Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Journey to the Edge of the Universe Blu-ray Movie Review

A fantastic documentary burdened with a lackluster AV presentation...

After fighting an admittedly cheesy urge to open my review with the words "space... the final frontier" (a battle I obviously lost), I found myself processing the endless tidbits and factoids I absorbed while watching National Geographic's Journey to the Edge of the Universe, a brisk but engrossing overview of the heavens. Narrated with welcome urgency by Alec Baldwin, this made-for-television documentary relies on Hubble Telescope imagery and extensive CG to present its tour of the universe with a single tracking shot. Its virtual camera descends onto planet surfaces, visits moons and comets, glances off asteroids, and delves into the surreal limits of space. All the while, Baldwin relays increasingly dense information and detailed theories about the origins, purpose, history, and development of everything we encounter.

National Geographic should consider developing this documentary into an ongoing series...

I didn't expect to be so enamored by Journey to the Edge of the Universe. To my relief, what could have easily been a plodding, planet-hopping lecture turned out to be a captivating jaunt to indescribable realms that defy the imagination. Baldwin isn't just a tour guide, but a passionate participant who sells every line of writer Nigel Henbest's script and seems as invested in the project as the filmmakers themselves. Moreover, the film's jaw-dropping imagery is revealing and its presentation is thoroughly inventive. Director Yavar Abbas treats the entire production as if it's a big budget Hollywood blockbuster, jarring the virtual camera to immerse viewers in the volatility of an ever-changing spacescape, diving beneath cloud cover and through solar flares to explore unseen aspects of distant planets and stars, and hurtling great distances with daunting speed.

Journey to the Edge of the Universe not only serves up more bizarre eye-candy than the most outlandish episodes of Star Trek, it engages the mind more rapidly than any other space faring documentary I've seen. In fact, my only complaint with the film is that it doesn't explore each locale enough. I felt a palpable jab of disappointment every time the camera would prematurely rip away from a particularly fascinating subject to hone in on its next target. Even though a ninety-minute production could never hope to cover enough ground to satisfy the cranial cravings of an enthusiast like myself, I would have gladly sat through hours upon hours of additional material if it were all as mesmerizing as this morsel.

I suppose it's worth noting that anyone who's already intimately familiar with the reaches of our reality won't find a lot of lofty new information to chew on here. Journey to the Edge of the Universe provides a relatively brief glimpse of its subject and, as a result, doesn't have the time to convey anything more than the absolute basics. I'm sure a handful of people will also gripe about the fact that the film uses slick CG in place of actual Hubble Telescope imagery or traditional talking-head interviews -- accusing the documentary of adhering to style over substance -- but I'd take an impressive approximation of these mind-blowing wonders over a stale series of photographs and dusty scientists any day. Ultimately, anyone who's stared at the stars or wondered about the depths of space will have a field day rocketing across the universe and witnessing its awe-inspiring sights. Give this one a chance... you won't regret it.

Journey to the Edge of the Universe Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unfortunately, Warner's fairly shoddy 1080i/VC-1 transfer fails to live up to the film's CG artistry. While its palette is consistently impressive and its primaries grow increasingly more vibrant as the camera exits our comparatively dreary galaxy, the Blu-ray edition of Journey to the Edge of the Universe stumbles on more than one occasion with poor contrast leveling, unresolved blacks, soft fine detailing, and other distracting technical issues. I had hoped the transfer would be minted directly from its digital source, but it seems the studio simply tossed the television broadcast onto a BD-25 disc. Overall image clarity is mediocre, texture definition is poor, and dimensionality is practically non-existent. Worse still, the dark expanse of space often looks as if it's been constructed with dark gray Legos -- severe artifacting and macroblocking run rampant, digital noise pops up on occasion, and color banding appears in almost every shot. Still, while the transfer is disappointing in many regards, the technical quality of the presentation is bearable and, on the whole, decent enough to warrant an average score.

Journey to the Edge of the Universe Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Journey to the Edge of the Universe includes a disheartening Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track that doesn't pack the power or punch I desperately wanted to hear paired with the film's imagery. Baldwin's narration is always intelligible and well prioritized in the mix, but lacks the crispness and clarity featured on other documentary releases. Likewise, the LFE channel is frequently tapped to support spewing geysers and colliding asteroids, but injects little more than clumsy, superficial weight into the soundscape. To top it all off, even the most aggressive sequences are exceedingly front-heavy, failing to immerse the listener in anything resembling a proper soundfield. Granted, minor soundscape elements trickle into the rear speakers, but only when the filmmakers attempt to artificially boost the impact of an eruption or explosion. It amounts to volume for volume's sake and rarely fulfills the sonic potential of the on-screen chaos. All things considered, a lossless audio option may have helped matters a bit, but I seriously doubt any amount of technical wizardry could have overcome such bland and underdeveloped sound design.

Journey to the Edge of the Universe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Even though it includes a small photo gallery and a series of National Geographic promos, Journey to the Edge of the Universe doesn't offer any substantial supplemental content.

Journey to the Edge of the Universe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Journey to the Edge of the Universe offers a fascinating overview of our galaxy, the measurable realms of reality, and the very boundaries of space. Sadly, this riveting National Geographic tour limps onto Blu-ray with a pedestrian video transfer and an underwhelming audio track. Documentary junkies may be able to overlook the disc's technical issues and focus on the film itself, but others will probably be too distracted by Warner's lazy efforts to enjoy the feature presentation. Approach this one accordingly.