7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The ultimate wish fulfilment tale of a teenage Gran Turismo player whose gaming skills won a series of Nissan competitions to become an actual professional race car driver. Based on a true story.
Starring: David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Archie Madekwe, Takehiro Hira, Darren BarnetAction | 100% |
Sport | 15% |
Biography | 12% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.90:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.90:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Take a trip with me, all the way back to 1997. A little racing phenom, Gran Turismo, had been tearing up the PS1 charts since its release in
May, spending the summer collecting a string of buzzy reviews hailing it as a "must own" glimpse into "the future of racing games". Me? I waited four
months to buy a copy. Why? Because I knew what was coming. In August, I walked into our local Babbage's (might need to Google that one, kiddies)
and stood at the cash register with bated breath. "A copy of Gran Turismo, please." Anything else? "Yeah," I said, stirring with excitement. "I
also reserved one of the new Dual Analog controllers." Smart choice, kid! It feels like you're really driving when you use one of those. Yes,
yes. Analog sticks legitimately rose to the level of "the future" in 1997. Never mind that. What I remember was getting home, tossing GT1 in
ye olde PlayStation and watching as the videogame world opened up in front of my eyes. Flying at high speeds along a dazzling forest track, trying to
get used to the precision of analog-stick steering. Opening as many cars (of the 180!) that I could manage. Finding my favorites. Toying with the
cinematic replay feature after races... I couldn't get enough.
And so it was, earlier this fall, that I walked into the lobby of a 4DX multiplex and unashamedly bought a ticket for director Neill Blomkamp's Gran
Turismo; high on the octane of nostalgia alone. I didn't expect a good flick. At all. Just a little trot down memory lane. I didn't care about the
"based on a true story" tagline. The whole plot sounded ridiculous. How could it possibly pull off movie magic with such a hamstrung storyline? And,
believe me, I certainly didn't expect to find myself... having a good time? With what revealed itself to be a surprisingly solid little videogame
adaptation? One that turned out to be... wait a minute... a lot of fun? What just happened?
Short version before waxing poetic for the next however many words? Gran Turismo's native 4K 2160p video presentation does not disappoint in the slightest. Quite the opposite. Jacques Jouffret's palette and photography are chillier and less saturated than you might expect. The film doesn't offer up a golden-hued Michael Bay look by any means (thank God, it's overused in these sorts of movies). Instead, HDR colors are more lifelike, skintones more natural, and shadows more revealing, despite the fact that black levels remain as strong and well-contrasted as anyone could hope. That's not to say there aren't scenes packing plenty of primary punch. There are, and they stun. But just as the film is more interested in bolstering your suspension of disbelief, so too do the visuals aim for realism and deliver. (Much more so actually, even if CG elements are rendered a bit obvious at times.) Delineation is excellent, without crushing or unsightly noise. Detail is exacting, with crisp edge definition free of any halos, precise fine textures and a fully accurate and faithful representation of the original photography. Note the frazzled stubble and hairs of David Harbour's beard. The tiniest pieces of metal scattering as Jann loses control and flies off the track, destroying his car in the process. The texture of the road surface and the specks of rock bouncing as racers approach. The slightest beads of rain streaking across a windshield. The leaves of the trees along the edge of a track. Better still, I didn't detect any hint of artifacting, banding or other anomalies that might distract. This is a near-flawless, if not flawless, 4K video presentation that will make fans sit up and take notice. Sony is killing it when it comes to the AV presentation of new releases.
You can already hear it, can't you? The roar of high-end dream cars whipping past the camera as it struggles to keep up with the sheer speed of the races. The explosion of cheers from an enraptured crowd. The slingshot rise and sudden fall of an engine as it screams into and out of existence. The mechanical precision of a crew eager to eek that much more speed and power into a racetrack monster. The terrifying rending of metal on metal as a car flips end over end. You'll be pleased to know those sounds, and so many more, are brought to immersive, gripping life via the 4K Blu-ray release of Gran Turismo's Dolby Atmos experience (and 24-bit 48kHz Dolby TrueHD 7.1 core); the closest you'll come to recreating the same absorbing sonic fun of the film's theatrical presentation. Dialogue is clean and clear, regardless of how loud and throaty race scenes become. Prioritization is top notch and each element of the original sound design is nestled neatly amongst one another. The surrounding channels are all but electrified too, with whiplash quick pans, a stunningly realistic soundfield, and plenty of full-theater-room engagement to leave listeners grinning. Low-end output is a beast unto itself, lending chest-thumping weight and heft to revving and raging engines, the thunder of tires holding onto asphalt, and crews using everything at their disposal to keep racers rolling on the road. Moreover, the videogame experience is brought to the screen a bit as well. As the camera pushes in and tracks cars, so too does the Atmos mix crescendo and, just when you think everything has been thrown at you, impresses just a little bit more. I can't imagine Gran Turismo, or any racing film for that matter, sounding much better, more authentic and more true to the film's sonic source than it does here. Enjoy!
The film? No Mamet or Scorsese, but it's surprisingly solid. The 4K video presentation? Stunning. The Dolby Atmos audio experience? Absorbing, immersive and powerful. The special features? Eh, did I mention the AV quality and the fact that the movie actually, ya know, works? Other than a disappointing sprinkling of supplements, the 4K Blu-ray release of Gran Turismo is an easy one to recommend.
2019
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Theatrical & Director's Cut | Limited Edition
2006
Shout Select
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1987
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30th Anniversary Edition
1990
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35th Anniversary Limited Edition
1989