6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A drama centered on three people -- a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy -- who are touched by death in different ways.
Starring: Matt Damon, Cécile De France, Jay Mohr, Bryce Dallas Howard, George McLarenDrama | 100% |
Supernatural | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
If I were handed a list of films from 2010, deprived of any prior knowledge, and asked to pick which one I thought was helmed by director Clint Eastwood, I'd quickly and confidently point to Winter's Bone, Debra Granik's Academy Award-nominated gut punch. One of the last films I'd choose would be Hereafter, an ambling, at-times aimless afterlife melodrama if there ever was one. As rudderless as the lost souls that populate writer Peter Morgan's sauntering screenplay, Eastwood's uncharacteristically listless misfire has little to say about life or death and has even less to offer the thoughtful moviegoer; a surprise given that the wizened filmmaker, now eighty years old, probably spends more time contemplating the hereafter than his younger contemporaries. Don't get me wrong, Hereafter isn't terrible, just terribly disappointing, especially considering the talent involved.
"Please don't ask me to do this."
Hereafter may stagger along, but Warner's striking 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer doesn't stumble for a second. Blessed with everything filmfans should expect from a recent theatrical release -- utter respect for its filmmakers' solemn palette and photography, cool but confident colors, natural primaries, lifelike skintones, bottomless blacks, impeccable contrast leveling and remarkable detail -- the presentation is impressive to say the least. While the CG featured in the Tsunami sequence isn't flawless enough to stand up to high definition scrutiny, fine textures are beautifully resolved, delineation is both filmic and flattering, and edge definition, despite the appearance of some extremely minor ringing, is crisp, clean and consistent. Better still, I didn't detect any artifacting, aliasing, banding, aberrant smearing, unsightly noise or any other notable oddities. Granted, some intermittent crush is apparent, mainly when George turns in for the night, but it never becomes a distraction, certainly not one that should be cause for any concern.
The distant rumble of a terrifying tsunami, the roar of rushing water, the ethereal hum of the Great Beyond, the deafening clamor of a restless factory, the startling fury of an underground explosion, the screams of a panicked crowd... make no mistake, Hereafter's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track has far more to deal with than hushed conversations, quiet contemplation and somber melodrama. Dialogue, whether whispered or exclaimed, is clear, weighty and perfectly intelligible throughout, but it's the LFE channel persuasive power and the rear speakers' precision and persistence that make Hereafter's mix so immersive and invigorating. Low-end effects have remarkable presence, ambience is disarmingly believable, interior acoustics are impressive, directionality is decisive and convincing, and pans are gentle and smooth. Moreover, Eastwood's lovelorn score haunts the soundfield beautifully, serenading the streets of Paris and drifting across the hills of San Francisco with enchanting ease. A few of the film's London locales struck me as a tad restrained, but no matter; Hereafter's lossless mix is the Blu-ray edition's greatest asset.
Projection note: the French subtitles that appear throughout the Marie/Didier storyline are situated overtop of the black bar at the bottom of the screen. View an example of the subtitle positioning here.
No flash, no frills, no filler. Instead, the Blu-ray edition of Hereafter serves up just two special features: a decent suite of nine behind-the-scenes featurettes and an extended version of The Eastwood Factor, an excellent two-hour documentary that, until now, was only available on DVD. Frankly, it's worth the price of admission alone.
Cinephiles can do a lot better than Hereafter, especially if they turn to the rest of Eastwood's canon. Still, Warner's smartly priced Blu-ray release deserves consideration, if for no other reason than that it includes the extended version of Richard Schickel's feature-length documentary, The Eastwood Factor (in high definition no less). Factor in Hereafter's exceptional video transfer and extraordinary DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and you have a release that just might be worth your hard-earned cash. Even if you loathe the film itself, this is probably your only chance to get The Eastwood Factor on Blu-ray.
80th Anniversary / Fox Studio Classics
1933
2011
2012
2013
2018
2016
1993
2014
2011
2009
1948
2017
2016
1960
2010
1971
2009
1928
1948
10th Anniversary Edition
2004