6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
When a teen age girl finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she must band together with a rag-tag team of fun and whimsical characters in order to save their world…and ours.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Aziz AnsariFamily | 100% |
Adventure | 92% |
Animation | 83% |
Fantasy | 69% |
Comedy | 58% |
Action | 23% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Croatian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Slovak: Dolby Digital 5.1
Slovenian: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
D-Box
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The title of Blue Sky Studios' latest animated film seems to be both ironic and sincere, the former because Epic is concerned with an incredibly small-scale view—it stars little woodland creatures and a race of tiny, fairy-like humans—and the latter because the film tries to mount a large-scale action-adventure that pits the forces of leafy-green goodness against the minions of rot and decay. What the film isn't is epic in the hyperbolic modern sense, where the word is used interchangeably with "awesome," another word which has lost its original punch and scope. As an animated CGI family feature, Epic is decidedly mid-sized, not nearly as grand or inspiring as the Pixar productions and animated classics it imitates. There's a lot of A Bug's Life here, more than a little FernGully, and even some Secret of NIMH, which is to say that Epic is hardly original in its eco- minded exploration of the world beneath our feet. Drama-wise, it plays it safe too, ticking all the expected narrative boxes and giving the impression of a story told by formula rather than from the heart. Still, and this is a big still, I have no doubt that children—the intended audience—will like it. It's colorful and well-paced, there are funny sidekick characters, and it establishes a world that's fertile for imaginative post-viewing play. Epic might not go down as one of the all-time animated greats, but it's a decent summer diversion for kids young enough to enjoy it.
Coming from Blue Sky Studios—the same production team behind the Ice Age series—it should come as no surprise that Epic looks
fantastic on Blu-ray, with a 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation that's bold, colorful, and highly dimensional even in its 2D iteration. I really can't muster
any complaints here. None of the usual picture quality bugaboos apply from a normal viewing distance—there's no harsh, artifact-causing
compression, no stair-step aliasing, no encode glitches, no banding or noise—and the image holds up to the closest pixel-peeping inspection too. The
film's stylized look doesn't go for photorealism, but there's a lot of great detail and texture in the character designs and the surrounding forest world. The
almost palpable surface of flower petals. The weft of the professor's burlap satchel. The Leafmen's plated armor. M.K.'s wispy hair. Mandrake's bat-pelt
cloak. All of it is sharply rendered, with crisp lines and a vivid color palette that—as expected—is heavy on forest greens and bright flowery hues. (Though
the darker, blue-cast scenes in Mandrake's rotting kingdom look just as good.)
In 3D, the picture loses none of its clarity or color. In fact, some details actually look a little sharper, especially whiskers and animal fur, because they
have the illusion of added dimensionality. Overall, Epic's use of 3D is tastefully restrained—no eye-gouging, jump-out-of-the-screen effects—
preferring pleasing layers of depth to gimmicky projection. (Given the density of the forest in many scenes, it would quickly grow tiring if branches and
leaves were constantly waving in your face.) Whether or not the depth really adds to the experience of the film is subjective and up for debate, but the
3D is at least done well, with more than a few "oooh, wow, look at that" moments. If your TV set is prone to ghosting issues, the cluttered forest scenes
may give you some slight trouble, but otherwise crosstalk is minimal. If vibrant CGI imagery—in 2D or 3D—is your kind of demo-worthy eye candy,
Epic definitely fits the bill.
The film's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track is just as impressive, overabundant with energetic—but carefully considered—sound design. There's the near-constant backdrop of forest ambience, to start, and in front of this are lively cross-channel movements that put the entire soundfield to good use. Hummingbirds hovering and darting to and fro. Professor Bomba's three-legged dog running spastic loops around us. Arrows zipping. Bats swarming en masse. The aching crack of a falling tree and the resultant spray of dirt and leaves as it crashes down. There's rarely a dull moment. The simulated immersion is matched by solid dynamics; highs are clear and tight, mids have good projection, and the low-end rumbles away when needed. Danny Elfman's vaguely Irish-inspired score has great presence too—with lilting flute lines atop traditional orchestral sounds—and the dialogue cuts cleanly through the mix, always understandable. For this type of movie, you couldn't ask for more. The disc also includes a number of dub and subtitles options; please see the top of the page for full details.
Note that all of the extras are on the included 2D Blu-ray disc. The 3D disc contains only the film itself.
Epic isn't quite as epic as its title would suggest, and it offers little outside the animated CGI family feature norm—recognizable celebrity voice actors, simple themes, cute sidekicks—but, if nothing else, it at least has the energy and excitement needed to keep kids occupied with the story. (And maybe keep them occupied for a few hours later, re-enacting their favorite scenes.) Adults, meanwhile, will probably feel a lingering sense of déjà vu noticing how much of this movie has been recycled from other, better family films. High definition eye-candyholics and home theater junkies may get a kick from the grade-A video/audio presentation, though—and the 3D is aces too—which might tip Epic into the "purchase" category for some.
2013
Family Icons
2013
Family Icons / Ferdinand-Themed Origami Booklet
2013
with "Epic Warrior Approved" Reusable Snack Bags
2013
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2013
2013
Family Icons
2013
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Family Icons
2013
2013
2013
2012
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2012
2011
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2010
2013
Collector's Edition
2013
2014
2014
2019
2010
2010
3-Disc Holiday Gift Set
2011
2004
2000
2013
2013
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2016
2008
2014