kal
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| Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 6:07 pm Post subject: The World's End [Blu-ray] |
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The World's End (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD with UltraViolet) (2013)
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| Quote: | Much like 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz,' 'The World's End' is a comedy that requires multiple viewings - not only to appreciate it more, but to be able to grasp all of the jokes, gags, and hilarious dialog being thrown around. What Wright, Pegg, Frost and Company achieve within the end-of-the-world genre is priceless. Their comedy has matured, as has their ability to tell grown up stories. The qualities of the film's video and audio are damn near perfect, making it an eye-and-ear-pleasing disc worthy of revisiting time and time again. The Blu-ray set includes DVD, iTunes, and Ultraviolet copies of the film, as well as several hours of special features. Three commentaries, multiple image galleries, deleted/alternate scenes and a few hours of extensive behind-the-scenes featurettes fill the disc. Although they've said that this will be their last collaboration, that this is the final film in their unofficial "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy," here's to hoping that they're wrong. Highly recommended.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
Focus (and Universal) have given World's End' a strong 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode that presents the film in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The video quality is so close to perfection that you can barely be upset by it's minor nit-picky flaw.
If you love the look of clean and clear celluloid films, then get ready for greatness. 'The World's End' is sharp and detailed. Fine features like facial pores and hairs can always be seen. You'll notice textures of surfaces, like wooden table tops, pitted concrete walls and soft clothing. There's a very fine dusting of grain throughout the bulk of the film. With the opening sequence being shot on hand-cranked 16mm camera, it's flashy, jerky, and extremely grainy.
The film features a wide array of colors once the robots/monsters/aliens/whatever-they-are enter the picture. With wildly blue ink-like blood, the palette then starts to incorporate small flashes of that blue in its decor and settings. When the gang enters a night club, the vibrancy of color becomes explosive as exaggerated neons wash over the settings and characters. Because the film literally and figuratively gets darker as it progresses, these colors burst onto the screen. The only pale colors in film are the light blues that glow from the eyes, mouths and palms of "the blanks." The black levels are rich and consuming, adding an uncertainty to the outdoor scenes because you never know who/what is lurking in the shadows.
My only complaint with the video quality is a very small amount of noise that shows up in handful of shots. The noise doesn't catch your eyes because it doesn't hover over black areas of the screen. Instead, it's layered over colorful sections.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
'The World's End' arrives on Blu-ray with a great 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix. Most comedies don't feature exemplary audio mixing, but the action brings out the potential of a lossless mix.
The film opens with Gary King's voice-over recap of the gang's failed attempt at The Golden Mile from 20 years in the past. The '90s music that plays is incredibly mixed, digital drum beats bouncing from channel to channel. Music is consistently strong.
The clarity of the vocal quality is fantastic - which is a must because of how fast the dialog flies. Had their been a mistake in the vocal mixing, many of the fast jokes would be lost.
Wright has a great style for creative scene transitions. Much like those on the 'Hot Fuzz' Blu-ray, these feature great sounds accompanying the quickly edited on-screen actions. Some of them exemplify amazing imaging, like vehicles seamlessly swooshing across the theater space. Action scenes come to life with the chaotic sounds. With ten or more people going fist-to-fist in small confined areas, loads of dynamic sound soar. The mix is deep and rich, featuring a a few great examples of LFE to punch the on-screen action.
And even in the standard mild comedic scenes, the mix functions well. Environmental sounds - especially the pub settings - naturally bring the locations to life. |
Kal
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