kal
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Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 18114
Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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| Posted: Thu May 09, 2013 8:08 pm Post subject: Jack Reacher [Blu-ray] |
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Another reference disc!
Jack Reacher (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) (2012)
(Hover over link for price, click to purchase and support our forum at no extra cost to you)
| Quote: | If you are or have ever been a fan of Tom Cruise, then I cannot think of a single reason why you would not love 'Jack Reacher.' Cruise delivers another classic performance, perhaps one of the most entertaining of his career. The screenplay is solid, actively requiring you to try solving the mystery along with the mouthy central character. The action is old school - cameras pulled back far enough to see the fighting unfold and longer takes allowing you to comprehend what it's seeing. With flawless video and a fantastic 7.1 audio mix, what else could you want from this Blu-ray? It might seem light on special features, but they're meaty, much more expansive than your average disc. If you've lost your faith in Tom Cruise, give 'Jack Reacher' as a solid shot and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Highly recommended.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
The 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode that 'Jack Reacher' has been given is flawless. It's gorgeous, carrying a clean, sharp look with highly visible details and not a single problem.
Made to feel like an older film, there's a nice amount of grain dusting the image throughout – but it doesn't distract from the clarity or resolution of the picture. Stellar details still abound in this crisp film. Jai Courtney's stubble is so sharp that each individual hair can be seen. A close-up shot on a nervous sniper's blackened thumb reveals the tiniest shreds of skin that result from repeatedly loading ammunition. Close-ups show every single pore on Cruise's aging face. The details never – not once – let up from this great state.
Black levels are extremely deep and intense, creating a tension because you never know what might be hidden within them. Shadows are strong. Colors are bright and vibrant – especially reds. Being a PG-13 film, there's an unrealistic lack of blood, but the absence of red during violent scenes almost makes the color appear extra noticeable when present. The juice that flies from a shot slushy machine is bright and eye-catching. The red polo shirts of DeFault Auto Parts' employees is loud. There are plenty of other colors featured in this dark film's palette, each of them packing a punch of their own, but not as vibrant as red.
'Jack Reacher' carries a great three-dimensional look. If you're paying close attention, there are a few scenes that really play with it. Two camera shots are combined into one to give us the "looking through the scope" shots. Realistically, since no sniper would ever place his/her eye up against the rim of a scope (not without cracking a head open anyway), these P.O.V. shots reveal both layers of what a sniper would see. With a head held a few inches behind the scope, you would see the natural distance to the target and the zoom image in the cross-hairs. The borders of the screen reveal the deep three-dimensional look of the real world, but the zoomed circular inner images from the scope are just as flat as they would appear if looking through a real scope. Seeing these two contrasting depth qualities on-screen is a great example of how "3D" a two-dimensional image can appear. The care that director Christopher McQuarrie has put into the shoot of 'Jack Reacher' has me rooting for him to helm 'Mission: Impossible 5.'
The Audio: Rating the Sound
Almost as impressive as the video quality is the fantastic 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix. Aside from a few lulls during the downtime in the film, the audio mix is brilliant.
Continuing the idea of 'Jack Reacher' being a throwback film is the original score. Joe Kraemer's more-than-fitting music is perfectly spread throughout all channels. During the opening credits, the music is the main player. No dialogue is overlaid, allowing the score to accompany the on-screen action in building up tension to the uncomfortable intro.
The vocal mix is also great. Clean and layered, you'll never miss a single witty line. The effects are spread dynamically – including mixing with the voices. One scene takes place in a police station interrogation cell. The cinder block and glass walls cause the actors' voices to slightly echo in the most realistic manner.
Perfect examples of imaging effects are frequent. Ricocheting slugs ping around the room. Cars can be heard soaring across the room prior to appearing on screen. Action scenes pack an additional punch of deep and resonant bass. You will hear metal twisting during the engine-centric car sequences that feature rumbling revving and violent sounds of cars loudly crunching into one another.
If it hadn't been for little spaces of inactive downtime, this lossless mix would be reference quality. |
Kal
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