kal
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| Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 2:24 am Post subject: The Wolverine [Blu-ray] |
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The Wolverine (Blu-ray / DVD + DigitalHD) (2013)
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| Quote: | Once again, the 'X-Men' franchise is alive and well. The horrible third 'X-Men' movie and the first 'Wolverine' movie derailed my faith in the franchise that really brought Marvel movies to the forefront, but 'X-Men: First Class' re-established that faith, and now 'The Wolverine' is continuing to show that they're headed in the right direction again. James Mangold removed the comic aspect and got the clawed character's adamantium heart beating again. If you're a fan of the film, the Unleashed Extended Edition is the way to go - but if you're a mild fan looking to round out the 'X-Men' titles in your Blu-ray or if you don't want the extra gore/violence or F-bombs, this theatrical 2D edition is still worth the purchase. Both the crisp video quality and the 7.1 audio mix are perfect, making this an absolutely worthy demo disc. A nice and bulky hour-long making-of documentary is included amidst the special features, as is a fun little alternate ending and a tour of the 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' set. Even though I prefer the extended cut and additional features included in Unleashed Extended Edition Blu-ray, I still fully recommend this 2D theatrical Blu-ray.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
'The Wolverine' arrives on with a perfect 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode that presents the film in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio.
All video is absolutely clear, crisp and clean. The amount of detail contained is staggering. Tiny beads of sweat, facial pores, individual strands of hair and bits of debris are perfectly defined and visible. Jackman's chops have never appeared so wirey, almost like Brillo Pad bristles. As the bomb falls in the movie's intro, the incoming blast throws pieces of small dust across the screen. After the plume has passed, individual grains of light sand can be seen falling down upon Logan and his new Japanese friend. This amount of detail never lets up. For those watching the extended version, this means that great details of blood spatter can be seen spurting through the air from henchmen and ninja wounds.
Despite the majority of the film being set in darkness, it's never a detail-consuming problem. Black levels are rich and deep. Had there been a flaw in black levels, it would have been tragic because of the amount of dark nighttime settings. Vibrant colors perfectly accent these dark scenes. The lighting and colorization is gorgeous throughout the entire film. Through the orange sunsets, neon blue honeymoon hotel lighting and pale moonlight, oversaturation is never a problem.
If Circuit Citys were still around, 'The Wolverine' would be the new demo disc used in their enclosed showrooms.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
Fox has graciously given 'The Wolverine' a demo-worthy 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. From beginning to end, this mix is 100 percent active in all channels, constantly showing off the effects of a perfect 7.1 audio track.
The rear, surround and front channels are constantly lit up with environmental effects. Prior to planes dropping the bombs, you'll hear them circling around the area. Many sounds are heard even though their sources are rarely, if ever, shown. During the madness of people trying to flee the bombing, you'll hear jeeps imaging around the rear channels although none of the jeeps are ever shown on-screen. When Logan walks through the wooded mountainside during a rain storm, not only can the rain can be heard falling throughout all channels, but you can hear the different sounds as water drops splash on different surfaces. As thunderous storms cover Tokyo, lightning-caused rumbles and crackles can be heard in different directions. Again, the source of the sound (lightning) is never seen. Bass and LFE effectively boom throughout.
Vocal levels are perfectly mixed with the effects and music. Every line of dialog is perfectly audible and never trumped by other sounds. The only instances where dialog may be hard to understand are caused by thick Japanese accents – no fault of the audio mix itself. When used, music sounds great – but a few great scenes make great use of no music. The amazing train fight sequence doesn't feature a single note of music. |
Kal
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