Movie Renter's Guide
 

Number 140 - November, 2006

Part III

Staff

 


Now Playing
Divider

Little Man (Blu-ray) House of Wax (2005) (Blu-ray/HD DVD)
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Blu-ray) The Haunted Mansion (Blu-ray)
The Interpreter (HD DVD) One Last Thing... (Blu-ray)
Glory Road (Blu-ray) Black Hawk Down (Blu-ray)
12 Monkeys (HD DVD) King Kong (2005) (HD DVD)

Number 140 - November, 2006 - Part I

Number 140 - November, 2006 - Part II

Number 140 - November, 2006 - Part III

Number 140 - November, 2006 - Part IV

Number 140 - November, 2006 - Part V

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Revolution Studios

2006, Color, Rated PG-13, 1 Hr 38 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

1080p

 

English Uncompressed PCM 5.1

English Dolby Digital 5.1

French Dolby Digital 5.1

 

Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans


Starring: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Kerry Washington, John Witherspoon

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

Mild

Sex

Innuendo

Language

Some

"Little Man" (Blu-ray)

Synopsis

Hired to steal the fabulous Queen Diamond, pint-sized jewel thief Calvin Sims (Marlon Wayans) and his dimwitted partner Percy (Tracy Morgan) stash the stone in Vanessa Edwards' (Kerry Washington) handbag when their getaway plans go uproariously awry.

Discovering Vanessa's husband Darryl (Shawn Wayans), is hopelessly obsessed with becoming a father, Calvin trades in his duds for diapers and poses as an abandoned baby. Suffering through a host of hysterical humiliations and outrageous family outings, Calvin desperately tries to retrieve the gem before his cover is blown, and Darryl and Vanessa really cut him down to size.

Commentary

I had absolutely no desire to see this in theaters after viewing the trailer, and I wasn't really looking forward to watching it on video either. I just don't really care for comedies like this. The premise is outlandish, and the laughs weren't plentiful enough to get me hooked in. While I am sure this film has its audience, I'm just not really one of them.

Technical

While I may not have cared much for the movie, there was no denying that this is an outstanding transfer from Sony. Little Man is a very recent film, so the master is in pristine condition. Fine detail is evident in just about every frame, and depth of image is impressive. This is how I thought Click should have looked on Blu-ray. Colors are clean and detailed and contrast is excellent. Overall one of the best presentations I've seen yet from Sony on the video side.

The uncompressed 5.1 PCM soundtrack is pretty much what I expected from a comedy. Dialogue takes center stage, and it's delivered nicely with no signs of compression or strain. Imaging is decent across the main channels, but surrounds aren't used much. Some of the hip hop soundtrack gets the subs working a bit, but overall this is a fairly tame soundtrack.

Extras

Extras include deleted and extended scenes and some production promo featurettes.

 - Kris Deering -

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Magnolia Pictures

2005, Color, Rated R, 1 Hr 40 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

1080p

 

English Dolby Digital 5.1

English DTS 5.1

 

Directed by Alex Gibney


Starring

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

None

Sex

Nudity

Language

Mild

"Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" (Blu-ray)

Synopsis

Based on the best-selling book of the same name by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, this movie is a multidimensional study of one of the biggest business scandals in American history. The chronicle takes a look at a corporate disaster, in which top executives from the 7th largest company in this country walked away with over one billion dollars, leaving investors and employees with nothing.

The film features insider accounts and rare corporate audio and video tapes that reveal colossal personal excesses of the Enron hierarchy and the utter moral vacuum that posed as corporate philosophy. The human drama that unfolds within Enron's walls resembles a Greek tragedy and produces a domino effect that could shape the face of our economy and ethical code for years to come.

Commentary

While the Enron thing was all over the news for quite sometime, I never really paid that much attention to it. I don't watch a lot of broadcast TV and I am not really into business politics. This documentary film was quite interesting though and showed how corporate giants can really evade the public eye and get away with so much. What surprises me is how many red flags there were that no one seemed to notice.

