kal
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Location: Ottawa, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:38 pm Post subject: Stalingrad [Blu-ray] |
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Stalingrad [Blu-ray] (2014)
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| Quote: | 'Stalingrad' is a fascinating Blu-ray experience. The movie has lofty ambitions to tell the story of an entire country at war through the eyes of six people who are fortunate enough to spend two days together during one of the most horrifying battles this world has ever seen. Through a relationship with one strong girl, five men find a reason to fight. However, I'm not sure if the experience is as strong as it could be, because there isn't enough time to spend with the characters.
This Blu-ray is a stunner, with reference quality 3D and 2D video presentations and robust 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mixes. The special features aren't great, but that's okay. I'm a little torn on what to make the final score on this one, given the high quality video deserving of a Recommend, and a movie experience that might be more of a Rent first to see if this is your cuppa tea. So let's split the difference and call 'Stalingrad' worth a look.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
'Stalingrad' wages war on Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray with two impeccable transfers framed in their original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratios. The encodes are MVC for 3D, AVC MPEG-4 for 2D.
I originally set out to write two separate reviews for the 3D and 2D versions. However, other than my preference for watching 'Stalingrad' in its native 3D format, both versions are reference quality and look virtually interchangeable (you know, save for one of them being in 3D). Meaning, every compliment I could give to one would apply to both.
Despite abundant darkness and gritty, gray landscapes, this Blu-ray stuns in terms of color and resolution. Various ramped slow motion stunts and explosions are hypnotic and gorgeous (not to mention horrifying). Fine details -- think sets and costume -- are resplendent. Skin tones, on washed faces, are even. Black levels are deep, while shadow details remain intact.
The 3D adds to the already dynamic experience, sucking viewers into a world of flying bullets and constant smoke and falling ash. It succeeds in creating that nice window-into-another-world effect. The 3D is particularly exciting in special effect sequence where the camera moves across the city, or when there are aircraft cutaways.
Overall, 'Stalingrad' is a Hollywood-caliber production with a fine mix of real world sets and special effects, alongside state of the art stereo visual effects. These 3D and 2D presentations are slick, resolution abundant, and gorgeously rendered. Another big Blu-ray win.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
'Stalingrad' roars onto Blu-ray with two robust 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtracks.
While I listened to the default English dub while typing up this review, the original Russian track is a much better experience. First, the dialog in the English mix is a little hot. Second, you lose most of the original performance nuances with the dub, which is a little cheesy.
Audio fans are going to love the original Russian 5.1 DTS-HD MA track. Dialog is clean. The surround panning is highly immersive -- everything from crashing planes to whizzing bullets. There are oodles and oodles of LFE hum and thrum under many moments, adding a sense of scale and sometime even dredge. This mix is everything you would expect from a epic action extravaganza, though it's just shy of perfection.
First, there are many 7.1 (and some 5.1) that are slightly more articulate in their ability to build sonic landscapes. Basically, this track is very loud (in a wonderful way), but it's not quite as nuanced as others in this genre. Also -- and this is much more of a personal quibble -- there is an echo effect applied to some gunshots and explosions that sounds a bit more like a mistake. It's an odd warbling sound that sounds a bit like a film print (actual film) that was improperly secured in the projector (an unlocked "gate"), or an poorly rendered sound file that has been slowed down. Regardless, I'm sure it was intentional, but it bugged me.
Quibbles aside, while just shy of perfection, most of you are going to love this loud, LFE-heavy, aggressively panned 5.1 sound track. |
Kal
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Last edited by kal on Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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