Avatar - Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance.

• 1080p
• 1.78:1 ratio.
• DTS-HD Master Audio
• Region B Reviewed, Coded for both A and B regions.

The Movie.

Is there anybody out there who wants to see Avatar but hasn't yet?  It's doubtful and for this reason, and the fact it has been discussed to death elsewhere, this review will not go into great detail on the merits of the film.

However, there is a very important point to be made before looking at the disc.  When I saw Avatar in 3D at the cinema, I didn't enjoy it, but I did enjoy the Blu-ray.  Obviously it's the same film, with the same cast, the same effects and the same story, and I disliked Avatar on all but one of those things, as the effects are astonishing.  So why should my opinion change?  The answer is clear, the 3D did nothing but distract me.

As the halfway mark approached in the cinema, I was restless and a bit bored but at home, I was captivated throughout despite knowing what was to come - even the story and the acting seemed to have improved without the 3D!  With nothing floating around, poking out or rushing towards your face, the film became less like a technical demonstration and more like a movie.  It could be compared with experiencing the fairground ride first, then watching the film it was based on.

It's also interesting to note that the image is still filled with depth, plus the film has so much size and scale, that never once to do think that what you're seeing would be better appreciated with another dimension added on.  It's simply superfluous.

If you were like me and disliked Avatar when you saw it in 3D, or were even just indifferent towards it, get yourself a copy of the Blu-ray and give it another try.  The film still has its flaws - it's too long, unoriginal, poorly scripted and not very well acted -  and is no Aliens or even The Abyss, but it is a considerably more enjoyable sci-fi experience without the 3D distraction.

3/5

The Audio and Video.

James Cameron made many statements regarding how the Blu-ray of Avatar would look and sound amazing, as they had used all the available space on the disc to make it so.  While I don't agree with his words on 3D being the future of cinema, I do agree with Avatar on Blu-ray looking superb!  The image quality simply has to be seen to be believed, it's so beautifully sharp and filled with colour and detail that you'll return to key scenes just to make sure you were right - as if it couldn't possibly have looked so good.

Well, it does, and there isn't one problem on display throughout the film.  This excellent quality shows off the amount of work which went into create the CGI characters and landscapes too, from the wealth of detail on the Na'Vi's faces to Pandora itself, seemingly rendered one blade of grass at a time.

If this isn't playing on every Blu-ray player and on every HD TV in your local electronics retailer, they're missing a trick, as this is the movie that will silence doubters when they say they can't see any difference between DVD and Blu-ray.

The audio experience is similarly awesome.  For a start, it's nice to have clear dialogue throughout the movie.  No one mumbles their lines and the centre speaker projects each voice with authority, even when the going gets noisy; and it gets very noisy indeed!  Here is a scenario: the film has been on for ten minutes or so and as the massive starship approaching Pandora, the smaller ship breaks away to take Jake to the surface.  As it penetrates the atmosphere there is SO MUCH BASS you'll think it's coming in to land just outside!  This isn't fluffy bass either, this is punchy bass that makes the sofa vibrate, and it's just fantastic.  This is the way the film carries on, with wonderful separation, immersive surrounds and stonking bass.

Please follow the link to read our final thoughts and see some pictures of the gorgeous Steelbook packaging.

Paranormal Activity - Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance:

• 1080p
• 1.85:1, 16x9 ratio.
• DTS-HD and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
• Region B disc reviewed.

The Movie.

Once in a while, a horror film arrives that gets so much attention, even people who don't like horror go to see it.  One of the most memorable, and coincidentally the one which Paranormal Activity most closely resembles, is The Blair Witch Project, an inventive but relatively dreary tale with some solid scares in the last five minutes.  However, listening to people who saw Blair Witch at the time, you would be forgiven for thinking it was the most frightening thing ever committed to celluloid - a by-product of non-horror fans being cleverly manipulated by a director.  Paranormal Activity has been seen by hundreds of thousands, made hundreds of millions and has been hailed as 'the most intense horror experience of the last ten years' according to the box blurb.  Is it really, or are those more comfortable with Jennifer Aniston's most recent work getting too over-excited?

