7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Hard-hitting British urban drama about disaffected youth. Given the day off school after a girl in their class commits suicide, a group of troubled 15-year-olds spend the day wandering the streets of London taking drugs, getting in fights, indulging in under-age sex, and moving ever closer to a gun-crime that will change their lives.
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Adam Deacon, Jaime Winstone, Femi Oyeniran, Kate MagowanCrime | 100% |
Coming of age | 18% |
Drama | 17% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Raw and littered with street jargon, "Kidulthood" (2006) follows the deeds of three West London teenagers as they struggle to find logic in the world around them. Attempting to be both objective and chic, pic is likely to resonate primarily with those who actually understand what the kids must cope with. Casual viewers beware, "Kidulthood" isn’t for the meek.
Trife (Aml Ameen), Jay (Adam Deacon) and Moony (Femi Oyeniran), cross paths with local bully Sam (Noel Clarke). Sam strikes first but the boys deliver a humiliating hit shortly after. Jay also claims Sam’s girlfriend Claire (Madeleine Fairley). Trife’s girlfriend Alisa (Red Madrell) has just found out that she is pregnant. She tells best friend Becky (Jamie Winstone) who takes her out shopping. In a matter of hours Trife, Jay, and Moony will test their friendship, Sam will get back at Jay, and Alisa and Becky will part ways.
Where kidulthood ends and adulthood begins
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, and granted a 1080p transfer Kidulthood arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based Revolver Entertainment. The transfer for this fairly recent film looks very strong. Detail and clarity are very impressive and especially during some of the daylight scenes (or brightly lit mall scenes) the video approaches what I consider to be reference quality. The color scheme is also intact with blacks, reds, blues, and yellows looking natural and very convincing. I did not detect any DNR manipulations either – there is a healthy dose of film grain during a few specific scenes and the overall look of the film is balanced without artificial examples of the "popping" effect. The quality of the actual print is also impressive. In fact, the print is in an immaculate condition and I did not detect any specks, debris, or dirt. Finally, blown through a digital projector, the print reveals a very tight, solid, look which I believe will please a lot of people with high-end equipment. (Note: This is a region-free disc which you will be able to play in your Region-A machine. However, please note that it takes approximately 10 seconds for the player to access the main menu as there is a PAL-logo that precedes it).
There are two audio tracks on this disc: English Dolby True HD 5.1 and English Stereo 2.0. Given the rich soundtrack Kidulthood boasts the Dolby True HD mix is more than welcome. And as far as I am concerned it definitely does not disappoint. The mix of ambient-downtempo tunes with hard R&B beats will surely impress those of you with serious audio systems as Kidulthood most definitely relies on a lot of diverse music to get its message across. The quality of the actual mix is more than pleasing – the rear channels are used a lot and in a very proficient manner. There is a good separation between dialog and music without any issues to report. Finally, I did not detect any hissing, pop-ups, or cracks. This being said, I must note that this Blu-ray disc does not offer any subtitle options. Which could be a serious issue for some! The West London accents in Kidulthood are very, very strong and I personally had a great deal of difficulty understanding some of the jargon the youngsters were using. I think that a dedicated English sub-file with films such as Kidulthood should be mandatory.
Revolver Entertainment have provided a good dose of supplemental materials for their first Blu-ray release. First there is a "Making Of" where you are given the opportunity to witness in action footage as Kidulthood is being shot. There are a few interesting comments by the cast as well. The "Behind the Scenes" segment provides an even better look at the production process and though I did not necessarily think that there is a lot more here that you would learn about the film seeing and hearing how everything was put together is nevertheless quite intriguing. Next, there is exclusive footage from the premiere for Kidulthood. There is also an exclusive premiere after-party footage where as you could guess there are plenty of smiles (and drinks). Finally, there is a music video by Skinnyman titled "Council Estate of Mind" as well as a bonus track by Arkane titled "Supo Mungam". (Note: Please keep in mind that all of the extras are in standard-def PAL so unless you have a TV capable of supporting the signal, or PC, you will not be able to access them on most US TV sets).
Kidulthood is a controversial film to say the least. It delivers a very unsettling portrait of a generation which appears to be in a state of free falling. Yes, it is also vulgar and raw, but I don't believe that the streets of West London are any different. Technically the film looks quite strong and I am convinced it will resonate with the specific audience it targets convincingly. Revolver Entertainment's first Blu-ray release is of very high quality and I am enormously encouraged by what I have in my hands. I believe that we are in for some great treats from the UK distributor and I cannot wait to see what they have planned for 2009.
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