kal
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Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 18114
Location: Ottawa, Canada
TV/Projector: JVC DLA-NZ7
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| Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 10:14 pm Post subject: War of the Arrows [Blu-ray] |
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Another reference disc!
War of the Arrows [Blu-ray] (2011)
(Hover over link for price, click to purchase and support our forum at no extra cost to you)
| Quote: | 'War of the Arrows' is a refreshingly original and creative take on the epic movies. It takes the genre back to its low budget, low CG roots. Instead of banking on huge sequence with hundreds of background actors and CG hoards for your entertainment, it establishes a story and characters worth caring for. With very few special effects, the action is still able to get your heart pumping enough to make you sit on the edge of your seat. The extremely sharp and crisp definition of the video is only lacking because of compression issues – banding and aliasing, to be specific. The audio, however, isn't lacking at all. The five-star demo-worthy lossless track is just as impressive in the down-time than it is during the intense battle sequences. Despite a void of worthy special features, 'War of the Arrows' is still a recommended Blu-ray.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
'War of the Arrows' has been given a nice 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode. Despite the case claiming that the film is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, it's actually shown in 2.35:1.
What you will immediately notice is the great sharpness and clarity. Despite being set in the dark dead of night, details are powerful and precise in the opening sequence. You'll see individual specks of blood splatter as arrows pass through the bodies of innocent villagers and chomping dogs. Sadly, the second thing you will notice is the banding, which actually occurs more than a handful of times throughout the film. Banding isn't the only compression flaw found on the disc. Flickering aliasing occasionally appears in close-ups of hair and in tightly woven clothing patterns.
Despite the black levels being very strong, there's a small amount of crushing that occurs in the middle of the film. Fleshtones are natural and contract is consistent. 'War of the Arrows' isn't wildly colorful, but the colors are featured are natural and not overly saturated. The red of blood is deep and strong. There aren't any traces of digital noise, DNR, edge enhancement or artifacts.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
While there are both lossless Korean and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio tracks, I recommend going the Korean route with subtitles because the English dub is so inorganic and flat that it's an unnecessary distraction.
Much like the sharpness of the video, the high quality audio is immediately noteworthy upon starting the film – only it's flawless. All channels are constantly in use with well-mixed effects and music, making this the very best and most dynamic use of sound in a Well Go USA release that I've seen to date.
The opening raid is a demo-worthy sound sequence. The footsteps of armed enemies rushing the village adds to the intensity. The speakers are also lit up with barking dogs, crackling sounds of burning torches, chinking armor and swords and screaming civilians. The great use of bass and LFE also adds to the panic attack-inducing tension.
This great mix never lacks. The calm scenes feature just as noteworthy audio as the action ones. Seamless imaging becomes a central character as the bow and arrow fighting becomes more prevalent. Many shots playfully feature arrows whizzing past the camera's point of view. Each time, the mix truly makes the arrows sound as if they're soaring past your head. |
Kal
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