Video
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX... (more)
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX French: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX German: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (less)
The Perfect Storm Blu-ray offers decent video and superb audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
October 1991. It was "the perfect storm" — a tempest that may happen only once in a century
— a nor'easter created by so rare a combination of factors that it could not possibly have been
worse. Creating waves ten stories high and winds of 120 miles an hour (193 kph), the storm
whipped the sea to inconceivable levels few people on Earth have ever witnessed. Few, except
the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat headed towards its hellish
center.
It would be a disaster of epic proportions. It would be the perfect storm.
You just cannot go wrong with a Wolfgang Peterson film. He's not the best director out there,
but
he is one of the most consistent, and consistently good for that matter (unlike a Uwe Boll, for
example, who is consistently bad). He has to his credit Das Boot, arguably the finest war
movie of all time, the underrated Enemy Mine, the thrilling In the Line of Fire,
Air Force One (Harrison Ford's entertaining final hurrah as a credible leading man), and
Poseidon, perhaps his worst film but one that is still entertaining, ultimately saved by
Kurt Russell because, well, like
Peterson, you just cannot go wrong with Kurt Russell. Likewise, The Perfect Storm
features a stellar ensemble cast of A-list stars and fantastic character actors. While the leads,
including George Clooney (Leatherheads) and
Mark Wahlberg (The Happening), are
superb, it's
the secondaries -- John C. Reilly (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox
Story), Diane Lane, Untraceable), Michael
Ironside, (Starship Troopers),
Mary
Elisabeth Mastrantonio (The Abyss), and William Fichtner (Prison Break: Season
Three), among others, that bring the film to vivid life. The Perfect Storm
works well because it's a human drama first and a special effects extravaganza second, which
sets it apart from other films like Twister, a fine film in
its own right, but in a different sort of way. The films compliment one another well; both are
natural-disaster, effects-heavy films from Warner Brothers, but one is more about its effects and
the other more about its drama, and as such, each brings a unique cinematic experience to the
table and both are equally worth watching, and owning, especially on Blu-ray.
The crew of the 'Andrea Gail' share a moment while contemplating their impending encounter with
the perfect storm.
Fishing is a way of life in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The city, as depicted in the film, is home to
a
fishing community that serves as its revenue stream and way of life for many residents. When
the
fish dry up, so to do the pocketbooks of many families. Veteran fishing boat captain Billy Tyne
(Clooney) knows this all too well, and his men depend on his skills as a captain and instincts as a
fisherman to reel in the big catches and keep the bills paid every month. When his ship, the
Andrea Gail, returns with an underwhelming catch, much to the dismay of the ship's
owner
Bob Brown (Ironside), Tyne and his men return to sea for one last shot at bringing home a large
catch before winter settles in. Tyne ventures further out to sea than he should to ensure a big
catch for his crew, but Hurricane Gloria, a powerful category five hurricane dubbed "the perfect
storm," forms behind them. When the ship's ice machine breaks down, the Gail has no
choice but turn around and head home straight through the storm, or wait it out and lose the
fish
and their big payday. Tyne and his crew choose to face death head-on and risk their catch, their
ship, and their lives to bring home a paycheck to help their families through the cold New
England
winter to come.
It takes awhile for The Perfect Storm to get going, about half an hour to be precise.
There is nothing but exposition in the first quarter of the film, but this proves most effective
through the remainder of the movie. It allows us to become familiar with the main characters,
and a bond between audience and character is formed at this time. This bond is the foundation
of the film and serves as the emotional springboard that catapults the film to the heights it
reaches over the next 90 minutes. The Perfect Storm is, externally, a special effects
film, but director Wolfgang Peterson realizes that it's the bond between man, and the bond
between audience and character, that truly makes a movie. That's why his films work, especially
his earlier films. In Das Boot, both the films enormous runtime and the miniscule space
in which most of the film takes places creates a familiarity between audience and cast, and the
camaraderie between the characters themselves is heightened because of the close confines they
share. Likewise, very little of The Perfect Storm takes place outside the Andrea
Gail or the tavern in town. With only two primary settings, the audience never feels lost,
even in the
vast sea, and the framework through which we see the characters remains consistent. In
Enemy Mine, a film about brotherhood, Peterson makes the audience a third primary
character in the film, and as enemies become companions, and as companions become friends,
the
audience shares in the journey and becomes emotionally invested in each character. In The
Perfect Storm, the same is true, but on a larger scale. By film's end, we feel like a citizen of
Gloucester, and the emotions of the film become nearly unbearable. This is fine work from a fine
director. He walks the line between drama and special effects extravaganza well, framing the
effects in the context of the story and remembering that people and emotions come first, rather
than making them fit into the effects.
The Perfect Storm sails onto Blu-ray with a somewhat disappointing but perfectly
acceptable 1080p high definition transfer. Framed at 2.40:1, the transfer offers viewers a broad
range of looks, from bright, sunny shots on the seaside to rainy and dark nighttime exteriors at
sea.
Both hold up well but each exhibit some flaws that, while never a distraction thanks in large part
to
the dramatic value of the film, don't allow for an eye-catching image. The transfer starts
off looking nice with a natural, true-to-life outdoor tour through the piers and boats of Gloucester.