Technical

This is an HD Net film similar to Bubble, which we reviewed in our last batch. Unfortunately this one doesn't look nearly as good. The documentary is a mix of different video types, and that is its main drawback. A lot of the film uses stock footage shot in varying degrees of quality, and poor video looks just as bad when it's upconverted to HD. Even the stuff shot in HD has overblown whites and what seems like an excessive amount of noise given its age.

The audio presentation is what I expected from a documentary. I did like the music selections though, and they did a nice job of opening up the front soundstage a bit. Dialogue was clean and free from strain, but some of the stock footage didn't sound too great.

Extras

Extras include a feature commentary and an episode of Higher Definition, a show the showcases different films on HD NET.

 - Kris Deering -

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Universal

2004, Color, Rated PG-13, 2 Hr 09 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

1080p

 

English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

English DTS 5.1

 

Directed by Sydney Pollack


Starring: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

Yes

Sex

No

Language

Mild

"The Interpreter" (HD DVD)

Synopsis

Silvia Broome (Kidman) is an interpreter at the United Nations in New York. She translates between English and Ku, which is the language spoken in the African nation of Matobo, where she was born.

One evening when working late, she accidentally overhears a conversation on the floor, where two people, speaking Ku, talk about assassinating the President of Matobo when he speaks before the United Nations in three days.

Silvia reports the conversation to the FBI, and Agent Tobin Keller (Penn) is assigned to work with her. He is suspicious at first, as she seems to know just a little too much about the politics that are involved.

Soon, he realizes he must believe her, as making the mistake of not believing her when she might be telling the truth would lead to a disaster.

When Tobin discovers that Silvia is being stalked by international terrorists, he now knows that she has not been lying, and he tries to stop the terrorists from assassinating an international figure before an audience of millions.
 

Commentary

With an award winning director, as well as two renown actors, you might expect this to be a great movie. Well, no, it was good, but not great.

It starts out with a bang, ends with a bang (and surprises), but the middle is bogged down like a second rate novel looking to fill enough pages to justify the $17.95 price at the bookstore.

Technical

This is the only release from Universal to date that is mastered in AVC (MPEG-4). Why Universal chose to go this route is still up for debate, but I must say I am quite impressed with the end result. I've noticed a consistency in fine detail with AVC titles on Blu-ray, and it finds its way here as well. Most shots have excellent detail and depth and really give you that impression of looking through a window. There is a bit of softness from the camera lens here and there, but it has a consistently crisp image. Colors are slightly stylized at times, but overall remain very natural looking. I didn't see any issue with black detail, which is an area I've seen issues with on Blu-ray titles mastered in AVC.

Universal has delivered another solid audio presentation here. Atmosphere is superbly rendered, and most of the surround channels are engaged throughout the film. Dynamic range is impressive when it needs to be, and overall imaging is solid.

Extras

Extras are the same as the original DVD release and include a feature audio commentary, some production features, and an interview with the director. You also get some deleted scenes and an alternate ending.

 - John E. Johnson, Jr. and Kris Deering -

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Walt Disney

2006, Color, Rated PG, 1 Hr 58 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

1080p

 

English Uncompressed PCM 5.1

English Dolby Digital 5.1

French Dolby Digital 5.1

Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1

 

Directed by James Gartner


Starring: Josh Lucas, Derek Luke, Jon Voight

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

Mild

Sex

None

Language

Mild

"Glory Road" (Blu-ray)

Synopsis

40 years ago, Don Haskins (Lucas) went on the recruiting trail to find the best talent in the land, black or white. Seven African Americans and five Caucasians made up the legendary 1965-66 Texas Western Miners.

They were mocked and ridiculed for their showboating and flaunting of black players on the court. Yet, in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, Haskins and his Miners came together as a team united to reach the National Championship game against powerhouse Kentucky.

Commentary

Glory Road is one of those typical true story types of sports films. You can almost insert any other title and get a variation on it. Remember the Titans comes to mind immediately. Not that this is such a bad thing, all of these are great stories. I just think I've seen too many of them lately.

