8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In Mexico City, the lives of three strangers—a young man mixed up in the gritty underworld of dogfighting, a glamorous woman who seems to have it all, and a mysterious assassin who is desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter—collide in a tragic twist of fate that forever alters their personal journeys.
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Emilio Echevarría, Vanessa Bauche, Álvaro GuerreroDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 80% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Alejandro G. Inarritu's "Amores Perros" (2000) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new interviews with cast and crew members; deleted scenes with new commentary recorded by the director and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto; new interview with composer Gustavo Santaolalla; music videos; and more. Also included with the release is an illustrated booklet featuring essays by critic Fernanda Solórzano and author Juan Villoro, as well as technical credits. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Amores Perros arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The new 4K master that director Alejandro G. Inarritu and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto supervised and approved is a stunner. I viewed Criterion's release last night and then did some direct comparisons with this old Region-B release from Optimum Home Entertainment/StudioCanal, and I can confirm that there are a number of very significant upgrades. First, the new master handles overexposed light in a vastly superior fashion. Indeed, despite the elevated highlights, it actually reveals a lot of finer nuances that are either very difficult to spot or lost on the previous release. Second, grain exposure, which varies a lot in the different segments, is all-around better. As a result, the unique contrasts that come with the management of light look much more impressive. They look organic as well. Contrast is superior, both in daylight footage and darker/nighttime footage, and shadow definition benefits in a number of different ways. (Again, in different segments there are different stylistic effects). Quite predictably, clarity, depth, and fluidity are a lot more pleasing. Furthermore, the new master has a different and better balanced color scheme. There are new primaries -- and they are actually not 'new' because it is very easy to tell now that on the old master some are basically preset, which is why magenta and blown-out whites are present everywhere -- with new supporting nuances, and balance, especially where mishandled whites used to create issues, is now much more convincing. Finally, the entire film looks a lot healthier. So, this is a very impressive makeover that ensures a completely different viewing experience, and my guess is that it looks even better in native 4K. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
When this release was announced my gut feeling was that it should have included an Atmos track, but I would be lying if I wrote that I could spot areas where the current lossless tracks does not deliver as I think it should. All you have to do is test the unexpected car crash to know exactly what I mean. On the other hand, there are some notable dynamic fluctuations because plenty of organic sounds and noises flood the soundtrack, but this does not meant that there is room for improvement. This is how the original soundtrack was created and these are the native qualities the lossless track reproduces. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.
It is amazing to see the type of transformation Alejandro G. Inarritu has had after he completed his directorial debut, Amores Perros, in 2000. I mean, really, it does not get any better than this. In my opinion, Inarritu's best work is in Amores Perros because I feel that it is a very personal but also incredibly illuminating film that in a way sums up perfectly his homeland. I realize that this won't be a popular opinion because Inarritu has directed some huge and very well-received blockbusters since Amores Perros, but as far as I am concerned everything comes together in it a little bit better than it does in his other films, including 21 Grams, which is another masterpiece. Criterion's release is sourced from an outstanding new 4K master and features a great selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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