7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
After serving a number of years as a squire, an earnest young commoner poses as a knight and establishes himself in the jousting tournaments of Europe. He and a princess fall in love, but she is unaware of his deceit and common roots. The false knight is estranged from the princess once his true roots are revealed. He struggles to amend their relationship.
Starring: Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Laura Fraser (II)Action | 100% |
Adventure | 96% |
Comedy | 81% |
Romance | 55% |
Period | 15% |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, Thai
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
If the nobles find out who you are there will be the devil to pay.
Hand it to Writer/Director Brian Helgeland (Writer, The Taking of Pelham 1 2
3; Director, Payback: Straight
Up) for thinking outside the box, even when the general outline for his 2001 motion
picture A
Knight's Tale is a hard-rock, free-flowing, but otherwise standard rags-to-riches tale.
Starring the late Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight),
A Knight's Tale is a fine example of competent but not necessarily essential or
particularly memorable cinema, even considering Helgeland's unique approach to the story and its
era. The film is more of a curiosity than it is a success, but credit it for daring to break from the
monotony of Hollywood and at least attempt to inject some originality and verve into a basic
cinematic motif. Daring to be different -- no matter how goofy or out of place the results may be
-- deserves kudos in this age of remakes, re-tellings, sequels, prequels, and material that borrows
heavily
from other media.
He will rock you like a hurricane.
A Knight's Tale gallops onto Blu-ray with a good but slightly underwhelming 1080p, MPEG-2 encoded, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The transfer offers solid levels of detail and a bright, crisp color palette, and while the image is both at-a-glance and upon closer examination superior in every regard to its standard DVD counterpart, it never reaches the same level of excellence as most of Sony's transfers of a more recent vintage. The abundant array of colors is the film's most standout visual trait, and it's also the Blu-ray disc's strongest attribute. From the lush outdoor greens to the earthen tones of the dirt jousting tracks and all the many hues found throughout the transfer and in-between, the 1080p encode handles them well. Detail is solid across the board as well; every dent in armor, fine texture in wood grain, and grime on peasant clothing is nicely rendered. Nevertheless, the print exhibits plenty of noticeable but not necessarily distracting or deal-breaking artifacts. Additionally, grain is minimal, but the transfer appears just the slightest bit artificial with a slight digital feel to it. Blacks and flesh tones are generally stable and true. This is good transfer all around but not as nicely rendered as some of the best transfers Sony is known for.
A Knight's Tale trots onto Blu-ray with a nicely presented PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack. From the more raucous crowd scenes to the most delicate atmospherics, this track handles everything asked of it with relative ease. As to the latter, listeners will often feel immersed within the cozy confines of various outdoor locales; buzzing insects, a gently flowing stream, chirping birds, and a light breeze all work in conjunction to create a pleasant and wonderfully lifelike ambience. In contrast, the more aggressive musical numbers -- and the modern Rock beats in particular -- enjoy a full and room-filling presentation. Making extensive use of the surround channels, the people's in-rhythm chanting, clapping, and stomping -- not to mention the guitar licks to follow -- as demonstrated during We Will Rock You are heard and felt all around the soundstage, all delivered with a pristine clarity. Dialogue reproduction is strong in every instance, and even voices heard inside a cavernous chapel in chapter three gently echo throughout the soundstage, effectively placing the listener amidst the cold and gray stone walls. Bass gallops into the track from time to time, the stomping of the horses participating in the jousts delivering a particularly satisfying low end. All told, A Knight's Tale makes for a solid sonic experience in every regard.
No extras are included.
Not a great but a surprisingly decent and above-average picture, A Knight's Tale isn't for all tastes but audiences willing to completely suspend disbelief and accompany the film's characters on Writer/Director Brian Helgeland's medieval Rock journey just might be pleasantly surprised with the results. Regardless of one's reaction to the picture, there's no denying the film's valiant effort to buck the system and offer something fairly unique to an otherwise rather stale stable of motion pictures that follow formula through and through and year after year. With a good cast and solid direction, A Knight's Tale's flaws are often overshadowed by the film's jovial tone and different approach to an old story. Sony's Blu-ray disc is one of the earlier releases in the format's life. The MPEG-2 encoded 1080p picture isn't quite up to par with the studio's more recent efforts, but it's a bright and colorful outing that should please most viewers. A strong uncompressed soundtrack is another highlight, but fans will be disappointed by the complete absence of bonus materials. A Knight's Tale is an easy candidate for a potential future double dip, and until then, the occasional rental or purchase at a bargain-basement price of this featureless release should tide fans over.
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Holiday Gift Set
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