Katie and Micah live an ordinary life in a rather nice house, however this happy vision is broken when Katie is terrorised by an unseen malevolent force during the night.  Micah obtains a video camera for the means of documenting the phenomena, but he soon begins to see his quest as a battle between him and the presence.  When Katie reveals to a medium that this isn't the first time any of this has happened, he refers her to a demonologist, suggesting that she is being stalked by something otherworldy, and no matter where they run, it will follow.  Unfortunately for Katie and Micah, the ordeal is just beginning.

If you found He's Just Not That Into You was sold out, and chose to watch Paranormal Activity instead, chances are it would have scared you senseless.  The story is as simple as the shooting style, but it's highly effective use of a single camera angle, a bass note droning over the top and for the most part, some equally simple special effects, ensures it is truly unnerving for anyone with even a partially active imagination.  This isn't A Haunting in Connecticut though, where you're expected to jump at loud noises five minutes in, as director Oren Pelli gives us time to get to know Micah and Katie, to understand their relationship and to appreciate their predicament before anything paranormal happens - this is not only assured and confident direction, but also shows an understanding of what makes horror work, just as fellow 'found footage' movie Cloverfield did, along with films such as Wolf Creek and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

It also helps that the actors, Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, are likable and believable, as does the fact that the budget didn't allow big name stars, flashy camerawork or huge FX sequences, keeping the whole film grounded in reality and therefore, scary.  It's best to be clear about this, Paranormal Activity is a frightening film, especially for the casual movie fan who rarely bothers with horror and perhaps even more so at home than in the cinema; but for anyone who considers themselves a horror connoisseur, it will deliver some chills and thrills, but nothing on the scale promised by the hyperbole.  That said, it's well worth a viewing at home and is perfect for a movie night with your non-horror fan friends!

There are those who will find Paranormal Activity slow and rather boring, but as with all properly frightening horror, you need an imagination to fill in the blanks and if you don't have one, you won't much care for this.  For the rest of us though, this is a frequently chilling horror that thankfully puts story and atmosphere above special effects and jump cuts.

3.5/5

Follow the link to read our opinion on Paranormal Activity's audio, video and extra features.

Top Gear: The Great Adventures 3 Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance.

• 1080i/16:9.
• PCM Stereo audio.
• Two Discs.

The Movie.

One of the many highlights of British motoring show Top Gear are the 'adventures' the presenters regularly embark on.  We've previously reviewed the excellent Polar Special, but there have also been adventures in America, Vietnam and Botswana too.  This two disc set brings the director's cut of the South America Special, the latest in the series, plus extended versions of their trips to Romania and Bonneville.

The South America Special was not only the best thing about Season 14 of Top Gear, but it's also the best adventure we've ever seen from the team, as it represents everything that's good about Top Gear; a love of cars, witty banter, incredible locations and a sense of real danger.  It's also good to see an extended version of the film, which although doesn't add anything of huge importance, does give us some more amusing scenes to enjoy.

Romania and Bonneville can be found on disc 2, and are both excellent in their own right.  These extended cuts are far more enjoyable here than when they are viewed in two parts on the show, plus the Romanian film now ends with us actually seeing the guys drive the road they set out in search of, something which was cut annoyingly short on the program.

If you enjoy Top Gear, then this an essential purchase.

5/5

The Audio and Video.

If you read our Polar Special review, you'll recall we raved about the beautiful transfer, and happily, we're going to do the same with the South America Special.  When the film starts we're entrenched in the Amazon, which for all its greenery doesn't standout as much as one would expect here, but once we're up in the Andes and towards the Pacific during the second half of the episode, the disc returns another super performance.

From the blue skies and beige rocks to the dusty, dirty reds of Clarkson's Range Rover and May's Suzuki SJ413, everything on display pops out of the screen and thanks to the excellent camerawork throughout, it's a highly immersive experience.  For some up-close moments of high definition, pause the action when we see the GPS unit showing the altitude, as you can pick out every single dust speck and LCD pixel on the screen!

Over on disc 2, the Bonneville trip has been up-converted from standard definition, but looks great despite this, however it's the supercars in Romania which really look amazing!

