In
The Heart Of The Sea
(2015/Warner Blu-ray 3D w/Blu-ray 2D and DVD)
3D
Picture: A- 2D Picture: B+ DVD Picture: B- Sound: B+
Extras: B+ Film: C+
Ron
Howard has come a long way as a filmmaker and proves himself more
stylized and polished than ever in his latest film, In
The Heart of the Sea
(2015). A spin on Herman Melville's Moby
Dick
story with a dash of Jaws,
the film stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor) in the lead role. The film is
superbly shot with interesting color correction and astonishing
special effects that really pop on Blu-ray 3D and 2D regular Blu-ray.
Warner Bros. has done a great job on the presentation for this
release and I highly recommend it to those of you with a nice home
entertainment system you want to show off.
In
1820, crewmen (Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy)
aboard the New England vessel Essex face a harrowing battle for
survival when a whale of mammoth size and strength attacks with
force, crippling their ship and leaving them adrift in the ocean.
Pushed to their limits and facing storms, starvation, panic and
despair, the survivors must resort to the unthinkable to stay alive.
Their incredible tale ultimately inspires author Herman Melville to
write Moby
Dick.
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and
a superb Dolby Atmos track, the film looks and sounds fantastic on
Blu-ray disc. Also on the disc is a lossless Dolby TrueHD 7.1
(48kHz, 24-bit) that also sounds amazing and is pretty comparable.
Dialogue is crisp and even with great sound design done throughout,
but especially the action sequences. This is a film that really
benefits from 3D with some jaw-dropping effects and even the feeling
of water splashing out of the television at you. Definitely a nice
job all around.
The
DVD pushes the limits of the format in standard definition with an
anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a lossy Dolby
Digital 5.1 track. The UltraViolet Copy is of more compressed
quality but will look fine on your smart phone or tablet, but is
average at best.
Extras
include...
-
Whale Tales: Melville's Untold Story
-
The Hard Life of a Whaler
-
Chase & Pollard: A Man of Means and A Man of Courage
-
LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE: The Real-Life Sequel to Moby Dick
-
Commanding the Heart of the Sea
-
Deleted and Extended Scenes
-
Ron Howard: Captain's Log
The
film isn't what I would call a classic but an entertaining adventure
with solid directing and a good cast. The theme of the film is
definitely that of human willpower and how far the human spirit can
be pushed against adversity. A few predictable plot twists, aside I
enjoyed this film.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
