7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Set against the backdrop of the greatest clandestine race against time in the history of science with the mission to build the world's first atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Flawed scientists and their families attempt to co-exist in a world where secrets and lies infiltrate every aspect of their lives.
Starring: Rachel Brosnahan, Michael Chernus, Christopher Denham (II), John Benjamin Hickey, Katja HerbersDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Most people have heard of nuclear winter (whether or not they’ve really wanted to), but what about nuclear Winter? That capitalized word is actually the surname of a focal character in Manhattan, an absorbing if somewhat overheated dramatization of events surrounding the creation of the atom bomb, and while it’s probably just a slightly whimsical formulation on the part of show creator Sam Shaw, there’s little doubt that Dr. Frank Winter (John Benjamin Hickey) presides over (or maybe more appropriately within) a rather devastated emotional landscape. The fact that Shaw has created a fictional character to be the dramatic doppelganger of a real life scientist named Seth Henry Neddermeyer is perhaps just one indication of a problem confronting this series—so much of the Manhattan Project is still so bathed in mystery that many people have only an inkling of who was involved and what actually happened. While that might initially seem to be a positive boon for the series, affording a wide open canvas upon which to paint all sorts of interactions and dramatic developments which may or may not be based in actual fact, the upshot is that it divorces the series, at least in part, from the very history it’s attempting to examine. While a number of “real life” characters such as J. Robert Oppenheimer (Daniel London) or Secretary of War Henry Stimson (Gerald McRaney) wander through any given episode, a lot of Manhattan’s at times pretty florid sensibility is built around resolutely fictional characters and incidents that are occasionally seemingly only tangentially related to the development of what was at that time the biggest bang imaginable.
Manhattan is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. While the ramshackle enclave the scientists call home isn't exactly beautiful, the series' exterior footage can often be surprisingly breathtaking, full of wide open vistas that exploit the almost surreal looking landscape of the American Southwest (see screenshot 5). A lot of the series takes place in rather dim, and often brown toned, interiors, but shadow detail remains surprisingly strong, and fine detail often rises to exceptional levels in extreme close-ups (see screenshot 8 for an example of both dim lighting and well above average fine detail). Some sequences have been color graded, with some outdoor moments being just slightly desaturated or tipped toward a kind of retro feeling sepia end of the spectrum. There are also some brief moments of CGI involving elements like dreams (see screenshot 4), moments which can look just slightly soft in comparison to the bulk of the typically sharp, precise looking presentation. There are no issues with image instability, and no overt compression artifacts were noticed in preparation for this review.
Manhattan's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix isn't quite as complex or involving as the series' visual element, but it gets the job done with good if at times inconsistent surround activity. The windswept, dust filled environs of the encampment are brought vividly to sonic life in the outdoor sequences, while the interior scenes, which tend to be largely quieter dialogue driven moments, are also offered clearly and cleanly. There are some very good uses of directionality and ambient differentiation in little elements like the sound from neighboring rooms seeping through to wherever the action is currently taking place (the "paper thin" walls of the living quarters are a recurrent issue as the show goes on). Fidelity is excellent, though dynamic range is rather restrained, especially for a show built around the development of a bomb.
Disc One:
Manhattan is probably not "da bomb" (to use current day vernacular), but it similarly isn't a bomb (to use that old school terminology). Still finding its sea (and/or desert) legs, the show has a lot of potential, but it needs to rein in its florid soap operatic tendencies and deliver more on the intrinsic intrigue of the actual history. Performances are generally fantastic here, but it may be indicative of the pluses and minuses of this show that it's the incredible production design that really makes an impact when all is said and done. For those who like large ensemble dramas with a tinge of supposed "real life" poking in from the edges, Manhattan comes Recommended.
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