The audio track is a simple PCM stereo mix, but really does highlight how great stereo can sound when done correctly.  The separation is perfect, the voices never get lost and there is a surprising amount of bass thump, even with the subwoofer switched off. 

4/5

The Extras.

For the South America Special, we've been treated to a commentary track with James May, Andy Wilman the producer, Richard Porter, a camaraman and sound man too.  My expectations were high for this one, as in addition to the always great James May, we also get Top Gear's script editor Richard Porter, who contributes to the excellent Gareth Jones on Speed podcast and is both knowledgeable and witty.

It turns out not be the greatest commentary ever heard, thanks to some long pauses and towards the climax, a few too many moments of everyone talking at the same time; but it does offer some amusement and some insights into the making of the film in what sound like very challenging surroundings!

Overall.

The best Top Gear adventure so far is joined by two equally enjoyable films featuring muscle cars and supercars, all delivered with a glorious Blu-ray transfer that puts in on par with the Polar Special.  Fantastic!

5/5

2012 Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance:

• 1080p/2.40:1
• DTS-HD Master Audio.
• Available as a single disc, or as a two or three-disc release each with a digital copy.

The Film:

If you were asked to name one particular standout shot or sequence from Independence Day, then there is a very high chance you'll say the part where the alien ship blows up the White House.  Why?  It's not just because it was glimpsed briefly in the trailer, or that it was a great physical effect; no, the wanton destruction of a globally recognized landmark just had 'iconic shot' written all over it.  2012 has the same director, Roland Emmerich, the same visual effects supervisor, Volker Engel, and essentially the same plot as Independence Day, yet in fifteen years time if you're asked to name a similarly memorable scene from 2012, you'll struggle to do so, as although there is plenty to look at, there is nothing to remember.

2012's plot follows Dr.Adrian Helmsley, a scientist who discovers that the Earth is doomed, assisting the US Government in preparing 'Arks' to save a select few people, while failed writer Jackson Curtis also attempts to save his estranged family from the impending apocalypse.  Add in various children, a dog and several other characters you just know aren't going to have a happy ending and you've got yourself a disaster movie!

With a story like that, you'd be right in assuming 2012 does have plenty of visual wows, as it is after all, a film about the destruction of the world due to the heating up of Earth's core, solar storms and shifting tectonic plates; it's just that it's all a bit forgettable.  Sure, we get tidal waves, entire cities leveled and volcanoes erupting every other minute, but unlike Independence Day, it's just not fun - therefore a few hours after it finishes, you'll have completely forgotten what you were wowed about.

Don't expect the storyline to stick in your head either, as there are fewer surprises here than the contents of a clear plastic bag.  It's ridiculous escape after ridiculous escape and just in case the script ties itself up where there is no logical outcome other than a horrible death, it pulls out a stupid contrivance or a scene of sentimentality to dry-heave your way through to help pad the frankly epic 2 hour 40 minute runtime.  You'll get some unintentional laughs though, for instance when an air traffic controller tells the escaping heroes to abandon their plane's take-off as they don't have authorization, just as everything around him is about to be engulfed in volcanic ash and flame, is pure jobsworth genius!

When even quality stars including John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oliver Platt (great in Frost/Nixon) and even Amanda Peet fail to look that interested you know you're in trouble - although it's understandable as they're not given much acting to do.  Running and shouting, yes, they do that a lot, but actual emoting; no, not really.  It's not really their fault as the film relies so heavily on CGI, so presumably there was a whole lot of reacting to nothing going on.

2012 turns out to be less Independence Day and more The Day After Tomorrow, as unfortunately, the endless barrage of biblical-scale carnage cannot hide the fact that 2012 is overlong, stupid and worst of all, dull.

2/5

Follow the link to read our comments on the disc and the extras.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-glance

• 1080p with a 2.40:1 ratio.
• DTS HD Master Audio.
• Single Disc Release Reviewed.  Some copies will come with a digital copy on a second disc.

