7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
Movie hero Jean-Claude Van Damme finds himself out of money, fighting for custody of his daughter and losing every good action role to Steven Seagal. In an attempt to escape, the aging star walks away from his shrinking spotlight and returns home to his native Brussels. But when he is thrown into a real-life hostage situation, everyone sees a side of Van Damme they've never seen before as he takes on the police, battles the perpetrators and creates a media firestorm that captures the attention of the world.
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, François Damiens, John Flanders (I), Mourade Zeguendi, Zinedine SoualemCrime | 100% |
Foreign | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
French: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Mabrouk El Mechri’s “JCVD” (2008) is a terrible action film. It is, however, a terrific drama. Jean-Claude Van Damme delivers a performance that will be remembered for as long as his name is mentioned. The film is distributed in the United Kingdom by Revolver Entertainment.
In front of the post office
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mabrouk El Mechri's JCVD arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based distributors Revolver Entertainment.
JCVD has a very interesting look. The entire film reveals a unique color-scheme where the blues, browns, yellows, greens, reds and blacks appear to have been bleached. As a result, contrast is seriously affected and there are certain scenes where it almost feels as if the film has been completely drained from its colors (take a look at the screen grabs we have provided to see what I mean). This being said, clarity is mostly unaffected by the color manipulation I described above. Still, this bleaching of the print will probably spur some very interesting discussions amongst film buffs (I believe that the intent of the faded look is to remind us about Jean-Claude's faded film career). Furthermore, edge-enhancement and macroblocking are quite difficult to address here; I honestly could not tell what was intended by the director of JCVD and what wasn't. On the other hand, the actual print appears to be very healthy. In fact, I did not detect any debris, scratches, or stains whatsoever. To sum it all up, JCVD boasts a very contemporary look which blends exceptionally well with the film's nostalgic overtones. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and French Linear PCM. Even though JCVD won't surprise you with a sizable amount of rear-channel activity, there is actually quite a bit that you will hear coming through your speakers. The bass is deep and pleasing, though not overpowering. On the other hand, the dialog is crystal clear and very easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, drop-outs, or hissings. As far as balance is concerned, I really do not think that there is much of a difference between the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track and the Linear PCM track. Gast Waltzing's soundtrack blends with the dialog very well, and I did not detect any issues to report here with either of the two audio tracks mentioned above. Finally, I would like to point out that the English subtitles for the main feature are actually imposed (this means that you will not be able to turn them off). For the record, the subtitles are also placed inside the image frame.
In addition to two teasers for the main feature, on this Blu-ray disc you will also find a terrific documentary titled "A Day with JCVD" where the Belgian star recalls the highs and lows of his career. Jean-Claude also comments on his collaboration with director Mabrouk El Mechri (this is a long and very informative documentary; I highly recommend that you find the time to see it). Next is "The Making-of JCVD" featurette where you would see plenty of behind-the-scenes footage from JCVD. The camera also captures members of the cast and crew as they prepare and shoot specific scenes from the film. Finally, in the extras department you will also find two deleted scenes. All of the extras are subtitled in English and offered in standard-def PAL.
The buzz was justified, folks. JCVD shows us the Jean-Claude Van Damme we never saw on film. It is somewhat ironic that the Belgian actor will now be remembered for playing himself, but it isn't surprising, given how emotional his words are in JCVD. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Revolver Entertainment, is Region-Free, of very good quality and offering great supplemental features that are very, very informative. Highly Recommended.
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