Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic Blu-ray

Warner Bros. | 2009 | 325 mins | Not rated | Mar 03, 2009

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Video Video codec: VC-1 Video resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Audio English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (less) Subtitles English English (less) Discs 50GB Blu-ray Disc Two-disc set BD-Live

Price List price: $35.99  Amazon: $19.99 (Save 44%) Third party: $7.90 (Save 78%) Usually ships in 24 hours Blu-ray rating Users 4.2 Reviewer 3.5 Overall 3.9 Based on 7 user ratings Playback Region free

Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic

When I first learned about Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic, I wasn't sure what to think. Would Gibbons' artwork stand up to close scrutiny? Would his composition be undermined by animated panels? Would technical shortcomings spoil the proceedings? Thankfully, Warner's 1080p/VC-1 transfer quickly put all of my fears to rest. Not only has the series' original lineart been lovingly reproduced from each issue, color fills are bold and stable, edges are impeccably crisp, and inky blacks add tremendous depth to the panels. Detail is incredibly revealing as well. The various sequences may not feature many textures, but every background element, sample of text, and word bubble is impeccably sharp and refined. And while there are a handful of scenes that look a bit distorted when the camera pushes in on Gibbons' at-times simplistic artistry, I never attributed any of the motion comic's negligible flaws to its technical transfer. Better still, despite a five-plus hour runtime, the presentation doesn't fall prey to any distracting artifacts, unintentional bursts of source noise, or any debilitating banding. Granted, minor edge enhancement has been applied throughout the production, but it rarely drew attention to itself or caught my discerning eye.

All things considered, Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic is a sight to behold. It certainly doesn't have the impact of a fully-animated production, but it sufficiently surpassed my expectations and left me eager to rediscover my favorite scenes from the original series. Watchmen fans will not be disappointed.

Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic Blu-ray, Audio Quality

Of course, the very nature of Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic limits the impact of Warner's otherwise proficient Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track. Tom Stechschulte's narration and voicework is evenly distributed across the front soundstage, the production's sound effects are well represented in the mix, and the LFE channel adds a naturalistic, earthy weight to the motion comic's omnipresent score and rousing action sequences. Admittedly, aside from some light acoustic support and fleeting ambience, the rear speakers are largely silent and lend very little to the presentation. Likewise, pans and directionality are often a moot point as the entire experience is more akin to an audio book than a feature film. Ultimately, your enjoyment of the track will come down to personal expectations. If you're hoping for an involving and immersive soundfield, you'll be underwhelmed by this lossless mix. However, if you're looking for an impressive technical presentation that goes above and beyond what's required of it in every regard, you'll be exceedingly pleased with the results.

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