Whip It Blu-ray

Whip It

 (2009)

Comedy | Drama



Tired of following in her family's footsteps of compliance and conformity, Bliss discovers a way to put her life on the fast track...literally. She lands a spot on a rough-and-tumble roller derby team and becomes "Babe Ruthless" - the hottest thing on eight wheels!

For more details about Whip It on Blu-ray, see the Whip It Blu-ray Review

Starring: Ellen Page, Sarah Habel, Shannon Eagen, Jimmy Fallon
Director: Drew Barrymore

Whip It Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Whip It tears up the track on Blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that’s as sexy and brassy as the roller girls themselves. The image is supersaturated with the bright, flashy colors of a bright, flashy subculture. See the Hurl Scouts’ pine green uniforms, the yellow star that adorns Babe Ruthless’ helmet, the pig pink aprons at the Oink Joint, deep purple bruises, Smashley Simpson’s crimson nosebleed, and the red, white, and blue of Johnny “Hot Tub” Rocket’s LED-light boutonniere. Skin tones too are healthy and natural, tight contrast results in a vivid, dimensional image, and black levels reach oily depths while preserving shadow detail in all but the darkest scenes. Likewise, the texture work is fantastic—note the discernable threading in Earl Cavendar’s tri-blend heather gray t-shirt—extra-fine detail is apparent in nearly every shot, and the overall image is as crisp as it is colorful. The transfer also succeeds on a technical level; the film’s ultra-thin grain structure is untouched, unwarranted edge enhancement is wholly absent, and banding, macroblocking, and other compression-related anomalies are nowhere to be seen. Quite simply, this is a wonderful transfer from Fox that’s sure to please videophiles and roller derby enthusiasts alike.

Whip It Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


“Clean, clear, and under control,” is the motto for a particular brand of acne medication, but the same could be said for Whip It’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which is clean (absolutely), clear (indelibly), but perhaps a bit too under control considering roller derby’s brash punk aesthetic. Don’t get me wrong, the mix sounds great as it is, but it’s not quite as potent, aggressive, or immersive as it could’ve been. Before watching the film, I imagined all the sonic possibilities inherent in roller derby’s elbow-to-the-face brutality: the sound of skates whooshing through the surround speakers at breakneck speed, bone-crushing tackles, road rash-inducing face plants, and the roar of the crowd commingling with the steady thrum of overdriven guitar. And yes, we do get a bit of that, but this dial doesn’t quite go to 11, if you know what I mean. The rear channels are engaged through much of the film, but the track still seems somewhat front-heavy to me, mostly because it plays it safe by keeping the volume of sound effects and ambience fairly low, allowing dialogue to be easily heard. There’s nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but a harder hitting track would go a long way in selling the intensity of the sport. That said, when the music kicks in, this track takes off with plenty of low-end and detailed highs. The soundtrack is fantastic too, featuring The Ramones, The Breeders, and Cut Chemist, among many others.

Whip It Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Whip It Blu-ray Gets Detailed - December 8, 2009


• Drew Barrymore's Whip It Coming to Blu-ray - November 4, 2009

Whip It Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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