The Movie.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the other big 2009 FX movie based around a Hasbro toy line, seemed to get a little lost following Transformers 2 and Terminator: Salvation; both expensive, hyped-up blockbusters which took big money but failed to impress critics.  Joe took fair money, but was again blighted by poor reviews, however, it was perhaps a little unfair to place G.I. Joe together with these two, as it knows something they don't.

A super-powerful weapon is stolen by a mysterious organization from a convoy led by Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans), who then join forces with a special force known as G.I.Joe in order to get it back.  Using state-of-the-art hardware, the Joes chase the Baroness (Sienna Miller) and Destro around the world, fighting to regain the weapon before it's released on to an unsuspecting world.

What G.I. Joe knows is exactly how stupid it is.  Director Stephen Sommers is best known for The Mummy movies, a prefect example of films so daft that they are often enjoyable, and he injects that same enthusiasm here.  Michael Bay also does this, but with Transformers 2 there was an underlying nasty streak which made it slightly seedy, but G.I. Joe has none of that - it's a film made by big kids who want big explosions and lots of fun.

So, how stupid is it?  Well, the 'Accelerator' suits are straight out of a video game, the streams of bullets and huge car accidents never seem to kill anybody important and although the Joes are supposed to be the best in the world, the fact is they're a bit rubbish - falling down, missing easy shots or generally making a mess of situations the cast of Black Hawk Down would have sorted out in ten minutes. That's before we get on to the script or the CGI, both of which alternate between passable and laughable.  So the answer is: really quite stupid.

It's elevated above both Terminator: Salvation and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen by being fun.  It's knows that everything going on is ridiculous and just gets on with it, never feeling the need to put a lengthy scene of exposition here or a stoned parent there, instead taking us to the next set piece which in the case of the Paris 'Accelerator Suit' chase, is actually quite exciting.

But it has got Channing Tatum in it, you cry!  Yes, he's on the wooden side, but then you hardly notice as Marlon Wayans is invariably being noisy and irritating next to him.  Aside from these two, Sienna Miller actually makes a good Baroness, Ray Park a good Snake Eyes and Arnold Vosloo a good Zartan.  They all appear to be enjoying themselves, and their glee becomes infectious.

In G.I. Joe, the explosions are all enormous, the editing is too choppy, the dialogue corny and the acting hammy, but it's all surprisingly enjoyable - not in a serious way, but in a way that stupid action movies can when they're done correctly, with a lot of heart and a clear disregard for reality. 

3/5

Follow the link for our thoughts on the audio, video and extra features on the G.I. Joe Blu-ray.

The Haunting in Connecticut Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance.

• 1080p with 2.35:1 ratio.
• DTS-HD Master Audio.
• Region B Disc Reviewed.

The Movie.

Do you want to see why you should never, ever trust a trailer to give you an indication of how good a film is?  If so, take a look at the trailer for The Haunting in Connecticut.  It has some chills, some spills and the promise of more of both to come.  You'll get the impression that this is a horror movie in the grand tradition of Robert Wise's The Haunting, a psychological scare-fest that'll stay with you for days.  In short, It'll make you want to see the movie; which is of course, its job.

The Haunting in Connecticut follows the Campbell family when they're forced to rent another home closer to a hospital, so they can better treat their sick son, Matt.  Within moments of moving in, strange occurrences start to take place, seemingly only seen by Matt, but eventually affecting the whole family as they learn of their new house's morbid past.  Can they overcome their personal problems and stresses and uncover the secrets it holds?

Seen the trailer yet?  If so, just leave it there, as not only does it misrepresent the film, but it's far more enjoyable than the actual thing too.  Here's Haunting in Connecticut's main problem - it's just not scary.  At all.  Instead of building up the tension of a family moving into a new home and slowly being terrorized by unseen forces, we leap in with a massive group of woefully underdeveloped characters, who instantly start to see bad things.  Director Peter Cornwell churns out the loud noise/jump cut 'scares' within moments and you know what, it's not scary because we couldn't care less about the people it's happening too.  As the film progresses, everyone's real-life problems start to escalate too, but you'll be too busy struggling to recall the character's name to notice!

