Ocean Heaven (2010/Well Go USA
Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B- & C Sound: B & B- Extras: C Films: B-
Jet Li
has been used well in some films, not so well in others and a few films he did
were so bad, it was nothing short of exploitive and infuriating. He has wanted to show he can act and has even
expressed doing musicals, but it turns out that he can do serious dramatic
acting and the proof is a decent drama from Xue Xiaolu’s Ocean Heaven (2010).
In it, he
is impressive as a loving father with a son who is an autistic savant (Lunmei
Kwai. when he is a young adult, doing a good job here) who live alone as the
wife/mother is gone. Now, the father is
sick and is going to die, putting him in a race against time to find important,
specific, special care for his son before it is too late. Of course this is not easy and though some of
these scenes may be familiar from similar films, this is still beautifully
done, well acted, well directed and not just some bad TV movie.
The
father also works as an aquarium where his son always joins him and loves the
aquatic animals. This is one of many
locales where the story decides to reveal itself in visual terms beyond plot
and dialogue, making it often an exercise in pure cinema, but it is a drama at
heart and this is pretty good overall despite the feeling we have been here
before on some levels. It is definitely
worth a look.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on the Blu-ray looks really
good with only minor complains and some soft shots, mixes both Kodak and Fuji
film stocks and thanks to the work of Director of Photography Christopher
Doyle, H.K.S.C., (Paranoid Park, The Quiet American, Rabbit-Proof Fence, In The Mood For Love) is professional
all the way. There are even a few demo shots
here. The anamorphically enhanced DVD
included is sadly much softer and does not do justice to the work here. The DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix
is solid, consistent and full throughout with a decent soundfield, though there
are many dialogue-heavy moments. The Dolby
Digital 5.1 on the DVD is not bad, but not as warm or consistent as the Blu-ray
DTS-MA.
Extras
include features a Making Of featurette
and trailers for this and many more Well Go USA releases.
- Nicholas Sheffo
