Hidalgo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Hidalgo Blu-ray Movie Review

A good, but not great, adventure film arrives on a good, but not great, Blu-ray disc.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 1, 2008

Nobody hurts my horse.

Watching Hidalgo, I was continuously reminded of several other films, chiefly among them Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and The Black Stallion. The former, obviously, because of the setting of the film (not to mention Omar Sharif); the middle because of the adventure aspect of the film (I got a bit of a "Dr. Jones" vibe from the main character of Hidalgo); and the latter because of the horses and respect with which our hero treats his. While not a bad movie by any means, I was somewhat let down by Hidalgo, maybe because I couldn't help but think how much better all three of those films are than this one. It's original, entertaining, and adventurous, but it dragged a bit too much for my tastes, and the story proved a bit too predictable to keep me on seat's edge for more than a few select sequences. Hidalgo is fine filmmaking with breathtakingly beautiful cinematography, a spirited, enthusiastic score, fine acting, and solid direction, but the movie seemed to lack magic and spirit, two key ingredients a filmmaker like Steven Spielberg always manages to include, but in this case, director Joe Johnston seems to have forgotten. He's directed a good tale nevertheless, but one that could have seemingly been better than it is.

Wow, we look good on Blu-ray!

Based on the life of Frank Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen, Crimson Tide), Hidalgo tells his story, the story of a man and his horse competing in a foreign race that spans much of the Middle East, generally reserved for only the best Arab riders and Arabian horses, certainly never open to Western cowboys and their "inferior" Mustang horses. Hidalgo is Hopkins' horse, a Mustang that's never lost a long-distance race. Challenged by his title of best rider in the West and the reputation his horse has garnered over the years, Hopkins enters a 3,000 mile race "across the Arabian Desert, along the Persian Gulf and Iraq, and across the sands of Syria to Damascus." It's called the Ocean of Fire, and Hopkins and Hidalgo will be racing against 100 of the fiercest riders and purest and strongest Arabian horses in the world. He'll race for the $100,000 prize money, fight off those who are insulted by his participation in the race, and fight for his beliefs and against his own past as he and Hidalgo near the finish line.

I've never been overly enamored by "horse movies." 2003's Seabiscuit is one of the few exceptions, but I've just never been able to embrace the genre. Alas, Hidalgo is another such film that failed to capture my interest. That's not to say that I didn't find this to be a good movie. It is, and a well-made film to be sure, entertaining at times, but also a movie that makes a snail seem like a Lamborghini for several long stretches. When the movie goes well, it's really good. Striking, epic-in-scope-and-scale cinematography, a rousing, joyous, and high quality score, good acting, and exciting action pieces make Hidalgo a film worth seeing, but I just couldn't help but think to myself that the one area the movie really suffers is in the editing department. The story drags, never really finding a rhythm, seemingly gaining momentum and just like that, losing it again. I was surprised by my lack of enthusiasm for the end product. I love a good epic adventure as much as the next fellow, but it seemed to me that Hidalgo tried too hard to be the next modern classic, wanting to be more meaningful than fun, and perhaps that is what slowed the pace.

Other than the fine score and cinematography, Viggo Mortensen proves to be another excellent reason to watch this film. He is a fine actor, one of the better ones of recent vintage, and he plays his role handsomely in this film. While he's best known for his part in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I've found him to be solid outside that franchise as well, shining both here and in A History of Violence, those films raising him to stardom just as much as the epic trilogy. Alongside the venerable Omar Sharif (Lawrence of Arabia), he holds his own, playing his part with a bit of flair and wit and a whole lot of humanity. There are two scenes near the end of the film that had me on seat's edge, emotional scenes that put the rest of the film in context and make it worth watching. Mortensen plays both scenes with a heartfelt passion and lifelike spirit that perhaps few other actors of his generation could have accomplished, and for a few moments we believe he really is Frank Hopkins, a man who wears his heart on his sleeve and will stand up for what he believes to be right, in the midst of crisis or calm, a man whose convictions trump convention and tradition. It's a masterful performance, not one for the ages, but masterful still.