Colors are sharp and rich and detail is generally nice. Softness becomes an issue in the transfer,
though, and remains an issue throughout. Look at Bobby's Boston Red Sox cap and Billy's John
Deere cap in chapter three. There is very little detail, and it looks more like a blob and a blur
rather than a sharp and crisp object. These ball caps, and other items seen during the course of
the film, look a bit better in a few scenes, but as a rule, detail is moderate at best and sharp
edges and crystal-clear images are hard to come by. The image never jumps off the screen,
coming across as one-dimensional and dull. There are no problems such as print anomalies, dirt,
or other annoying abnormalities. Flesh tones are accurately rendered and black levels are fairly
solid.
The Perfect Storm offers viewers a decent transfer, but one that simply pales in
comparison to the finest discs Blu-ray has to offer today.
The Perfect Storm's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless surround sound track slams into Blu-ray
with a sonic assault that brings the film to vivid life. Many scenes are fairly quiet, especially early
dialogue scenes before the Gail sets sail yet again. Surround presence is minimal in
these scenes. Atmospherics generally come from the front channels rather than both the front
and back. The
bar scene in chapter four features a nice presence across the front, but is quiet in the rears,
failing to offer a truly realistic experience as ambient noise is nowhere to be heard across the
rear. Dialogue itself seems slightly lower in volume than optimal. As expected, however, the
track picks up once we're out to sea on the Gail. Atmospherics are excellent; we can
hear the sound of the old boat creaking and rocking all around the soundstage to nice effect,
effectively placing us on the ship. What's nice is that it's never too pronounced or distracting.
The sound emanates from every speaker creating a nice ambience that just feels real, and the
sound design is reserved yet effective in such scenes. The soundstage is full and powerful during
the stormy action sequences, too. A rescue attempt via helicopter in chapter 21 is an
entertaining and active listening experience. Surrounds are in full effect with the crashes of
waves, rain, and helicopter rotors. The entire soundstage is drenched in action, the sound wide,
full and loud without becoming distorted or a distraction from the action. The entire second
half of the movie is thunderous, a case study in excellent use of powerful, robust, and incessant
sound. It works well because these sounds are distinct and clear, yet retain a power and fear
factor that effectively elevates the power and awe of the storm and the film it is depicted in. This
is a fine track that will satisfy fans.
Warner Brothers brings The Perfect Storm to Blu-ray with a fairly comprehensive
supplemental package. Viewers are treated to not one, not two, but three feature-length
commentary tracks. The first track features director Wolfgang Peterson and it is hosted by DVD
producer J.M. Kenny. Peterson discusses the realism he tried to put into the film, the influence of
Sebastian Junger's novel of the same name, his fictionalization of the story for film while
attempting to retain the reality of real-life events, discussing various computer-generated effects
shots,
the
reactions of the family members of the people depicted in the movie, the emotional impact of the
film on audience, cast, and crew, and the "cleansing" effect the film had on the real-life families.
Track number two features visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier and visual
effects
producer Helen Elswit. This film is called "middle class" or "MC" in the lexicon of the filmmakers,
but
this track is anything but. It's fairly technical in nature, as expected, but it is user- and
layman-friendly. This duo discusses the effects in the context of the story, the seamlessness of
the
effects, the evolution of the effects vis-à-vis the evolution of the film itself, and more. The third
track features Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm, the novel upon which the
film is based. The best track on the disc (as author tracks so often make; see David Morrell's
track on First Blood), Junger
discusses the origins of his novel and the influences of the story, shares plenty of background on
life in a fishing town, the history of the area, and what we know and do not know
about the real-life events behind the story depicted in the filmed version of The Perfect
Storm. If you have
time for only one of these three tracks, choose Junger's.
HBO First Look Special: Creating 'The Perfect Storm' (480p, 19:56) is a solid making-of
feature that touches on every aspect of the filmmaking, ranging from the true-life story behind
the movie to filming on-location. The piece features interview clips with cast and crew, and
author Sebastian Junger. Witness to the Storm (480p, 4:32) features interviews with
several individuals who were witness to the storm as it hit Gloucester. Creating an
Emotion (480p, 4:14) is a brief look at James Horner's powerful score and the humanism
and emotion of the score as it plays in conjunction with the drama and emotion of the film. Next
is Yours Forever (480p, 4:04), a series of still photographs from the film set to music
from the movie. Concluding the supplemental materials are the film's theatrical trailer (1080p,
2:31) and an advertisement for the film's soundtrack (480p, 0:17).
The Perfect Storm is neither the perfect movie nor the perfect Blu-ray, but the movie and
the Blu-ray are each effective in their own right. Wolfgang Peterson has created a fine film that
puts drama and people first,
drawing in his audience who not only ooh and ahh at the spectacle of the special effects and the
sound, but become emotionally invested in the story and the characters therein. It is this
combination that makes the film so effective and somewhat rare. Warner Brothers' long-awaited
release of The Perfect Storm on Blu-ray was worth the wait. While the picture quality is
not exactly demonstration-worthy, it's certainly acceptable and shouldn't bother anyone except for
the most ardent picture quality critics. The audio is superb, as expected, and the supplemental
materials are strong. The Perfect Storm on Blu-ray is well worth the current low price of
$16.49 -- buy two and give one to a friend.
Looks like I forgot to do this yesterday, so coming at you, albeit a little delayed, is a breakout of what came out on Blu-ray yesterday. This, of course,was a huge day for the format as we welcome Universal Studios to the family. Not surprising, the studio brought ...
Warner Home Video has announced that they will bring the action hit 'The Perfect Storm' to Blu-ray on July 22nd. This is the latest Warner title that was previously only available in high definition on the now dead HD DVD format, but is now going to be released ...
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