7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A present day social drama spanning multiple characters about the human insecurity in a "new country" which gradually unwinds to a mythological scale concerning the human condition on earth entirely.
Starring: Elena Lyadova, Aleksey Serebryakov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Roman Madyanov, Anna UkolovaDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 88% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Russian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Russian: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Selected to represent Russia in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 87th Academy Awards, Andrey Zvyagintsev's "Leviathan" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; making of featurette; exclusive video interview with the Russian director; and gallery of deleted scenes. In Russian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Silenced
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrey Zvyagintsev's Leviathan arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.
It is not surprising that the majority of the outdoor footage looks terrific as director Zvyagintsev shot Leviathan with Arriflex Cameras. When there is an abundance of natural light, image depth and clarity can be enormously impressive, making it very easy to see numerous extremely small objects and details (see screencapture #3). Colors are also very natural and stable. Generally speaking, the darker footage also boasts impressive depth and fluidity. In fact, many of the outdoor panoramic shots actually look like digital photographs (see screencaptures #5, 6, and 7). This being said, there are a few sequences where the blacks have been destabilized and as a result a few very light blocky patches pop up. I feel that most viewers will not spot them as they disappear very quickly, but it is possible that some viewers with larger screens will notice them. The most obvious one is during the religious ceremony at the end of the film (see screencaptures #15). Overall image stability is outstanding. All in all, Leviathan really does look terrific in high-definition, but the encoding could have been a bit more convincing. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Russian LPCM 2.0. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.
While Leviathan isn't a film that can impress with excellent surround movement, the 5.1 track is clearly a lot more effective as separation on it is superior. The atmospheric score by Philip Glass (The Qatsi Trilogy) also breathes a lot easier, with the synthesizer solos in particular being far lusher and better rounded. The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow. Finally, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
It is not surprising that there are so many bizarre developments surrounding the recent murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. In Vladmir Putin's Russia anything is possible, and anyone can be made responsible for anything. Andrey Zvyagintsev's latest film, Leviathan, offers a chilling glimpse into post-communist Russia, a stunningly beautiful but largely surreal place run by a powerful red mafia. It was one of the best films I saw in 2014 and my favorite amongst the Oscar finalists. RECOMMENDED.
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