7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his sixtieth birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black (Brad Pitt), who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan (Claire Forlani)?
Starring: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani, Jake Weber, Marcia Gay HardenRomance | 100% |
Drama | 12% |
Supernatural | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
I'll go to my grave defending Meet Joe Black, and I've never seen fit to apologize for it. There are movies that move us, all of us, and take us to places we've never been; journeys of the heart and imagination that pave the way to breathtaking worlds, startling ideas, and rousing visions. I'll be the first to admit Meet Joe Black is not one of those films. Director Martin Brest's divisive, critically panned box office bomb is most notable for a very young Brad Pitt's impish turn as one of the oldest creatures in creation: Death. Most, though, were more than anxious to declare it DOA: Three hours?! It's too long! Too slow! Nothing happens! It's pretentious! Get on with it already! Bah, I say. Bah. There are indeed movies that move us. All of us. But there are also movies that only move some of us, perhaps no more than a few. So rather than bend to consensus, rather than bow my head and cry pardon, I have something of a love letter to pen. And it starts like this...
Death stops by for dinner...
Rampant edge enhancement will be the death of me one of these days, just wait and see. Meet Joe Black would look fantastic (does look fantastic, many will no doubt argue) if it weren't for a single unfortunate issue: the presence of glaring edge halos. It isn't the worst I've seen, far from it, but it's hard to miss and sometimes amounts to a sizable distraction. For a moment, I even considered docking the video score a bit more. But I soon calmed down, realized I was only dealing with one major issue in an otherwise solid presentation, and settled on a nice, judicious 3.5 instead. Needless to say, if you aren't sure what an edge halo is, thank the gods; you'll probably fall head over heels for Universal's 1080p/VC-1 encoded transfer, which is identical to its 2007 HD DVD counterpart.
Colors are strong -- with a welcome hint of the cinematic opulence Brest and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki infused in each romantic rendezvous -- even if contrast is too hot for its own good (with stark, crushed whites that rob the image of its intended richness during daytime scenes) and skintones are sometimes either a touch too pink, slightly sun-bleached or both. That said, primaries deliver, delineation is decent, and black levels are, for the most part, deep and billowing, draping Death in long, inky shadows. Meanwhile, detail is excellent, with crisply resolved fine textures and a never-ending lineup of lovely closeups. Exactly how much of the resulting clarity is attributable to artificial sharpening is a bit of a mystery but, again, the halos that appear are the only thing that take any serious toll. Artifacting, banding, smearing and other unwelcome guests never crash the party, and a faint veneer of grain is intact and unobtrusive. All in all, I was quite pleased with the presentation, despite the fact that creating a new, more faithful master would have done wonders for the film and its subsequent transfer.
Meet Joe Black enchants with a pleasantly enveloping DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Dialogue is clean, clear and well-prioritized throughout, and the film's scampish soundscape is bristling with delicate effects and convincing diners, board rooms, mansions and birthday galas. The rear speakers are coy but playful, working a fair amount of magic despite the fact that Brest's romance mainly involves conversations, conversations and more conversations. (Oh, and did I mention hushed conversations?) Whirring helicopters, bustling hospital halls, and crowded parties stand out, but Parish mostly frequents spacious rooms, lonely studies, and quiet offices, immersive as each one turns out to be. Thomas Newman's score is the real highlight of the mix, though, filling the soundfield with stirring strings, dancing from speaker to speaker, tapping into the resonance of the LFE channel, and sweeping listeners away in the grand romance of it all. Ultimately, Universal's lossless efforts are an exercise in precision and restraint. If you have any love of the film, you'll thoroughly enjoy what its sprightly mix offers.
Meet Joe Black isn't for everyone, but what movie is? For those willing to give themselves over to its meditations on life, love and loss, though, it can be a beautiful film, full of grandeur, wisdom, and good, old fashioned character-driven storytelling. Both Hopkins and Pitt are magnetic, the tone strikes a careful balance between wit and sorrow, and it's capable of softening the hardest of hearts. Flawless? No. Absorbing? Absolutely. Fortunately, its Blu-ray debut -- while hindered by some rather apparent edge enhancement -- features an eye-catching video transfer and a delightful DTS-HD Master Audio track. There aren't many extras to speak of (box office bombs aren't usually teeming with special features after all), but it hardly matters. If you haven't had the pleasure, take a chance and Meet Joe Black. You may find it to be as enchanting as I do.
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