6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A young girl locates the family of a captured baby killer whale and rebuilds her relationship with her estranged marine biologist father in the process.
Starring: Bindi Irwin, Beau Bridges, Bongo Mbutuma, Siyabulela Ramba, Stephen JenningsFamily | 100% |
Adventure | 31% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Every now and then the timing of a release makes me wince. Just four weeks after a SeaWorld killer whale suddenly drowned one of its trainers comes the fourth film in the Free Willy franchise. Ahem... starring Bindi, daughter of Steve Irwin, the beloved conversationalist and wildlife expert who died after a tragic encounter with a stingray. The coverart alone made me flinch. Thankfully, such macabre trivialities will escape the direct-to-video film's target audience: the ever-eager eight to twelve-year old fact-finders and nature enthusiasts who are a bit more familiar with Bindi than her dearly departed dad. I have to admit I was clueless. I had no idea the talented young girl had spent the last three years of her life bravely following in her father's footsteps, much less becoming the youngest Daytime Emmy winner in history, the recipient of numerous other awards, and the energetic host of her own documentary series and television specials. Unfortunately, Escape from Pirate's Cove writer/director Will Geiger spends so much time dampening and muffling Bindi's natural enthusiasm that he robs her of the very thing that's made her such a spirited star.
Here kitty, kitty, kitty...
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove washes up on Blu-ray with a meek and meager 1080p/VC-1 transfer; one that rarely surpasses its humble direct-to-video roots or the limitations of a low-budget production. Director of photography Robert Malpage's sun-bleached palette simply looks off -- while it offers up strong colors and natural skintones at times, more often than not, it wallows in muddy hues, diluted primaries, bronzed faces, and dull blacks -- and contrast is unreliable and inconsistent. Detail is quite good, despite several notable dips in clarity, but it's also hindered by persistent noise. Harsh, rough-hewn grain tends to suddenly spike in the bright skies, compression artifacts attack several scenes, underwater banding is a faint but frequent offender, and ringing affects a handful of shots. Even so, fine textures are decent, especially during carefully lit closeups, and the scraggly gray hairs on Bridges' chest manage to carve out a nook for themselves on screen. Likewise, object edges are generally sharp, if not a tad serrated on occasion, and every instance of softness seems to trace back to the original source, not Warner's technical encode. Impressionable, wide-eyed Willy fans may not notice, but any wizened parent will spot this average shoulder-shrugger a mile out.
Willy's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track may lend a bit of lossless rage to the savage seas, but it also delivers a fairly flat sonic experience that disappoints more often than it satisfies. While dialogue is intelligible and well-prioritized throughout, rushing winds and lapping waves occasionally assault Bindi's soft Aussie drawl. LFE output favors quaint pitter-pats over hearty thooms and booms, dynamics prove to be less than inspiring, and directionality, thanks in large part to some rather weak-willed rear speaker support, fails to invite listeners to tour Escape's exotic locales. Enis Rotthoff's music is given its run of the soundfield, but even its playful notes tend to get buried whenever Geiger isn't mounting a research-gathering or animal-feeding montage. And what of Willy and his undersea brethren? I'll admit the slick-skinned charmer and his clan earn a few healthy snorts, blowhole breaths, and whale calls. That being said, they aren't blessed with the graceful weight and confident presence their kind deserves. Ultimately, I suspect Warner's lossless efforts are sound, but Geiger's pedestrian direct-to-video sound design comes up short.
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove continues its feeble assault on Blu-ray with twenty painful minutes of expendable special features. An exclusive "Fun Track" attempts to spice up the proceedings, but there's only so much a text-based trivia track can do in this age of BD-Java wonders and Picture-in-Picture marvels. Ah well, at least all of the video content is presented in high definition.
Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove is too slow to entertain younger children and too shallow and predictable to keep adults awake, but it should appeal to the budding nature enthusiasts in your household; the same eager eight to twelve-year olds who could easily pick Bindi out of a crowd. Unfortunately, the Blu-ray edition doesn't pack much value. With a problematic video transfer, an underwhelming DTS-HD Master Audio track, and a small smattering of special features, there isn't a lot here to justify the disc's lofty pricepoint. Unless you're confident your kids will adore everything Escape from Pirate's Cove has on tap, stick with a rental.
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