The acting, for the most part, is as dead as the former occupants of the house, with Virginia Madsen failing to convince as the family's strong mother and dreary Matt, played by Kyle Gallner, seems to be overplaying the drowsy effects of his prescription drugs.  Elias Koteas makes the best out of his Reverend Popescu role, but even he can't elevate the movie by much.

Once the house turns the haunt level up to 10, we get some flashbacks - we know they're happening a while ago, as they're filmed in sepia - and a vaguely decent seance with CGI ectoplasm.  About midway through, Virginia Madsen thankfully disappears for a while, leaving Matt and Wendy (I had to look her name up) to do some digging into the house's background, which turns out to be the high point of the movie.  Unfortunately, your interest will dissipate once tedious things start happening back at home again.  It's all just a bit too derivative.  It's easy to spot the references to Poltergeist, The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror and The Changeling, all of which are considerably better than what you're watching.  Yes, even Amityville.

So how did they manage to cut such an intriguing trailer from this?  The answer is simple, they left out the the problem areas.  There was no mention of the cancer subplot, the father's problems for example, and it had far fewer characters, making it appear taut and considered.  The Haunting in Connecticut is devoid of originality, tension or scares and contains too many characters dealing with pointless subplots.  Watch the trailer though, as the film it shows looks quite good!

2/5

The Audio and Video.

The DTS-HD track provides a wealth of surround effects, with voices, moans, groans and all kinds of unearthly sounds heading your way from the rear channels.  There are several rumbling sub-bass moments too, and the tried and tested 'loud moments' are indeed loud.  But not scary.  The dialogue is clear and very centered, and you'll have no problems understanding what everyone is saying.

The video is another story altogether.  During the opening 10 minutes or so, there are some beautiful vistas shoot in bright light, with blue skies with vivid foreground colours.  It bodes well for the remainder of the film, but unfortunately, the rest is blighted by inconsistencies including dodgy blacks and some very grainy sequences, most notably during exterior shots or extended nighttime interior scenes.  As it draws to a close, the grain becomes more noticeable and lasts for longer.  This didn't feel like a problem with the disc as much as a product of the movie itself.

3/5

The Extras.

This edition was a rental copy and contained some onset interviews, where the actors explain their roles, and some b-roll footage which was exactly that, unexciting b-roll.  There is the trailer though, but we can't recommend purchasing the disc just for that.  The retail editions have a far more impressive line-up, with a making-of featurette and a two-part documentary on the real case.  A featurette on the still photos used in the film could be interesting, plus there are some deleted scenes with commentary from the director.  The version reviewed deserves a single star, but the standard 2-disc set in the shops should be worth at least two more.

Conclusion.

Not even slightly scary and filled with double the required amount of characters, The Haunting in Connecticut should have stayed as the short film featured on the disc.  You'll find it listed under 'theatrical trailer'.

Overall: 2/5

Antichrist Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance.

• 1080p
• 2.35:1 ratio.
• Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio.
• Single disc, coded region B reviewed.

The Movie.

Every so often, a film comes along which pushes people's buttons.  It's not just trash like Eli Roth's Hostel either, as critically acclaimed, serious works such as A Clockwork Orange, Last Tango in Paris and Cronenberg's Crash have offended as many as they have impressed.  Lars von Trier's Antichrist is the latest to provoke, but is it really as sickening as some claim?

Antichrist is the story of a couple who are grieving the loss of their young son, who dies in an accident at the beginning of the film.  The man, a psychiatrist played by Willem Dafoe, tries to treat his wife, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, and therefore save their marriage, by taking her to their cabin in the woods where she spent time alone with their son while writing her thesis on gynocide.  Once there, she starts to believe that both women and nature are evil, and descends into madness.

This may be the plot, but it's not really what Antichrist is about.  It's about terrible grief and loss certainly, but it could also be about marriage, misogyny, a subject seemingly dear to von Trier's heart, or female sexuality, or perhaps even the need for men to control women, with its acts of hypnotism and male-driven psychotherapy.  Or is it none of these things and is as they say, an unpleasant, offensive, dirty little film made only to shock and disgust.  The trouble is, I think it's all of these things and more.