Technical

This film looks really good on Blu-ray. Like most Bruckheimer productions, Glory Road has a distinct look that translates well on HD. The film is stylized with a bit of an aged look that introduces a bit more film grain than we're used to seeing with newer films. Colors are a bit oversaturated, but again this is intentional. Contrast is excellent, but I felt that blacks could have had a bit more detail in them. Overall though, this is a VERY solid video presentation.

The 5.1 uncompressed PCM mix is good but not as good as I was hoping for such a recent film. The surround soundstage was a bit underwhelming for the most part. Dynamic range was good, but nothing great. Dialogue always sounded natural though, and imaging for the most part was solid.

 Extras

Extras include some feature commentaries and a short featurette with Tim Hardaway talking about his experiences with coach Don Haskins back in the day.

 - Kris Deering -

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Universal

1995, Color, Rated R, 2 Hr 10 mins.

 

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

1080p

 

English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

 

Directed by Terry Gilliam


Starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

Yes

Sex

No

Language

Yes

"12 Monkeys" (HD DVD)

Synopsis

An unknown and lethal virus has wiped out five billion people in 1996. Only 1% of the population has survived by the year 2035, and is forced to live underground. A convict, James Cole (Willis), reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to 1996 to gather information about the origin of the epidemic (who he's told was spread by a mysterious "Army of the Twelve Monkeys") and locate the virus before it mutates so that scientists can study it. Unfortunately Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990, six years earlier than expected, and is arrested and locked up in a mental institution, where he meets Dr. Kathryn Railly, a psychiatrist, and Jeffrey Goines, the insane son of a famous scientist and virus expert.

Commentary

Seems like I've been reviewing a lot of Gilliam's films lately. This is one of his better ones in my book, but it still has some work to do. Some of the foreshadowing in the film gives a lot away, but the performances are extremely solid, especially Pitt's Oscar nominated one. Like most Gilliam films, 12 Monkeys is a bit of a mind twister and paints a rather grim look at the world, but it is an inventive sci-fi film.

Technical

I saw this in theaters and also later on DVD, so I am drawing my observations on past experience. This presentation is quite faithful to what I remember seeing theatrically and has a definite "film" look to it.

Contrast is a bit unimpressive, with blacks being a bit washed out. Fine detail can be quite good at times, but the overall look of the film varies intentionally. Color rendition is also a bit veiled, but this is exactly what I remember from the theatrical experience too.

12 Monkeys was released on DVD in both a standard Dolby Digital version and a DTS version. I owned the DTS version and always enjoyed the soundtrack. This release is easily as good as that one and may be a bit better in terms of spatial resolution and soundstage depth. Some of the dialogue comes off a bit strained, but that was the same with the DVD releases, so I think it is a limitation of the mics they used. Ambiance is exceptional, and dynamic range is quite good given the material.

Extras

Extras include a feature commentary with the director and producer, some other takes on the film, a theatrical trailer, and some archives.

 - Kris Deering -

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Warner Bros.

2005, Color, Rated R

1 Hr 43 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

1080p

 

HD DVD:

English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

 

Blu-ray:

English Dolby Digital 5.1

French Dolby Digital 5.1

Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1

 

Starring Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Paris Hilton

 

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

Strong

Sex

Implied

Language

Yes

"House of Wax" (2005) (Blu-ray/HD DVD)

Synopsis

A group of friends on their way to a college football game falls prey to a pair of murderous brothers in an abandoned small town. They discover that the brothers have expanded upon the area's main attraction: the House of Wax, and created an entire town filled with the wax-coated corpses of unlucky visitors. Now the group must find a way out before they too become permanent exhibits in the House of Wax.

Commentary

Okay so I automatically thought this would be a horrible movie. Especially when I saw Paris Hilton's name attached to it. But it actually wasn't too bad. A bit of a throw back to the original, House of Wax has its fair share of chills and good horror sense.

It doesn't try to be too much and succeeds at conveying the utter suck of the situation that the teenagers find themselves in. While not nearly one of the best horror films I've seen, it could have been A LOT worse.

