6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
In the late fifteenth century, Christopher Columbus persuades the Queen of Spain to fund his latest expedition to the East by searching out new trade routes on the way. Inadvertently arriving in the Americas, Columbus attempts to civilize the natives and live in harmony with them, but his efforts are sabotaged by a crew intent on plundering all the New World has to offer.
Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Armand Assante, Sigourney Weaver, Loren Dean, Ángela MolinaHistory | 100% |
Biography | 62% |
Drama | 16% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
The thought of making a movie about Christopher Columbus in 2017 is absurd, with any possible production sure to be swiftly blasted by condemnation from various concerned parties. However, back in 1992, there was a race to put as many Christopher Columbus features on screen as possible, offered during a pre-social media era when those acutely aware of the famous explorer’s true achievements had no place to protest. Four tales of Columbus’s journey across the world were delivered for the 500th anniversary of his “discovery” of America, with one, “Christopher Columbus: The Discovery,” a bloated, moronic bomb from Alexander and Ilya Salkind, while director Ridley Scott was gifted a premiere creative opportunity with “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” endeavoring to craft a more realistic take on the story, but still paying tribute to the spirit of exploring and the savagery of man.
"1492: Conquest of Paradise" has not been refreshed for this Blu-ray release, boasting a tired AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation. While not disastrous, the viewing experience isn't where it should be, as the feature is primarily a cinematographic achievement, showcasing amazing lighting and depth. Delineation suffers the most, delivering troublesome black levels that frequently solidify, losing frame information. Some mild ghosting is detected. Sequences lit by firelight also look too red. Filtering is present, along with faint vertical lines that periodically appear. The picture is best served in the brightness of day, which brings out the best of Scott's vision, offering depth of field and passable colors, including greenery and costuming, and native cultures add their own special hues. Source is without major points of damage, but speckling is present.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix is capable, delivering a modest but effective listening experience. Theatrical engagements for "1492: Conquest of Paradise" offered a more robust track, but the Blu-ray's frontal position isn't unappealing, preserving dialogue exchanges and managing accents, which is vital to keeping up with the feature. Scoring is sharp and engaging, handled with pleasing instrumentation and support, bringing out the movie's sense of grandeur. Atmospherics are active, doing well with crowd sequences and jungle environments, and sound effects are secure, capturing violent exchanges.
"Conquest of Paradise" is not a picture that improves as it goes. At 150 minutes in length, Scott overstays his welcome, filling the work with repetitive scenes of cruelty and confrontation, emphasizing just how misguided Christopher's ambitions became. The screenplay gets caught up in history but never feels accurate, dissolving into a melodrama at times, while Christopher himself gets off lightly in the end, with Scott softening the blow by preserving the man's soaring spirit in the face of condemnation, imprisonment, and competition. The movie could do with a significant amount of editorial tightening, even losing most of Depardieu's iffy line readings, reducing the endeavor to an outstandingly ornamented silent production that grasps the enormity of Christopher's vision. Scott is game to go where the production needs to, and there are incredible images to hold attention, but as the story unfolds, there's plenty of superfluous dramatic detours and showy performances, losing focus on Christopher's growing nightmare, effectively crippling the effort. The world certainly didn't need four Christopher Columbus features in 1992, but it's safe to say that, while deeply flawed, "1492: Conquest of Paradise" is the best one. That's damning with faint praise, I know, but in a race to the bottom, Ridley Scott's work at least offers a few moments of epic filmmaking to savor.
2012
1966
1964
Masterpiece
2015
2015
2008
1956
Special Edition
1968
2018
Limited Edition to 3000
1972
2006
2017
2008
2013
40th Anniversary Edition
1977
Director's Cut
2017
2018
2011
2009
2017