It's frustrating to dig into Antichrist's meaning, as the wealth of surreal imagery used throughout is difficult to decipher, leaving you with the feeling that either you're not quite clever enough to figure it out, or that you're being teased by a master craftsman into looking for meaning when there may not be any.

It's easy to get caught up in its look too, as it's stunningly shot by Anthony Dod Mantle, with the beautiful, if a little kitsch, slow motion black and white opening sequence set to an equally beautiful rendition of Handel's Rinaldo, being a particular standout.  The performances are both outstanding, with Dafoe's subdued character a perfect contrast to Gainsbourg's shrieking, guilt-ridden woman who must mentally visit some very dark places to realise the levels of despair she displays.

So far, so arty, but Antichrist has been billed as a horror film, so where's the horror?  Alongside references to Tarkovsky and David Lynch, the influence of films such as The Evil Dead and even nasty exploitation like Jorg Buttergeit's Nekromantik is also there.  Antichrist isn't frightening, but it is disturbing, eerie and uncomfortable to watch. 

This is amplified by the inclusion of strong violence, nudity, self-mutilation and briefly, some real sex.  Although the wince-inducing violence doesn't linger onscreen like it would in a 70s exploitation film, it retains that dirty feel, tipping Antichrist over into that genre rather than straight horror.  It's not a bad thing though, as it puts the viewer even more on edge.

To answer my original question, no, Antichrist isn't the danger to society it has been labeled as.  It's thought-provoking, subversive, challenging and extremely well-made, but tinged with an uncomfortable notion that you're being manipulated with an almost impish glee throughout.  It's the best thing Lars von Trier has made, but only you can decide if it's for you or not.

4/5

Follow the link below to continue reading our thoughts on Antichrist's audio, video and extra features.

The Hurt Locker Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance.

• 1080p
• DTS-HD Master Audio.
• Single disc release.

The Movie.

In Point Break, Bodie lives for the rush, gradually enticing Johnny Utah - who is as addicted as he is - into the world of stronger highs and bigger thrills.  Strange Days' Nero is forever looking for the most exciting 'clip' he can find, or reliving old highs through virtual reality, while in Near Dark, blood provides not only life, but an almost orgasmic high for the vampires. Kathryn Bigelow, aside from making distinctly macho films, also makes films about adrenalin junkies, and The Hurt Locker is another example of this.

The plot is simple, following the death of their respected leader, an IED bomb disposal group in the final days of their tour of Iraq gets a new Staff Sergeant, but one whose disregard for his own safety and apparent enjoyment of highly dangerous situations begins to threaten the crew.

While there is narrative flow throughout The Hurt Locker, it is essentially a collection of set-pieces - but what a collection!  As you take your breath when the movie starts, the all-enveloping tension experienced for the next 130 minutes makes it feel like you don't exhale until the final moment.  This astonishingly tense atmosphere is a testament to Kathryn Bigelow's brilliant direction, making us care about the characters with the minimal amount of development, by keeping our attention on just how dangerous their jobs really are.

Several big-name actors appear in cameo roles, leaving the main characters for those less well-known, but mark our words, no-one is safe here, providing an uncomfortable, but very realistic feeling that anyone could die at any moment.  The excellent locations, actually close to the Iraqi border in Jordan, add even more realism to the situation, as does the faux-documentary shooting style.

Where The Hurt Locker fails slightly is when it tries to add too much story.  Instead of concentrating on just the soldiers and their daily flirtations with mortal danger, there is the addition of a subplot involving a local boy selling pirate DVDs.  While its intentions are clearly to justify Staff Sergeant James's behavior, it ends up feeling like unnecessary back story along with an oddly unrealistic nighttime excursion into the city. 

However, this is easily forgiven when the rest of The Hurt Locker feels like the onset of an anxiety attack.  Not since Black Hawk Down has a war movie done such a great job of not being about war, but the men who fight it.

5/5

The Audio and Video.

Even if The Hurt Locker was rubbish, it would still be a must-own disc thanks to the astounding audio mix.  The opening sequence puts you in the centre of a bomb disposal operation, trapped inside a protective suit, wary of noises coming from behind and then shocked as an explosion rips the air apart.  The bass and surround effects used here are so intense and so real, that this disc puts every other supposedly immersive movie soundtrack to shame.

