6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Joseph, his father's favorite son, is sold into slavery by his jealous half-brothers. After years of struggle, Joseph rises to be the Pharaoh's trusted adviser when his gift for interpreting dreams pays dividends.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Mark Hamill, Richard Herd, Maureen McGovern, Jodi BensonFamily | Uncertain |
Animation | Uncertain |
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, 24-bit)
Japanese: DTS 5.1
French: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Dutch: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Portuguese: DTS 2.0
English SDH, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Joseph: King of Dreams begins with this text:
Joseph: King of Dreams arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer framed at 1.78:1. The image is not particularly great. While colors are sufficiently robust and textures adequate, the image is problematic around the periphery. There are more than a few jagged edges plaguing the presentation. There are a number of shots that appear somewhat low-res, lacking aggressive crispness and clarity. Banding appears across some solid colored surfaces, including shirtless torsos. Fortunately, these problems to not appear in transfer-breaking excess but do appear with enough regularity to distract from several scenes. In the aggregate, however, viewers will find a sufficiently crisp and colorful image, one that handles both characters and environments with acceptable definition and clarity. Colors, which are largely earthy but pop when looking at Joseph's coat or regal Egyptian decor, shine. The picture wavers between "strong" and "needs improvement" (granted many of the issues seem found at the source, not a fault of Universal's transfer). Most viewers should find it watchable enough.
Joseph: King of Dreams features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is imperfect. The opening song, and most to follow, struggles to prioritize lyrics which fall well under music which is itself wide and immersive but lacking superior clarity and definition. Score, on the other hand, is a bit more rich and lively, able-bodied and agreeably accurate though still in need of some fine-tuning at the ends of the spectrum. The track finds some quality spacing as Joseph is thrown into a cavernous prison. The door slams shut with impressive reverberation, voices echo about, and rats scurry across the floor. Thunder cracks with impressive depth and detail and rain falls with stage saturating coverage in chapter 11. Meanwhile in chapter 14 gusty, arid winds impressively blow through the stage. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized as it flows from a natural front-center location.
Joseph: King of Dreams contains two supplements. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with
an embossed slipcover.
It's a shame DreamWorks didn't pursue more Biblically based animated features beyond this and Prince of Egypt. In the Bible there is, of course, a near endless supply of richly detailed and purposeful tales that are all but begging for similar treatment; imagine a similarly budgeted and crafted film telling the story of Daniel and the lion's den or Jonah and the whale. Such exist, but not quite to this level of production. Nevertheless, the end result is quite good here; Joseph: King of Dreams works visually, aurally, structurally, and thematically. It's one of the better, and most accessible, family-friendly Bible adaptations -- with some license -- out there. Universal's Blu-ray is decent, not great. Picture and sound show room to improve and the included supplements are relatively scant. Recommended.
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