. At a compact thirty minutes, this short stays true to form and delivers on its basic premise; everything else is filler, but there's
little even of that, and nothing blocks out what amounts to thirty minutes of eye candy.
Then again, even at thirty minutes, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience begins to wear out its welcome by the time rookie
Alyssa Miller appears on-screen. That's no fault of Alyssa's; she just happens to bring up the rear, so to speak, on a video that might be
nice to look at but becomes repetitive all too quickly. The other downside is that the show is limited to but three girls; ten minutes with each seems
a reasonable amount, but some viewers might be left wanting to see more bodies in bikinis, and hey, why no native Hawaiian? Certainly there had
to be a beautiful Maui girl available for the shoot. Otherwise, this is a nice overall release. The direction is gracefully simple, generally expanding
from static shots only with the use of subtle tracking shots that add a little more visual spice to the film, but the focus smartly remains on the girls.
The film even has something of a slight artistic flair to it, which solidifies the feel that this is not an exploitation film but a celebration of the human
body and its beauty against a natural backdrop. Were this simply a parade of girls showing off for the camera, it would have been a lesser film.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience splashes onto Blu-ray with a nice-looking 3D image, but it's not a reference-grade title.
General natural depth ranges from fair to good; sprawling ocean vistas, sandy beaches, and rocky waterfalls all look quite good, extending well back into
the screen and appearing naturally shapely where aplicable. A shot looking out towards the ocean at sunset with a girl walking towards the camera
(seen around the 18:40 mark) is the best the film has to offer; it practically places the viewer on the beach and all that's missing is the smell of the
ocean, the blowing sea breeze, and the soft feel of warm sand under the feet (that's quite a bit missing, actually!). The disc also delivers a few nice little
3D surprises;
footprints in the sand as seen from near ground level, for instance, are quite shapely with the depth within the sand very obvious and lifelike. Better
still, there's no
evidence of crosstalk. Unfortunately, some scenes appear relatively flat, generally those featuring the girls up against a hard or close-up backdrop.
Otherwise, this one delivers a nice little 3D presentation that's accentuated by a few other quality attributes.
On the more general end of the spectrum, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience delivers fair detailing across the board; the
image ranges from slightly soft to slightly over-sharpened, but most materials -- rock faces, the textures of bikinis -- hold true and exhibit a nice bit of
natural detailing. Irina's face looks rather like plastic, but considering that there's a little more natural texturing visible on Julie's face, one can
reasonably assign makeup and not noise reduction as the culprit on any textureless skin shots. Softness is a regular issue; the image appears a touch
fuzzy now and then, and foliage in particular suffers from a decided absence of definition in a few scenes. Colors are strong; whether that same
background green foliage or the various colorful bikinis seen throughout the film, Sony's Blu-ray delivers the film's somewhat limited palette with much
accuracy. Likewise, skin tones appear natural in every scene. This isn't the sort of 3D material that's going to dazzle either veteran or novice Blu-ray 3D
audiences, but it's a nice little package that's probably about the best quality one could reasonably expect from a film such as this.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience features a nice little DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music enjoys a positive low end
that's heavy, a little unkempt at times, but a good compliment to the on-screen visuals. Spacing is also excellent; music is grounded in the front but the
back channels certainly carry a bit of the load. The surround channels are also active in the delivery of supplemental support content, such as singing
birds, rolling waves, and other ambient sound effects. The track gains some potency from a few scattered heavy sound effects, such as waves crashing
ashore, and while such are few and far between, they are handled with a fair bit of clarity. Dialogue is satisfactorily crisp and accurate. Much like the
video, this
is by no means a top-tier soundtrack; it's more than adequate for the material, and it's rates as "good" all around.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience is a well-made and brief little look at three of the girls who will be gracing the glossy pages
of Sports Illustrated's 2011 Swimsuit Edition. The girls present themselves professionally and humbly; they're nice to look at and it's not too hard to
listen to them, either, at least within the confines of the brief little all-too-scripted-in-feel-yay-Sports-Illustrated soundbites they offer. Maybe a few
more girls would have made this a slightly better film, but for the most part this is a case where there are no surprises and the disc delivers exactly as
advertised. Sony's Blu-ray 3D release of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2011: The 3D Experience features a decent if not somewhat
underwhelming 3D transfer, a fine lossless soundtrack, and no extras. Fortunately, the disc is priced right and fans of these models will definitely want
to pick this one up.