Technical

Comparing the Blu-ray release to the HD DVD release, I saw no differences at all. This is a decent transfer, but a step down from what I thought it would be. The film looks a bit veiled to me, and contrast isn't what I thought it would be. Fine detail seems a bit wanting overall, but improves a bit with light. It is probably a limitation of the film stock used. Colors also seem a bit smeared, lending to the aged look.

The audio is typical of what you find in most modern horror films of this type. Lots of audio cues but effective use of the surround environment. Dynamic range is solid, and your subs will get some work. Surrounds are used nicely to lend to the atmosphere and tension of the film.

Extras

Extras are ported from the DVD release. They include some bloopers, behind the scenes features, production features, and the trailer.

 - Kris Deering -

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Walt Disney Pictures

2003, Color, Rated PG, 1 Hr 28 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

1080p

 

English Uncompressed PCM 5.1

English Dolby Digital 5.1

French Dolby Digital 5.1

Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1

 

Directed by Rob Minkoff


Starring 
Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Wallace Shaw, Jennifer Tilly

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

Comedic

Sex

No

Language

Mild

"The Haunted Mansion" (Blu-ray)

Synopsis

On the day of their anniversary, workaholic and real estate agent Jim Evers (Murphy) and his wife Sarah (Tilly) receive a strange phone call from a man called Ramsley. He requests that Sarah come to the mysterious Gracey Manor. Jim decides to turn it into an opportunity to check out a possible gold-mine in real estate, but to please Sarah, he claims it is a "family trip", bringing the kids along.

Once there, Ramsley the butler insists that they stay, for a big storm is on the way. The Evers are introduced to Master Gracey, who seems strangely obsessed with Sarah. Jim goes off to talk to Gracey about selling, but ends up in a secret passage instead. The kids follow a floating ball to the attic, where they see a painting of a woman who looks just like Sarah!

Jim and the kids eventually discover the mansion's dark secret from Madame Leota, a talking head in a crystal ball. She tells them that Sarah is in danger and to save her, they must "lead the ghosts to the light." After some spooky adventures and surprises, the family manages to save the manor and Sarah, all while learning a valuable lesson about togetherness.

Commentary

While Pirates of the Caribbean might have made a gold mine for Disney, that doesn't mean that all the other rides should be made into films!! This one is proof. Sure it is a family film and meant to be a bit hokey, but MAN IS IT HOKEY!! It just has too much silliness and light heartedness for my tastes. Murphy is in auto pilot and hams it up too much, which makes the film come off even more silly. I just couldn't get into this one at all really.

Technical

While the film wasn't that great, it was sure a gorgeous transfer to look at. This may very well be my favorite from Disney yet! Fine detail is exquisite throughout the entire presentation, and depth and dimension are excellent. I almost wish The Haunting was out on Blu-ray or HD DVD to compare since the sets are similar in ways. Guess I'll have to fire up my D-Theater copy one of these days. Really, this is a gorgeous HD presentation.

The audio side of the house is also quite good with excellent dynamic range and impressive use of the surround environment. This is also a full 24 bit PCM presentation! This very well could be the best showoff disc on Blu-ray from Disney yet!!

Extras

Extras include two feature commentaries, an IFC show that takes a look at a moment from the film, and a look at the Disneyland ride that inspired it. You also get a short HD film that fits the genre.

 - Kris Deering -

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HDNET Films

2005, Color, Rated R, 1 Hr 33 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

1080i

 

English Dolby Digital 5.1

English DTS 5.1

 

Directed by Alex Steyermark


Starring Cynthia Nixon, Michael Angarano, Sunny Mabrey, Gina Gershon, Ethan Hawke, Wyclef Jean

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

No

Sex

Themes

Language

Some

"One Last Thing..." (Blu-ray)

Synopsis

One Last Thing is the funny and heartbreaking story of Dylan and his mother, Carol, as they struggle with the boy's terminal illness. Invited onto local television by an organization that grants last wishes to dying children, Dylan surprises everyone by making an eyebrow-raising request. As Dylan gleefully prepares to have his final wish fulfilled, Carol struggles with the idea of losing the most precious thing in her life.

