6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
Authorities brutally quarantine a country as it succumbs to fear and chaos when a virus strikes. The literal walling-off works for three decades -- until the dreaded Reaper virus violently resurfaces in a major city. An elite group of specialists, captained by Eden Sinclair, is urgently dispatched into the still-quarantined country to retrieve a cure by any means necessary. Shut off from the rest of the world, the unit must battle through a landscape that has become a waking nightmare.
Starring: Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester, Alexander Siddig, David O'HaraThriller | 100% |
Action | 69% |
Sci-Fi | 29% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A virus doesn't choose a time or place. It doesn't hate or even care. It just happens.
I couldn't help but to be excited when I first saw the trailer for Doomsday several
months ago. Not only was the film directed by one of my favorite up-and-coming directors, the
English-born Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent), but it
looked to be a cross between several post-apocalyptic favorites, including I Am Legend, The Road Warrior,
and 28 Days Later with a
slick, futuristic twist. On top of all that, the film starred the likes of the legendary Bob Hoskins
(Nixon), Alexander
Siddig (Dr. Bashir from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"), and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange),
a primary cast not necessarily composed of the most common of household names, but actors
who can and have held their own for years, and whose screen presences may not be
larger-than-life, but they more than make up for their lack of familiarity with the most general of
audiences
with their first-rate acting abilities. For me, Doomsday brought everything to the party
that I needed to virtually assure me of a great time, and after screening the film for the first time
on Blu-ray, a great time indeed was had.
Rival car dealers will do anything to keep you from buying from their competitors these days.
Universal's Blu-ray transfer of Doomsday is a high quality one with no major weaknesses. Presented in 1080p high definition and framed in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, Universal's fourth Blu-ray disc lives up to the expectations I had for the transfer after screening and reviewing the studio's first three Blu-ray releases. Even in the films dark, dreary, bloody open, we can make out the intricacies of the military uniforms, and even the grime on the gas masks worn by the soldiers. The blood-splattering violence that follows looks fantastic and is definitely stomach-churning thanks to the both the graphic nature of the violence and the clarity of the Blu-ray image. Detail is generally excellent in faces and other close-up objects. Every bead of sweat, pores, lines, and other facial features are perfectly visible and accurately displayed. The image does sport some soft edges and backgrounds, especially in the darker shots with mono-color backgrounds. Black levels are perfectly deep and true. The first half of the film is extremely dark in tone, and the disc never falters in presenting a first-class picture quality underneath the avalanche of blacks, both outside at night and in some dank, depressing, moderately lit interiors. Halfway through the movie, there are finally some daytime outdoor shots and better-lit sequences, and the transfer continues to prove itself a strong one. Various scenes in wooded areas shine. The leaves of the trees aren't dense, and as the sun streams through from above, the resulting images in that locale are exquisite. As expected, the print is completely flawless with no blemishes, and flesh tones are spot-on perfect as well. While the intentional look of the movie doesn't lend itself to bright, crisp imagery, the transfer handles this material with excellent results.
Doomsday wreaks havoc on the senses with a loud and immersive DTS-HD MA 5.1
soundtrack that is almost perfect but falters in one key area. For the most part, this listening
experience is an incredible one. Bass is deep throughout the movie and its intensity was the first
thing I noted. The machine gun fire heard at the beginning of the movie rattled the entire room
and scared my cat away. As heavy doors close on the wall, sealing the fate of Scotland once and
for all, bass rattles yet again and the sound of the slow moving heavy steel punishes the listening
area. The reverberations of helicopter rotors are also powerful and true. Crowd noise fills the
room and the rear speakers never receive a moments rest. Chapter seven's battle scene is very
loud, arguably too loud, but there is no denying the sonic joyride it represents. If you have been
searching for a loud action scene that rocks the subwoofer, features nonstop surround presence,
fantastic imagining, and excellent directionality, then read no further and order this disc from our
Amazon
link above (but please do come back once you're done). There are also excellent reverberations
and echoes in the film, heard notably when a character talks to a large crowd through a
microphone in a packed building in chapter nine. The music that follows is positively room filling,
and again teetering on the "too loud" side of the scale. However, the scene does engender a
great
atmosphere that captures the moment and definitely seems to perfectly capture the look, feel,
and sound of what the director was aiming for, creating a rock concert atmosphere complete with
a
human barbecue.
So why does the track only receive a 4/5? Narration and other dialogue is a bit muddied under
the music throughout. In fact, in parts of chapter two, dialogue is barely audible. Unfortunately,
this hurts the presentation. While I enjoy a great, enveloping, hard-hitting listen, I don't want to
sacrifice dialogue clarity, which is exactly what's happened here. Not only was this a problem, but
it took away from my overall enjoyment of the movie. I cannot say for sure if this is intentional
or if this was some sort of error in the transfer process, but considering how pleased I was with
Universal's first wave of Blu-ray discs, I would generally chalk this up to director intent, but with
such a small sample size with which to judge Universal, I cannot say with certainty one way or
the other. Don't fear, the problem is not a deal breaker, and chapter two is an extreme case, the
worst offending sequence in the movie. Dialogue is intelligible and presented at a decent volume
in many places, but it does practically disappear in chapter two, and I found myself straining to
hear what was being said throughout parts of the movie, including both music and effects-heavy
scenes and more mundane, quiet scenes. Nevertheless, the soundtrack on the whole is a
dynamic, hard-hitting, awesome experience, and while I was disappointed with the dialogue
anomaly, it wouldn't stop me from purchasing the disc.
It should come as no surprise that a film that grossed only a third of its budget domestically arrives on Blu-ray with a minimal, yet solid, set of extra materials. A feature commentary with director Neil Marshall and cast members Sean Pertwee, Darren Morfitt, Rick Warden, and Les Simpson is first. Right from the start, we get the sense that this will be a tongue-in-cheek (much like the movie), good time track, and it never disappoints. Between laughs, there is a good deal of technical and background information on the story, the script, the cast, and other tidbits that fans will eat up. There are some moments of prolonged dead air, which cause the track to drag, but the bulk of the track makes up for its shortcomings with pertinent information with a humorous edge. Doomsday also includes Universal's excellent U-Control feature. Three separate features can be accessed throughout the movie from the U-Control button: The Reaper Files, Tech Specs, and Picture in Picture. Each are designated by an icon and are selectable in-movie or users can tell the disc to automatically play features when they become available. In the U-Control menu, each of the movie's 20 chapters are shown with the icons above them representing what is to be found in each chapter. Every chapter offers at least one of the three extras, and four chapters offer all three. The disc also includes a basic U-Control tutorial on the disc itself and a physical pamphlet inside the case that goes further in-depth about the features and how to enjoy them. All three features are fast to access and provide as much information as a traditional supplemental package but in a unique and exciting format.
I have no doubt that Doomsday will prove to be a very divisive film among Blu-ray fans. On one hand, those pre-disposed to enjoy this kind of movie will certainly love it, but the film provides plenty of ammunition to more discerning filmgoers who will see fit to trash its over-the-top violence, thin plot, and heavy doses of winks and nods to other films. Taken for what it's meant to be, however, Doomsday works like a charm, providing nearly two hours of nonstop assaults on the visual and aural senses, both of which are captured on this Blu-ray disc magnificently. With its excellent picture quality, booming audio that suffers only from sometimes difficult-to-hear dialogue, and a small but entertaining package of supplements, Doomsday may find a new home and admiration on home video. Highly recommended only for those who are prone to enjoy films like this one and who possess an iron stomach.
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