6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When his wife must endure costly medical treatments, Danny, a decorated veteran, plots an elaborate heist with his adopted brother Will to steal millions from a prestigious bank in Los Angeles. Yet when their scheme goes awry, the brothers take control of a nearby ambulance to escape, taking the vehicle's ailing passenger and a do-gooder EMT worker as hostages.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González, Garret Dillahunt, Keir O'DonnellAction | 100% |
Thriller | 41% |
Heist | 15% |
Crime | 5% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ambulance is one of the best films of Michael Bay's career. It's short on the needlessly overwrought humor that destroyed most of his Transformers films and sees the director return to the glory days of The Rock, building a very slick, and yes still a bit overengineered but very effective Action film packed with plenty of character depth and emotional overtones. The filmmaker delivers a hearty watch full of his signature scorch and adrenaline overload while also building a carefully conceived plot of interconnecting pieces and enough variation of story content to maintain a quick pace even through a runtime well above two hours. Good stuff!
Universal brings Ambulance to Blu-ray with a rock-solid 1080p transfer. The picture is excellent, offering the very best in modern technical craftsmanship at this resolution. Skin details are tremendously clear and complex, pushing the 1080p resolution to its max. Clarity is striking on various examples of clothes, inside the ambulance, and elsewhere throughout the film. Viewers will never be disappointed with the level of textural excellence, and while the companion UHD is its superior, the Blu-ray is no joke for sharpness and definition. Colors are outstanding. They push fairly hot in classic Michael Bay style, and there is plenty of punch and vividness on display. Reds and fiery oranges are a highlight high point, but black levels, whites, and skin tones are all excellent. Source noise is a bit dense in places, enough to draw attention in the heaviest examples, but there are no other serious source or encode issues worth noting. This is an A-grade transfer from Universal and every bit the image one would expect of a brand new Michael Bay film.
Universal's Dolby Atmos soundtrack is a real treat. The track is very, very good. Clarity is exceptional, reaching peak performance for all elements. Surround integration is outstanding. There is never an inch of stage real estate left not only unused but left anything but maximized. That includes the top end, which features some discrete effects but primarily serves to bolster the sense of absolute, harmonious engagement from all directions. Listeners will feel the rattle inside the ambulance, experience the impact of automatic weapons fire, and understand the high-speed stakes of racing down the freeway with an army of cop cars in pursuit. Subwoofer output is very strong yet very balanced. Even in the quieter moments, the sense of absolute fullness and audio adrenaline is obvious. Dialogue is also clear, well prioritized, and center positioned. Modern audio engineering doesn't get any better than this.
Ambulance contains a handful of featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.
This
release ships with an embossed slipcover.
Ambulance is a return to vintage Michael Bay, not Transformers Michael Bay. It's full of energy, good story beats, solid characters and performances, and all of the signature Michael Bay chaos. It's emotionally draining and physically demanding, too, so be prepared to be a bit exhausted when it's over. Universal's Blu-ray is great, offering reference audio and near reference video. A smattering of extras are included. Highly recommended.
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