5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Mumble the penguin has a problem: his son Erik, who is reluctant to dance, encounters The Mighty Sven, a penguin who can fly! Things get worse for Mumble when the world is shaken by powerful forces, causing him to brings together the penguin nations and their allies to set things right.
Starring: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Pink, Brad PittFamily | 100% |
Animation | 82% |
Comedy | 60% |
Musical | 26% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
Blu-ray 3D
Mobile features
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
How could so much happen in 100 minutes without much of anything happening in 100 minutes? It's a question probably best saved for the likes of Happy Feet Two's fearlessly existential krill Will (Brad Pitt) and his dutiful friend Bill (Matt Damon), but it's also the question that plagued me while plowing through director George Miller's sequel to his 2006 animated hit (which took home an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature). There's certainly a lot of movie crammed into Happy Feet Two -- more music, more dancing, more jokes, more life lessons, more Antarctic adventure, more of everything people love about the original -- but it's more for more's sake. There isn't much rhyme, reason or rhythm to its fuller, flashier story, and it never really feels like Miller and his team had a grand idea that warranted a sequel. Nope, it was the first film's box office returns that gave birth to this particular monstrosity, and it shows in every aimless riff, desperate landing and soulless bit of soul-searching Miller tosses into this feathery fiasco.
How do you make an irritating family film easier to stomach? With a terrific 3D presentation...
Bill and Will aren't the only two that will be entranced by all the wonders they see. Happy Feet Two takes the path forged by a small fleet of stunning animated 3D spectacles before it with a crisp, vibrant, wholly engrossing 1080p/MVC-encoded 3D presentation; one that's sure to leave 3D newcomers' eyes watering, hearts thumping, and jaws scraping the floor. Miller's sequel was obviously designed with just such a 3D experience in mind too. Most scenes favor convincing depth and little more, allowing the horizon to drift further and further into the distance while our peppy penguins and their fellow Antarctic natives waddle closer and closer. (The krills undersea odyssey may earn the most immediate accolades, but it's the shots of the Mighty Sven addressing his thousands-strong disciples that will leave 3D aficionados speechless.) Other scenes, though, take full advantage of any opportunity to tickle a kid's funny bone, be it with screen-escaping antics or with self-aware 3D gags, none of which hesitate in the least to invade your home theater, tap your son or daughter on the shoulder, and leave them laughing and begging for more. Dimensionality is outstanding, image depth is consistent and consistently impressive, and the picture is wily and wondrous from beginning to end. Moreover, the presentation doesn't exhibit any troubling aliasing and isn't prone to much crosstalk or ghosting. (For those of you whose displays are prone to crosstalk, that is. It's important to remember that any ghosting you encounter when watching a 3D release is almost always a product of your 3D display or glasses. The issue rarely traces back to a film's encode or source, especially when dealing with native 3D productions.)
As to the film itself, colors are bright, bold and beautiful, primaries scorch the Antarctic snow, mossy greens and krill-y oranges pop, black levels are rich and satisfying, and contrast doesn't falter for a second, even when the sun sets or a penguin plunges beneath the waves. Detail is straight-from-the-digital-tap perfect as well, with impeccably resolved textures, gorgeous puffs of chilled air and dusted snow, and refined, exceedingly clean edges, none of which exhibit any troubling ringing. The encode is about as pristine as they come actually, minus the tiniest hints of banding that appear during underwater sequences (like Mumble's escape from the sea lion). Macroblocking, aliasing, significant banding and other anomalies simply aren't at play, though, and Happy Feet Two couldn't look much better than it does here. If you have a 3D-capable display, Warner's 3D release is definitely the way to go.
Oh, the sights and sounds of Happy Feet Two. Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is an ice-cracking, glacier-moving, foot-stomping sensation, full of real soul, spirit and surprises. The LFE channel gets behind every rock anthem, sliding mountain, snarling sea lion, crashing wave and crumbling cliff Mumble and Erik encounter, and both the music and the film's action/adventure sequences shake, rattle and roll the floor. The rear speakers are equally engaging, with plenty of warbling penguin colonies, lapping waters, crunching snow, shifting earth and swarming krill to go around. The resulting soundfield washes over the listener, tossing out directional effects as if they were candy. All the while, dynamics and dialogue never slip or stumble. The faintest shuffling foot and the weightiest Beach Master plop are showcased wonderfully, and every voice and line, even those delivered by little Ava Acres, are as intelligible and impeccably prioritized as they should be. If nothing else, Happy Feet Two's AV presentation will help soothe the sting of the film.
Happy Feet Two slips and slides all over the ice. It isn't graceful, engaging or touching. It isn't meaningful or memorable. It can't even decide what story it wants to tell. It looks good, it sounds amazing... and yet it all feels so empty. At least the same can't be said of Warner's Blu-ray release. Though light on extras, the studio's stunning 3D presentation, jaw-dropping video transfer, and rafter-rockin' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track steal the show. And, while I would strongly suggest renting Happy Feet Two before taking a deeper plunge, I have to admit the 3D experience adds tremendous value to an otherwise forgettable film. Ultimately, if the sequel's 3D playfulness, dazzling animation and move-to-the-beat music sweep you and your family away, a purchase will be a no-brainer. If the story and characters leave you cold, though, renting will have saved you enough money to pick up a better animated feature.
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