5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A dystopian world where there are no women and all living creatures can hear each others' thoughts in a stream of images, words, and sounds called Noise.
Starring: Tom Holland (X), Daisy Ridley, Demián Bichir, David Oyelowo, Kurt SutterSci-Fi | 100% |
Coming of age | 1% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Considering some of the patently odd non disc swag Lionsgate Films kindly sent along with the Blu-ray disc currently under review, you might think this film could have very well been better titled Walking Chaos, at least if Chaos were the name of a dog, since among the accoutrements Lionsgate sent were a roll of "doggie clean up bags" housed in a little white plastic bone and a portable water dish. Now, there is a dog in Chaos Walking, but its name is Manchee, and while there are certain elements at play that make this a kind of weird (canine?) sibling to A Boy and His Dog, especially with regard to quasi-telepathic communication, Chaos Walking uses the pet as an adjunct to its main tale (tail?) rather than as a focal element. Chaos Walking was culled from a trilogy of so-called "Young Adult" books by Patrick Ness, who rather interestingly co-scripted the feature film. But a perhaps kind of snarky dismissal of contributions to the screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (who evidently left the production over "creative differences") made by director Doug Liman in a making of supplement included on this disc as a bonus feature indicates as well as anything that the aforementioned "focal element" was up for debate among the collaborators, leading to a kind of, well, chaotic viewing experience. The most perplexing thing about this adaptation, especially since Ness was evidently heavily involved, is just how much redaction has taken place, and how many things have been rejiggered, not necessarily for the better, in the film version, from the original source novels, at least insofar as I have been able to discern by reading various online accounts of the narratives (I admittedly have never read them myself). A few years ago, Chaos Walking probably would have been granted a multi-film roll out over several years, a la either The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner, and it's perhaps an ironic asset of sorts that there's probably going to only be one Chaos Walking film.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 Blu-ray.
Chaos Walking is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. As I mentioned in our
Chaos Walking Blu-ray review of the 1080 version, the
IMDb lists the Arri Alexa 65 and a 4K DI as relevant datapoints, and this 4K UHD version definitely shows the kind of uptick in detail levels, and fine
detail levels in particular, that tend to go hand in glove with 4K source material. Even some of the arguably iffy looking CGI attains a better overall
appearance of precision in this version, and the hazy, wavy "protrusions" meant to indicate noise have some really interesting new highlights in this
version, often skewing toward some evocative pastel tones. The glut of outdoor material maintains the same excellence as the 1080 version and
probably ups detail levels overall with regard to some of the forested environments. Fine detail on practical items like fabrics, notably things like the
crazy fur lined coat Mads Mikkelson wear, is often very impressive. Some of the grading choices, notably the cooler tones in green and blue ranges look
really nicely nuanced in this presentation.
Chaos Walking features an often fun Atmos track. Surround activity is very well handled throughout the presentation, aided and abetted by the glut of outdoor material, where ambient environmental effects can alternately sweep around the listener or be anchored in discrete channels. The Atmos channels get good workouts in various scenes, including Viola's ship's disastrous entry into the atmosphere of New World, and a skirmish with a Spackle in a forest river. Even various characters' noise can waft up and over the listener convincingly. There are frequent uses of panning effects, including a nice chase involving both a motorcycle and several horses. The score by Marco Beltrami and Brandon Roberts is also afforded a spacious presentation. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
Commendably, both the 4K UHD disc and the 1080 disc included in this package sport the same slate of supplements:
I'd love to find out why Patrick Ness so drastically rewrote his source novels for this film adaptation, and my hunch is those who have read the books will feel even more strongly about that (as mentioned above, I have not read Ness' books). There are some fun elements here, including a nice scenery chewing performance from Mikkelson, but way too much is left unexplained and/or underdeveloped for the film to ever really register very strongly. Technical merits are first rate, and in fact I'm slightly upping my score for this overall package due to the subtle but still noticeable uptick in detail and highlights in this 4K UHD iteration. Additionally, the supplementary package very enjoyable for those who are considering a purchase.
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