Commentary

I would almost call this an after school movie for adults. There are enough sexual overtones and language to keep it off the kid's networks, but the story is in the same heart. It basically has a young man coming to grips with his impending death from cancer and a young model finding out that her life was better before the celebrity than after. There are a lot of cameos in this film, and it has great heart.

Technical

I was really impressed with the visual presentation of Magnolia's Bubble that I reviewed just recently, but this one takes a bit of a step up. They are about equal in terms of depth and detail, which is phenomenal on both accounts, but this disc doesn't have any noise to speak of.

Since this was shot with high-def cameras, you get a gorgeously detail rich image with great color, but you may find contrast a bit lacking in the darker scenes. I also thought whites were a bit too hot in some brief scenes, but it wasn't distracting enough for me to knock the score. A superb looking presentation!

Like Magnolia's other releases, this disc features both a Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtrack. Both sounded about the same to me, but this isn't a film with a high standard in sound design. Atmosphere was surprisingly good at times though, and the film's dialogue is clean and focused. Imaging is a bit front heavy overall, which is fine most of the time, but some of the city scenes could have used a bit more ambiance.

Extras

Extras include a feature commentary from the director and a look at the film on HDNET's Higher Definition.

 - Kris Deering -

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Columbia Pictures

2001, Color, Rated R, 2 Hr 24 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

1080p

 

English Uncompressed PCM 5.1

English Dolby Digital 5.1

French Dolby Digital 5.1

 

Directed by Ridley Scott


Starring Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana, Sam Shepard

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

Graphic

Sex

No

Language

Strong

"Black Hawk Down" (Blu-ray)

Synopsis

In 1993, an elite group of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers are sent to Somalia on a critical mission to capture a violent warlord whose corrupt regime has lead to the starvation of hundreds of thousands of Somalis. When the mission goes terribly wrong, the men find themselves outnumbered and literally fighting for their lives.

Commentary

I read this book before I saw the movie, and I was wondering just how well director Ridley Scott would be able to tackle such a monumental battle. This film is the true story of a special forces operation that went  bad. The film does a great job of depicting this, but if you've read the book of the accounts, it is missing a lot of what really happened.

This is also the last battle that anyone received the Medal of Honor for, and it was well deserved. Scott has done a tremendous job balancing the action and drama of the fight, and the production design is superb. One of the best war films of the last decade.

Technical

This film presents a challenging aspect to critics. The film is very stylized and knowing what is intentional from what isn't without seeing the master is almost impossible. Overall, I would say the quality is quite good though. There are moments when the whites are overdriven to the point of distortion, and that isn't something I've seen with previous versions of the film I've had, including an HD broadcast. Blacks were also deeper than any other version, with almost a total lack of detail in most parts. While this contributes to an overly contrasty look, it was also extremely distracting. Other than that detail is excellent for the most part.

Some close-ups are better than others, and because of the style of the film, the quality of depth and detail wavers, but you almost have to expect that. Grain is a consistent part of the image, but I didn't see much in terms of compression issues. There was one early scene that had some strange artifacts, but it was almost too short to mention. While I think there is room for improvement here, it is still a great looking disc, especially from the time they launch the assault onward.

While I did find some stuff to nitpick in the video, I was floored by the audio. Dynamic range is impeccable, and the surround environment is almost as chaotic as the onscreen action. Bass is a huge part of this sound design, and it's delivered in full force. Detail never gets compromised though, regardless of how much is going on. Seeing this movie again reminds me why this film won the Academy Award® for Best Sound.

Extras

This is the first Blu-ray title to feature "Blu-Wizard". Essentially this is a way to control what special features you want and ignore the ones you don't. By selecting the wizard and the features you want, the player then plays them at the appropriate time during the feature. It doesn't overlay them, merely takes you to them, like branching. For this release they offer some of the chapters of the production feature that is included. Standard features include several different audio commentaries and the 151 minute long production feature that was on the previous special edition DVD.

