6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A young woman sails into the eye of a hurricane to save the man she loves.
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Thomas, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Grace PalmerBiography | 100% |
Romance | 48% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It must be one of the most hopeless feelings in the world: adrift in the middle of the ocean, supplies dwindling, food scarce, communications down, the ship not exactly seaworthy after powering through a category five hurricane, and the only hope for survival a dream of someday beating the odds and drifting to land. That was the reality for more than a month of Tami Oldham's life, and it is on her incredible true story that Adrift is based. Director Baltasar Kormákur, who previously helmed the man-versus-nature true story Everest, crafts a touching and engrossing story of love, tragedy, and survival on the seas, told in a manner that juxtaposes the burgeoning romance and the frightening fight to survive in an endless, watery expanse.
Adrift's 1080p transfer sails high. It's bright and clear and the presentation is very cinematic. As with many new releases, it stretches the 1080p format to its limits, with rock-solid, pinpoint detailing the norm, especially considering basic skin textures and beyond: gory wounds, signs of sun damage and dehydration, and dried blood. Clothing fabrics and seams enjoy tactile complexity and larger environmental points of interest, such as wooden docks, crowded Tahitian marketplaces, and odds and ends in and around a boat, all of which reveal an endless supply of well defined imagery. Colors are terrific. Bright blue waters are the standout, as are blue skies, but the water is certainly the most eye-catching component of the entire image, absolutely sparkling and bright in sunshine. Nighttime and low light black levels impress and skin tones appear accurate, even as the characters begin to suffer from dehydration and exposure. A little underwater banding is visible in a few places but this is otherwise a pristine, beautiful Blu-ray image.
Adrift's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack roars. The film begins with some very impressive creaks as the battered vessel, half filled with sea water, struggles to maintain its equilibrium and Tami fights through to find anything that might help her in the storm's immediate aftermath. The additional rear channels, courtesy of the 7.1 configuration, do wonders to deliver fuller immersion and purposefully encircle the listener into the frighteningly wet environment. Later in the film, as the storm rages in flashback, intense waves crash and spill through every speaker. The subwoofer kicks in with prominent heft to better define the terror. Wind gusts, Richard's and Tami's screams, rain spiking down: it's a frighteningly hellish barrage and a reference moment for sheer power and intensity of cinema sound. There is some good environmental din in densely populated outdoor shops in chapter seven while less intense, but still prominent, weather effects soak the stage elsewhere. Music is spacious and clear and dialogue is true and grounded in the front-center channel. This track is a great example of extremes, ranging from whisper-quiet sweet nothings to some of the most intensive storm effects ever heard in a movie soundtrack.
This Blu-ray release of Adrift contains several special features, including a commentary track and deleted scenes. A DVD copy of the film and
an iTunes digital copy code are included with purchase. The release ships with an embossed slipcover.
Adrift is a wonderful film of the fight for survival against nature. Kormákur previously and effectively tackled the subject with the doomed expedition to the top of Mount Everest and he does so here on an even more personal level that digs even deeper into the psychology of despair and hopelessness against an unforgiving example of nature's wrath which just so happens to juxtapose with its beauty and majesty. The film is the beneficiary of a terrific lead performance that conveys the physical and emotional stresses and strains with frightening depth. Universal's Blu-ray is about as good as the movie. Video and audio are pristine and the release includes a healthy allotment of extra content. Very highly recommended.
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