6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
An engineer creates the ultimate weapon in a battle against aliens, only to be suspected as an alien himself.
Starring: Gary Sinise, Madeleine Stowe, Vincent D'Onofrio, Tony Shalhoub, Tim GuineeSci-Fi | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Phillip K. Dick's influence on the Science Fiction genre and the literary world-at-large cannot be denied, his works not overly praised, his vision indisputably detailed. While his influence in the motion picture arena doesn't match his written legacy, cinema has crafted several of his stories into top motion pictures, the highlight undoubtedly being Director Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Other films -- the entertaining Total Recall and the slickly-crafted Minority Report -- have made big money for studios and entertained hundreds of thousands of audiences with chilling visions of a future gone mad. The filmed adaptation of his Impostor may be the most ignored or, at least, under-the-radar picture of them all. It certainly lacks the detail and wonder of Blade Runner, the sheer fun of Total Recall, and the unbelievable polish and technical skill of Minority Report, but this Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump)-starring Thriller, directed by Gary Fleder (The Express), offers audiences an exhilarating, superbly-crafted, highly-suspenseful, and consistently-captivating tale of a man on the run, on the run from authorities and from the truth.
This isn't very comfortable, you know.
Impostor features a dark, bland, visually stale image that's a result of the film's gloomy look as well as a quick and easy Blu-ray transfer. Colors are hard to come by beyond shades of blue, gray, and black. Certainly there are a few brighter scenes with some splashes of brighter tones, but even those remain rather dim and visually uninteresting. Details fall almost completely flat throughout. The image doesn't look excessively and hopelessly scrubbed down, but it is quite bland and lifeless. Details on faces, clothes, and the film's many dull, barren surfaces are minimal. The video enjoys a boost in resolution, crispness, and stability over standard definition images, but this is far from an example of a title that really looks much better on Blu-ray. Flesh tones are fine within the film's color parameters, as are blacks, which never veer too far either towards a dark shade of gray or overpowering crush. There's some background blockiness and some lingering dirt. This is a serviceable transfer; Impostor will never look like a Pixar movie, but there's certainly room for improvement here.
Impostor blasts onto Blu-ray with a loud and active DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This audio presentation offers listeners a nice, wide soundstage. The track plays big and seems always ready and willing to immerse the listening audience into the film's dark, uncertain world. Music plays with suitable clarity and good spacing, not only across the fronts but within the surrounds, too. Various sound effects play heavily and with much vigor, sometimes to the detriment of dialogue, such as the rumble of mass transportation vehicles as heard early in the film that compete with the spoken word's clarity and volume. Ambient effects are handled nicely, and its often these little subtle elements, as much as the larger pieces, that really create the realistic soundstage. Dialogue nicely bounces around cavernous locales, and an underground hiding spot features dripping water which yields a steady, creepy, mood-setting effect. Other than when it competes with loud music and effects, dialogue plays smoothly and intelligibly from the center channel. This track isn't demo-worthy material, but it's a good, enjoyable presentation that's superior to the lackluster video presentation.
Impostor contains the following two supplements:
Impostor works on nearly every level. It's far better than the average "chase" movie, elevated by a unique and well-crafted future world, a gripping start, a startling finish, fine acting, solid direction, and enough energy to get through a fairly routine, but admittedly necessary, middle stretch. Impostor isn't the finest Phillip K. Dick-based film, but it's an absorbing, high energy, dramatically-charged, and oftentimes exciting little vehicle that should satisfy fans across several genres. Echo Bridge Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Impostor features disappointing video, good audio, and a couple of extras. Recommended primarily on the strength of the film.
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The George Lucas Director's Cut
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