 - Kris Deering -

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Universal

2005, Color, Rated PG-13

3 hr 08 min

 

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

1080p

 

English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 5.1

 

Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks, Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis

 

Directed by Peter Jackson

 

 

0

5

Entertainment

*

Video

*

Audio

*

Extras

Violence

Yes

Sex

No

Language

Mild

"King Kong" (2005) (HD DVD)

Synopsis

Well, I think we all know this story by now. It has been told many times on the big screen, although not to the computer graphics extent here, and that was what we were all waiting for - to see what Peter Jackson would do with the tale.

In the early 1930s, Carl Denham (Black), based in New York, makes movies - adventure films that he hopes will sell lots and lots of tickets which will make his financers happy.

The latest one is a flop, so he looks for something big. Something that no one has done before. He decides to take his crew to Skull Island, a place that has never been filmed.

He needs a heroine, and looks around New York for someone that fits the character. Someone delicate. Someone who can be a damsel in distress. Someone who is desperate.

Times are bad for everyone. The crash of 1929 has left many people penniless. Carl chances upon Ann Darrow (Watts), an actress fresh out of a job. The moment he sees her, he knows she is the one for his big movie.

Of course she accepts, although a bit afraid he might just be a dirty old man wanting her for his casting couch.

So, Denham and crew, including the script writer Jack Driscoll (Brody), take a boat to Skull Island, where they meet a very scary tribe of natives, and of course, the big guy himself . . . Kong.

Although the crew is helpless against the massive creature, Kong is helpless against the beauteous Ms. Darrow, and his attraction to her is what causes his capture and boat trip back to New York, where Denham puts Kong on display.

Kong is just a bit too strong for the chains, and he escapes, only to find solace at the top of the Empire State Building, where some biplanes are used to bring him down with machine guns.

Commentary

In spite of all the hype and the astounding computer graphics, King Kong 2005 just barely made its production cost (200 million and change) back at the US ticket offices. It has taken overseas tickets to deliver any profits. Shock and surprise? No. As I have said many times before, the novelty of CG is over. It takes more than that to get us to pay ten bucks at the theater these days. However, it would have made a zillion dollars if the story had not been told so many times before. You would think that for a 200 million dollar budget, the production company might be able to find an original screen play. OK, so how about just a surprise ending? Nope.

Technical

King Kong had been promised for this format since its birth. It was one of the original clips on the first HD DVD demonstration disc and has been sought after ever since. I can tell you from a presentation standpoint, the wait was WELL worth it. This is without a doubt the best looking high definition presentation I've seen yet on any format. The level of depth and detail is simply astounding. Contrast is superb, and color rendition is excellent.

It doesn't matter what the locale is either. In the cityscapes, the sheer size and detail of New York is delivered in breath taking manner. Some of the sequences here truly have that "window" feel to them. On Skull Island you get the same. Lots and lots of detail and depth. Kong looks even better here than he did on the big screen. The detail is so fine there are sequences when you can see the light dander coming off his fur as he sits and grazes! This is one of the few HD presentations I've seen that can be used to test displays out for their ability to resolve the finest detail.

It has been a while since I watched King Kong on standard DVD, so I don't have that to compare to. But the audio presentation here is outstanding. The sound design is very aggressive in the more exciting parts of the film, and the entire soundstage is utilized to put you in the moment. I still feel that the fight between Kong and the T-Rex is one of the best action scenes I've seen in a long time, and its delivered here with aplomb. Bass detail is incredible, and the dynamic range of this soundtrack is really impressive. Ambiance is created beautifully in the surround channels. A first rate audio presentation.

Extras

Universal has included its "U-Control" immersive feature for its commentary and behind the scenes footage. This allows you to hear commentary or see production footage while you watch the film so that the extras pertain to the scene you're watching. There is also a full production art gallery.

 - John E. Johnson Jr. and Kris Deering -

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