5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Two terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the CIA, the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime.
Starring: Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Adjani, Charles Grodin, Jack WestonComedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Musical | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps)
English, English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Walk up to any cinephile and whisper the name Ishtar. Some will respond with a chuckle, others a simple grin, some a puzzling look, and a few with "hey, I like that movie! Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, right?" The most common response, probably, would be something along the lines of "yeah, that really bad movie that cost a fortune and made a pittance?" Rightly or wrongly, Ishtar has come to define cinema failure and poor box office returns for big budget films, the former really more a matter of taste and perspective but the latter certainly undeniable; the film lost millions upon millions of dollars and its production history and the aftermath of its release has become more widely-known, it seems, than the contents within the movie itself. But, hey, maybe it was a blessing in disguise; the film might have attracted, albeit in hindsight, far more viewers in the long run because of its negative notoriety. Nevertheless, Ishtar proves pleasantly better than the reputation that proceeds it. Make no mistake, it's easy to see why the movie is the object of much derision, humor, and even a little bit of ire -- it's clunky, cringe-worthy in spots, and not quite as structurally coherent and genuinely affable as the filmmakers probably envisioned -- but that reputation has ballooned to such an all-encompasing size that it's easy to dismiss the movie outright or fail to see what is a fair effort at action mischief and lighthearted comedy rolled into one.
Hey! A positive review! Wait...it was just a mirage.
Ishtar's long-awaited Blu-ray debut isn't accompanied by dazzling picture quality. While the image proves serviceable or better in most every shot, there's nothing particularly impressive about Sony's 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer, either. At film's start, viewers are greeted by a fairly dim, nondescript image that showcases flat details and a lifeless color palette. In some early dark scenes, black clothes and dark backgrounds mesh together to where they're indistinguishable one from another. Brighter exteriors, however, both in the U.S. and abroad, show a a fair bit more stability, balanced color, and pleasing texturing. Facial intricacies marginally improve, some heavy winter clothes show rather nice material details, and a scene up around the top floor of a tall building reveals some nice tactile brick textures. In Africa, much the same carries over. Facial lines are nicely resolved, camel hair looks rather good, and the desert floor shows some quality details. Colors liven up under the best-lit scenes, too. Whether natural earth tones or the barrage of colors in a bazaar, the palette showcases balanced and largely accurate hues throughout. There's a bit of edge softness in places to go with some pastier, flatter shots, but generally the transfer reveals a fair film-like texture, accentuated by a light grain layer. There's minor blockiness across a few backdrops, but nothing overly concerning. Fans will wish for better, but for a movie that doesn't have the best of reputations and sort of just snuck out on Blu-ray for a relatively low cost, it's a decent effort.
Ishtar's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack doesn't fare significantly better than the included original English monaural presentation. Despite the "5.1" encode, there's nothing much to the wider experience beyond what lingers around the middle. Musical delivery doesn't stretch very far. Clarity and stage presence are decent, and "decent" seems to be the ceiling for the entire track. The track finds a little more robust spacing, presence, an clarity at a bar in chapter three. Even then, there's a lack of sonic accuracy and natural replication. A few heavier moments remind viewers that the subwoofer track is engaged; gunfire erupts with a fair enough sense of authority, and explosions late in the film are delivered with decent heft. Additionally, there's a nice bit of low-end support to some Middle Eastern-inpsired Action music. Generally, however, the presentation sounds rather flat, sometimes a touch hollow and occasionally detached. Dialogue comes through clearly enough from the center but sometimes lacks the natural precision of the finer tracks. This one gets listeners through the film with a few nice touches along the way, but a polished, memorable track this is not.
Ishtar's long-awaited Blu-ray release arrives featureless. Only Sony previews are included. Also note that this is presented as the "Director's Cut" of the film.
Ishtar might never escape the shadow of its reputation. That's a shame, because there's a better -- albeit still flawed -- movie to see. It's largely the success that it is because of the Beatty/Hoffman pairing, which is outstanding in every scene they share. The rest of the movie is clunky to be sure, but it's far from even approaching the worst of the worst cinema has to offer. Sony's Blu-ray release of Ishtar might allow some to see it with fresh eyes, to go in with a clean slate and leave the reputation and noise as far back as possible. While the Blu-ray is, like the movie, serviceable but hardly noteworthy, it gets the job done of showing the movie with adequate video and passable audio. No collection is complete without Ishtar, if only because of its noteworthiness in cinema history. It's a shame Sony couldn't provide a better package, but this is the best it's going to be for a while. Recommended.
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