Hidalgo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Disney saddles-up Hidalgo for Blu-ray with a pleasing, good-but-not-great 2.35:1, 1080p high definition transfer. While it's a good one, it never does anything to separate itself from the pack. That's both good and bad, good in that "mediocre" is still pretty darn impressive, bad in that I was a bit disappointed overall, especially seeing that the film is only a few years old. Make no mistake, fans will be impressed with the overall visual appeal of Hidalgo. Nevertheless, I noted a few nagging inconsistencies that kept this one from ranking slightly higher. It's important to note that much of Hidalgo is dark and devoid of bright primary colors. Brown, tans, whites, and blacks are the dominant colors found throughout, though a smattering of colors do show up here and there in the fine details, notably on some of the more intricate Arabian clothing. A few select scenes appeared a bit soft and hazy, a sequence in a bar just after the film opens being a prime example. The movie is definitely slick, with hardly, if any, grain. Detail level is moderately high but not astounding, flesh tones never presented me with any qualms as to their accuracy, and black levels are acceptably good. The image just seems to lack depth, clarity, detail, and sharpness in many scenes. That's not to say it doesn't look very good because it does, it's just not up to par with the best of the best I've seen over the past few months. The yellow subtitles scattered throughout the film proved distracting and ugly. I'm not quite sure what was going on. They're essential to be sure for following the film when a language other than English is spoken, but several times they appeared for no rhyme or reason. When a cylindrical phonograph is played with the words "Thomas A. Edison, Trade Mark" clearly written on it, those same words pop up in subtitles nevertheless. I digress, it's a minor point, but I did find them to be presented rather distractingly. All in all, Hidalgo proves its worth with a solid Blu-ray transfer, one that easily surpasses many other discs on the market, but having become so spoiled by the many wondrous images I've reviewed recently, I cannot claim Hidalgo to rate amongst the elites.

Hidalgo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hidalgo makes its high-definition debut with an impressive PCM uncompressed 5.1 sound mix. Like the video quality, I was immensely impressed with the audio, but also like the video, this mix failed to live up to the standards set by the elite mixes already released on the format. The movie begins with a rousing yet slightly less-than-powerful mix, one that is room filling and pleasant, but lacking in that "punch" that defines the very best. Nevertheless, music plays clearly and loudly, but also with grace, sounding natural and pleasant. A lot of the sound seems a bit subdued. There is some fantastic use of the surrounds, such as a scene with a train passing almost literally through your living room in chapter three. The sound rattles the listening area as the train moves from the front soundstage to the rear seamlessly and with tremendous power and presence. The music's presence and power seemed to pick up a bit as Hopkins leaves the United States for the race, and as the race actually begins, the music kicks up another notch as well. As with the fantastic cinematography, Hidalgo sports a wonderful musical score that alone makes the movie worthy of your attention. The famous sandstorm scene proved to be an excellent showcase, as the sound completely engulfed the viewer in the storm. Likewise, the brief insect attack scene was equally impressive. In these instances, the track represents what every good soundtrack should, putting the viewer smack-dab in the middle of the action, and I felt every ounce of me running from that storm. Dialogue reproduction proved excellent as well. This is a very good track, one worthy of the Blu-ray format, but with the absolutely mind-boggling tracks being released of late, this one rates below the best but above most.

Hidalgo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Hidalgo arrives on Blu-ray with a minimal helping of extras. Only two features are included, the first of which is Sand and Celluloid (480p, 9:02), a look at the history of endurance racing, especially that of Frank Hopkins' history of racing from Texas to Vermont and to the Middle East. This feature examines the parallels between endurance racing and filmmaking, the different filming locations, the challenges of working with a wide array of animals, and the difficulties in filming in harsh climates. This is a standard-fare piece that is basic in presentation and information, but worth watching if you loved the film. The other feature is America's First Horse (480p, 21:34). This feature looks at the current state of the Spanish Mustang, examining the breed's history, why they are well-suited to racing and riding, and how the horse was bred for life, not sport. This is a very well-made feature, one that horse lovers will definitely want to check out.

Hidalgo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hidalgo is a fine movie, but one that had me wanting for something more. Perhaps the film's pace was the primary culprit, or maybe it was the overly predictable nature of the story. Regardless, while I was entertained, I wasn't wowed by the experience. The positives do outweigh the negatives, namely, the cinematography, score, and performances by Mortensen and Sharif, all of which are reason enough to devote over two hours to watching this film. Hidalgo rides its way onto Blu-ray looking and sounding very good, but ultimately it's just another in an ever-growing list of films that definitely benefit from the format, that look and sound great, but don't approach the zenith of Blu-ray's potential, failing to achieve the level of excellence we're beginning to see in so many other releases. The supplemental materials on the disc are good but rather short in length and lacking in depth, so fans wanting to know more about the film or the true history behind it will need to find another source. Overall, this is a movie well worth watching and a disc worth owning for fans of the film.