It continues too.  Sick of feeble sounding gun shots in films?  Not here you won't be, as each and every shot is given a healthy bass kick so that when 50mm guns start blazing, you know 50mm guns are blazing!  Around the back, helicopters constantly whirr across the soundscape, while upfront, the dialogue is clear and concise.  An audio treat!

The image is also excellent, but as The Hurt Locker is rather drab in terms of colour, with plenty of sun-induced whiteout in places too, we have to look to faces and grains of sand to find all the wonderful detail.  There is plenty of it once you start to look beyond the normal Blu-ray standbys of landscapes and bright colours, with sweat beads and intricately detailed gun barrels particular standouts.

A wonderful presentation of a brilliant film.

5/5

Extras.

The disc reviewed is the UK single disc edition, encoded as region B.  The extras look like this:  A behind-the-scenes featurette, interviews and backstage, all totaling around 25 minutes of bonus material.  The only trouble is, none are worth watching.  The BTS featurette is a little fluffy, not really giving much insight - not its fault really, as there is only so much everyone can say on location in 12 minutes - and the backstage featurette is exactly that; it's like standing backstage, watching what's going on and no-one saying a word to you.  The interviews are slightly more revealing, but again, a 10 minute runtime for a collection of interviews is just not enough to get any real depth.

The US edition adds a commentary with Kathryn Bigelow, but is encoded as region A, so Euro fans will have to make do without.  If you've heard the commentary, let us know what it's like in the comments section below.

2/5

Overall.

It doesn't matter that the bonus content is lacking, as the powerful, exciting film and rip-roaring audio track ensure you'll return to the film several times before worrying about gaining any insight about how it was made.  Best Director Oscar in the bag?  I think so!

5/5

District 9 Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance

• 1080p with a 1.85:1 ratio.
• DTS-HD Master Audio.
• Single, All Region disc reviewed.
• HMV Exclusive Steelbook packaging.

The Movie:

2009 was quite a year for science fiction in the cinema, with Moon providing a return to traditional sci-fi, Star Trek modernising a tired format and Avatar seemingly taking more money than all other films put together.  District 9 was another sci-fi movie with a big name attached - Peter Jackson - and has been lavished with plenty of critical praise.  But does it deserve the Oscar it has been nominated for? 

District 9 follows Wikus Van De Merwe, appointed head of an operation to evict and rehouse a race of alien beings who have been living in slums outside Johannesberg since their accidental arrival on Earth nearly 30 years ago.  An accident sees Wikus come into contact with alien technology and as his body changes, he becomes both a valuable commodity to his superiors and an unease friend of the aliens, but who will he side with?

Firstly, Sharlto Copley, who plays Wikus, is excellent.  Disliking his sniveling, slimy coward of a character is easy, but his subtle performance does allow his insecurities show as his life takes an unexpected turn and although you don't ever really like him, you do become sympathetic to his plight.  The effects work is also superb, helped by the newsreel-style cinematography, with a pleasing mix of CGI and animatronics for the aliens themselves.  Director Neil Blomkamp directs a fast-paced and exciting movie, but special mention must go to his handling of the action sequences, as they truly feel directed rather than being built in the editing suite later on.  You get to see what is happening, with sensible cuts used to amplify tension - something lacking in many modern action films.

Instead of  going into the political themes or the obvious comparisons with films like Cronenberg's The Fly, I want to look at District 9's similarity with another Best Picture nominee, Avatar.  The themes addressed in District 9, those of how we treat outsiders, loyalty and the problems of large corporations are also addressed in Avatar, but when watching James Cameron's epic, these and its other themes were obvious and didn't require much thought from the audience, and I never related to the Na'Vi's plight due to the childish nature of the script.  But this was not the case with District 9.  Its messages are there for you to discover as you move through the story, gaining real empathy for the Prawns (the human nickname for the aliens) and a surprising level of hatred for not only Wikus, but for his company too.  This is a movie which really has something to say, but if you just want the action then you'll be happy too.  While it may not win the Best Picture Oscar this year, it most certainly shouldn't be beaten by Avatar, as District 9 does almost everything Avatar does in terms of spectacle - without the need for 3D - but trumps it in terms of scripting, story and depth.

