Justin
& The Knights Of Valor (2013/Arc Blu-ray)
Picture:
A- Sound: B Extras: D Film: B-
Justin
is a dreamer, all he wishes to become is a great knight like his
grandfather, but his father wants him to become a lawyer and go to
law school. He decides to sneak out and go on a quest to find his
grandfather's lost sword. Along the way he runs into the beautiful
barmaid Talia and a wayward wizard, who help teach him what he needs
to be a true knight. Justin's get the chance to test his skills when
a fallen knight and his army of thugs decide to attack the kingdom.
Justin dreams of riding off on adventures and defending the kingdom
just like his grandfather, but it's a little hard since Knights have
been banned.
Justin
& The Knights Of Valor
(2013) is the latest CGI animated import feature film from France and
its not bad at all. As he trains, Justin learns he learns being a
knight is more than having a sharp sword and shiny armor. That
sometimes being a knight means following your heart. He gets his
wish when he discovers a former knight and his gang are plotting to
over throw the kingdom, and only he can stop them.
This
animation was wonderful done, with beautiful characters with very
fluid movements, worthy of Pixar or Disney. It is a coming of age
story of a boy wishing to follow his dreams even when he knew it was
against his father's wishes and against the law. It has simple plot,
but was well done in dialog, mixed in with a lot of comical scenes
and songs. English-language voice actors include Antonio Banderas,
Julie Waters, Charles Dance, Rupert Everett, Alfred Molina and Olivia
Williams.
The
1080p 1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image looks really good for
not being from DreamWorks or Disney/Pixar. Add the
impressive-enough, lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix and you
have a very fine overall presentation. There are oddly no extras.
-
Ricky Chiang
