7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
An unscrupulous music executive and his flunky kidnap an alien, blue-skinned techno band, rob them of their identities, pass them off as human, and foist them on an unsuspecting public on Earth. After their arrival and their impact on the human population, the members of the band try to piece back their identities, escape from the clutches of the evil music executive, and return to their own world.
Starring: Romanthony, Thomas BangalterAnime | 100% |
Animation | 37% |
Fantasy | 32% |
Sci-Fi | 28% |
Musical | 16% |
Adventure | 2% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p (upconverted)
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English, French
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
It’s more than a little funny that Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, better known as the synthpop duo Daft Punk, seem to think that combining science fiction, aliens and rock stars was a new idea, something they talk about in the liner notes for this new Blu-ray release of Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, their quasi- music video treatment of their bestselling album Discovery. Anyone who’s ever been either a parent or a teenager know that for countless millennia, or at least for as long as there’s been rock ‘n’ roll, older generations have been insisting that rock stars are obviously aliens. Daft Punk have played with that idea, perhaps not quite as overtly as, say, David Bowie, by donning robot costumes for many of their live performances, to the point where only their most ardent fans actually know what the human forms of the duo actually look like. Daft Punk has a relatively short discography thus far in their professional careers, with a scant three albums to their credit, but they’ve managed to rack up some impressive chart action over the years, helping to redefine the French house movement and also creating one of the most iconic Continental hits of the early 2000s with “One More Time.” (Daft Punk’s stateside chart action has been considerably less successful than overseas, though they have cracked the Billboard Top 100 and their music remains a staple of house and DJ movements nationwide). Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem reimagines the pair’s best known album in an anime setting, with a science fiction plotline involving marauding aliens who kidnap a pop band and remake them, if not in their own image, in a way that might help them to sell scads and scads of product.
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem rocks onto Blu-ray courtesy of EMI with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. This is very rich looking animation, certainly far more deep and complex than typical television anime fare, for example, and one whose painterly aesthetic helps to give this piece real texture and nuance. Colors are beautifully variegated and gorgeously saturated throughout the film's hour or so running time. Line detail is generally not very strong, and while there are some very minor banding and stair stepping issues, they ultimately don't detract from what is overall a decent presentation. On the other hand, this is an often curiously soft outing, one which seems (perhaps intentionally?) to hearken back to the days of 1980s and 1990s television animes, but which never achieves the clarity and sharpness one would hope for from a circa 2003 production like this is. Character design is appealing if not especially innovative (as mentioned above, most of this piece is intentionally "old school" looking). But several of the effects included in Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem are quasi- hallucinatory and they look fine on this Blu-ray.
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem is presented on Blu-ray with two lossless audio options, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 fold down. Aside from a great opening sequence which includes some fulsome LFE and wonderful panning effects, there are very few sound effects in the entire film, and instead we simply segue from one Daft Punk track to the next, As such, while there isn't a lot of discrete channelization per se, the surrounds do in fact get a consistent workout from the immersive instrumentation. The low end on both of these tracks is very impressive, and fidelity is exceptionally strong throughout all frequency ranges. Both DTS tracks handle the different timbres of the many synths effortlessly, and the more percussive tunes really pop with some exciting sonic fury.
Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem is frankly kind of goofy, rather like Daft Punk itself, but like the group, it's also immensely likeable. While this Blu-ray comes with a couple of challenges (insanely small icons for various options and no clear titles on several choices, notably the Bonus material), overall it's a really interesting combination of some tuneful and enjoyable music to a, yes, silly but equally enjoyable science fiction premise. The animation style is intentionally old fashioned, which may turn off some of Daft Punk's younger (or anti- ironic) fans, but the music sounds absolutely fantastic courtesy of both lossless audio options on this Blu-ray. Highly recommended.
1995-1996
2001
2011
2012
2016
吸血鬼バンパイアハンターD ブラッドラスト
2000
デジモンアドベンチャー | English Language Version / Episodes 1-54
1999-2000
Limited Edition | Calibur
2014
Classics
2004
1986
Elliptical Orbit / Symbiotic Planet
2009
星方武侠アウトロースター
1998
2005
2006
サマーウォーズ / Samâ wôzu
2009
バケモノの子 / Bakemono no ko
2015
1985
ハウルの動く城 / Hauru no Ugoku Shiro
2004
風の谷のナウシカ / Kaze no tani no Naushika
1984