5/5

Follow the link to read our thoughts on the Blu-ray audio, visual and bonus features, plus pictures of the HMV Exclusive Steelbook.

Moon - Blu-ray Review

Tech-at-a-Glance.

• 1080p HD.
• 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio.
• 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio.
• UK 'Region Free' edition reviewed.

The Movie:

There is something about a great debut movie that can really excite.  The Evil Dead, Reservoir Dogs and Eraserhead are all examples of brilliant first films whose directors have gone on to make many more and on watching Moon, you have the feeling that its first-time director Duncan Jones, will also be added to that list.

Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, an astronaut who single-handedly runs a mining operation on the far side of the moon, where the extracted 'Helium 3' product is the answer to Earth's continuing energy problems.  On a routine maintenance mission, an accident befalls him with seemingly no way of returning to base, however, he awakens in the infirmary - and he's not alone.

Duncan Jones is very forthcoming about his influences, but to continually quote these does the film an injustice, as Moon itself is likely to prove equally as influential for other filmmakers thanks to the tight storyline and real emotional impact, all done on a small, independent budget.  The first act is creepy and unsettling, with little explanation of what could be going on, while the second act alternates between being profoundly moving and desperately sad, it's as much a study of what it's like to live with yourself as it is a study of loneliness.  At the centre of this is Sam Rockwell, who always impresses, and the genius of his performance is clear when you invest in his dual-role without any question.  Special mention should also go to the voice-only performance of Kevin Spacey as the base's computer, GERTY, who takes pleasure in moving the role in a different direction than one initially expects    British comedy fans should watch out for a brief cameo by Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and IT Crowd star Matt Berry too! 

Moon is science fiction told the old-fashioned way, filmed on an actual set with CGI touches and using models complimented by careful use of CGI for the exterior shots, plus a fantastic central performance by Sam Rockwell.  After it ends, first time viewers will be left with the decision of how long they will to wait before watching it again.  I lasted all of two days.

5/5

The Audio and Video:

Moon isn't a particularly colorful movie, but the whites, blacks, blues and greys are all pin-sharp, with no image issues showing up in the often problematic star fields either.  It's a modern film and the Blu-ray presentation is essentially flawless, especially when inside the base, where occasional harsh lighting brings out some beautiful skin-tones and exposes a high level of background detail.

Audio-wise it's slightly less impressive, but not so much that one could mark it down by much, as it's just not that sort of movie. The DTS-HD audio isn't filled with punchy bass or endless surround effects, but what it does have, it deals with perfectly well.  There were a few scenes early on where the dialogue sounded slightly muffled, but this didn't feel like a problem with the mix, more something which occurred during filming.  Where the audio excels is when Clint Mansell's - he of Requiem for a Dream fame - haunting score is playing.  The end credits are a particular treat in this respect!

4/5

The Disc:

You're not going to find anything which isn't on the DVD here, aside from BD-Live of course, but it's a relatively comprehensive collection for a film of this budget.  The most informative and entertaining piece is Duncan Jones and Stuart Fenegan's commentary track, which tells you almost everything you need to know about what it was like making Moon, while the second track with Jones, the DP and some of the design team, struggled to hold my interest as it wandered off track a little too often.

Two featurettes, a Making-of and Creating the Visual FX, run for 16 and 11 minutes respectively, but still manage to cram plenty of information in.  The FX featurette does get quite technical but is an excellent look at how CGI can be used to enhance shots rather than simply create them.  Finally there are two Q&A's with Duncan Jones, plus a short film too.

4/5

Overall:

Intelligent and moving science fiction, with an amazing performance from Sam Rockwell and a good set of extra features ensure Moon is highly recommended to fans of the genre.  The best thing?  It should see many who aren't fans of sci-fi realize it's not all space battles and aliens, and that sci-fi isn't only for the geeky.

4/5