7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia; 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
Starring: Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Nicole Kidman, Abhishek BharateDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Director Garth Davis' Lion, based on the autobiography A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, tells the true story of a young boy who once become separated from his brother, became lost far away from home, and would eventually retrace his steps and reconnect with his past life in adulthood. It's a unique film in that its core story is not something with which most in the audience will be able to connect -- a decades-long search for home -- but it's one that's very relatable in terms of its central emotions, of the thirst to reconnect with the past and the power of self-discovery. The film offers a moving, engrossing tale of a harrowing journey in one direction and, eventually, a heartwarming journey in the other. It's about physical loss and emotional loss and how the human spirit, with a little help from modern technology, can overcome even the most vast of distances and the longest stretches of time.
Lion's 1080p transfer seems honestly reflective of the source, resulting in a fairly bland and sometimes problematic image. Banding is an occasional issue, first evident in serious quantities around the seven-minute mark and again a little past the 13-minute mark. Noise can spike but, like the banding, isn't a regular issue. The image was digitally sourced and presents with a fairly pasty, flat texturing. Detailing is adequate, presenting general facial, clothing, and environmental textures with enough clarity and definition to please, but the rather bland sourcing leaves a bit to be desired. Much of the movie features a fairly earthy color palette, a little more lively in Australia, but rarely is there serious punch and vitality to the color scheme. Black levels can often appear washed out, and flesh tones sometimes look a bit dull. All that said, the Blu-ray does seem faithful to the movie's intendedly drab digital appearance.
Lion's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is dynamic. Surround and subwoofer engagement are regular and involved. A deep train rumble engages the stage in the film's open. Power comes effortlessly and the whistle pierces the stage. Another train offers more intensive sound effects around the 36-minute mark. Music is well spaced and aggressive, making full use of the entire stage and dominating in particular during a dance party sequence about 74 minutes into the movie; big, spacious beats and thumping bass effortlessly pull the listener into the environment. The track is filled with examples of completely immersive and engaging atmospherics. A marketplace springs to life with detailed and diverse din. A packed train station offers much the same. The track is never shy about creating a full, detailed environment, and even with the standard-layout five-channel presentation rather than a 7.1 or Atmos/X offering, there's no shortage of full-on engagement. Dialogue is clear and well defined with natural front-center positioning and strong prioritization, even through the film's most sonically intensive moments.
Lion contains deleted scenes, featurettes, and a music video. A UV digital copy voucher is included with purchase.
Lion is an excellent movie that captures a singular goal -- the desire to go home -- from two different perspectives but through the eyes of the same individual. The film plays with its core emotions extremely well in both of its very distinct halves, solidified by two enormously strong performances from Sunny Pawar and Dev Patel as the same character across the years. The movie doesn't offer many surprises, even for those who don't know the story but only the basic plot, but it succeeds thanks to the incredible portrayals and the real emotions the actors bring to the role. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray offers decent picture, excellent sound, and a few supplements. Highly recommended.
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