The anamorphically enhanced 2.32:1 DVD, viewed in component video, exhibits a picture that is often very dark. Viewing in a completely blackened room is undoubtedly required because many of the darkest scenes lack visual information otherwise. Images are sharp and detailed, with nicely rendered background definition. Colors are balanced throughout the dark picture, with accurately rendered fleshtones and deep, pure blacks. There are minor instances of edge enhancement and pixelization, but no distracting artifacts. The picture is absolutely pleasing, but the occasional "digital" appearance and dark, undefined quality leave it just shy of pristine. The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack delivers a superb sonic presentation that covers all the bases for an awesome, exciting multichannel digital sound experience. The sound mixers have created an enveloping, captivating three dimensional soundfield that results in a compelling holosonic listening environment and fully justifies the need for a bonafide 5.1-channel audio presentation in order to "properly" experience this film. All of the five main channels are treated as equals in the soundstage, and the split surrounds are utilized to great effect in enhancing the sense of space and realism. The fidelity overall is first rate, on par with the best digital film soundtracks. The use of the SMART® Devices Center Surround 3X™ to extract phantom back surround imaging proved to be a further valuable asset in this respect. This is a rather loud, aggressive-sounding film, but should not be overpowering-and the loudness seems just right for this movie. If you thought all of these attributes alone would sellthis soundtrack... there's much more. The engagement of a wide dynamic range is exemplary-for a terrific example, listen to the huge explosion in Chapter 3. Even during non-aggressive moments, the soundfield is still open and spacious, with the subtleties of sounds depicting the city outdoors. John Debney's music score is awesome, with a gutsy, dynamic, prominent presence in the sound mix and excellent fidelity attributed, of course, to a superb recording. Deep bass extension is deep, clean and powerful, with sub-25Hz extension in all channels and aggressive engagement of the .1 LFE. You're going to need high SPL-capable subwoofers to deliver the rumbles and low frequency intensities demanded by this soundtrack. Last but not least, the dialogue production is remarkable, with very well recorded voices delivering crisp, clean intelligibility and substantially better than typical spatial integration. Very simply put, this is a powerful, adrenaline pumping movie sound experience that ranks as one of the best, and must be enjoyed in its full 5.1-channel glory to get the most out of this intense film. |
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