6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Hercule Poirot travels to an exclusive island resort frequented by the rich and famous. When a murder is committed, everyone has an alibi...
Starring: Peter Ustinov, Colin Blakely, Jane Birkin, Nicholas Clay, Maggie SmithMystery | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Guy Hamilton's "Evil Under the Sun" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. There are no supplemental features on this Blu-ray release. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Do you remember?
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and greanted a 1080p transfer, Guy Hamilton's Evil Under the Sun arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.
The high-definition is the best of the three used in The Poirot Collection. It has been struck from a dated source, but the film has a solid organic look and looks quite nice when projected. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of the close-ups boast very pleasing depth, while the panoramic shots from the beautiful island consistently convey good fluidity. Contrast and sharpness levels also remain stable. Color saturation can be better, but color stability is good and there are no traces of color boosting. The best news, however, is that there are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Some extremely light noise occasionally sneaks in, but there are no serious anomalies to report in this review. Also, there are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Unsurprisingly, even though it looks a bit dated at times the film has the appropriate filmic look one would expect it to have. Lastly, there are a few tiny flecks popping up here and there, but there are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, or scratches. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, StudioCanal have not provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The lossless track is very good. Despite the fact that the film does not have a prominent soundtrack -- though there are select sequences where music composed by the great Cole Porter and arranged and conducted by John Lanchbery is used -- there is a good range of nuanced dynamics that open up the film rather well. Overall dynamic intensity, however, is limited. The dialog is stable, free of problematic background hiss, and easy to follow. Still, I believe that optional English SDH should have been included considering the fact that some of the accents are quite thick.
There are no supplemental features on this Blu-ray release.
I believe that Guy Hamilton's Evil Under the Sun will appeal primarily to folks who have seen John Guillermin's Death on the Nile and enjoyed Peter Ustinov's Hercule Poirot. He is even more convincing in this film. The story is more casual, but I think that this actually helps the film because it is easier to believe that the main characters are real people. The film is included in StudioCanal's The Poirot Collection three-disc box set and looks very good in high-definition. My only complaint is that the release does not have optional English SDH subtitles. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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