Outbreak Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Outbreak Blu-ray Movie Review

Break out of the quarantine and check this movie out.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 9, 2008

The single biggest threat to man's continued dominance on the planet is the virus.

How far do you think the government would go to contain a virus? How far would they go to cover up its existence? How far would they go to mask an antidote to further an agenda? Outbreak is a film that examines these questions as a deadly virus rapidly descends and spreads throughout a small California town. The film cleverly and efficiently molds itself into a multi-genre picture, and never misses a beat as it offers thriller, drama, and horror elements, expertly intertwined and presented with gusto. It tackles difficult subject material with sometimes hard to watch efficiency and detail, and while there are plenty of "Hollywood" moments littered throughout the film, along with a few implausible scenarios, Outbreak maintains a good pace (even considering a runtime that surpasses the two-hour mark), features fine acting, and is well-crafted under the always steady hand of director Wolfgang Petersen (In the Line of Fire).

Profile, very good, now face forward please!

A deadly virus, known as Motaba, ravages a village in the war-torn African country of Zaire. The village is destroyed, and the virus thought terminated. Years later, Motaba returns, this time in a strain that is not airborne and seems to be contained. When a member of Zaire's local wildlife population, a monkey carrying the virus, is illegally brought to California's shores, it quickly infects one person, then two, and eventually, nearly the entire populace of Cedar Creek finds itself staring death in the eye and the town is quickly quarantined by the U.S. military. The Centers for Disease Control's top virologist, Col. Sam Daniels (Dustin Hoffman, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium), disobeys Brigadier General Billy Ford's (Morgan Freeman, Batman Begins) orders to stay away from the site and enters the fray in search of the disease's source, and a cure. Joined by his ex-wife Robby (Rene Russo, The Thomas Crown Affair), and his assistants, Major Casey Schuler (Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects) and Major Salt (Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jerry Maguire), the race for the cure, and against Major General Donald McClintock's (Donald Sutherland, Space Cowboys) plan of wiping the town off the map, is underway.

Much of the success of a film like Outbreak is dependent upon the believability of the material. It plays with elements that sometimes require a suspension of disbelief, as most any movie does, but when dealing with material that hits home, and presents itself as a scenario that could conceivably play out in our own cities, our own communities, even inside the walls of our own homes, filmmakers must walk a fine line to ensure the material is believable while still maintaining a taut pace and plenty of excitement to keep audiences interested. Director Wolfgang Petersen handles Outbreak very well. The film's primary flaw lies with its highly predictable nature, but knowing what to expect next never hinders the film's pace or level of excitement. At times frightening, at times exciting, and at times nail-bitingly intense, the film shifts gears several times in an effort to allow itself to play to a myriad of audiences and sensibilities, and each one is handled well. While the outcome is never in doubt, the spectacle and horror of the situation is always palpable, always real, consistently worsening and becoming more harrowing with every passing moment.

Generally, the film avoids pandering to the audience, though two scenes do stick out like a sore thumb and come off as nothing but cheap attempts at audience manipulation. The first is the movie theater scene where the virus is first seen spreading. It's a lame attempt at further scaring the theater-bound audience, and no doubt many a theater patrons deliberately coughed and hacked while watching Outbreak at the local multiplex some 13 years ago. The second is a well-meaning scene featuring a mother's separation from her family as she is taken away by the military. It comes off as far too melodramatic and staged, unbelievable and overly sentimental, and instead of tugging at the heartstrings it smacks the funny bone instead. Nevertheless, these are exceptions to the rule, and for the most part, Outbreak plays out very well as a better-than-average picture that is intense and offers source material a bit outside the norm.

Outbreak also features an incredible ensemble cast that boasts six Oscar wins and 14 total nominations among the six primary players. Dustin Hoffman brings a rather strong performance to Outbreak, exemplified by his impassioned speech during the film's climax. His is a character that plays perfectly against the film's villain, portrayed by Donald Sutherland. Where Sutherland's every move speaks of a hidden agenda meant to promote his own self-interest, Hoffman's character is one that remains unfazed in the face of wrong, standing tall and refusing to go down without a fight for what he, and the audience, know is right, moral, and just. He fights for everyone but himself, for the common good, putting people, not politics, first. Morgan Freeman delivers another standout performance (is he capable of anything but?) playing as a middle man between the extremes of Sutherland's and Hoffman's characters, and must choose an allegiance by film's end. Likewise, Hollywood veterans Rene Russo, Kevin Spacey, and Cuba Gooding, Jr., all turn in better-than-average performances.

Outbreak Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Outbreak won't infect your television with a poor transfer. Offering a 1080p, 1.78:1 transfer, the disc offers a clean, generally robust image that won't disappoint. The transfer is nicely detailed, and offers moderately good depth. The image looks a bit dull in spots, almost like a filter was placed over the lens, but there are no striking shortcomings to complain about here. Colors aren't overly bright, but they appear natural. Some do beg to be noticed; the bright yellow bio suits worn in various segments of the film, numerous exterior shots of Cedar Creek, or various green foliage found in the Zaire sequences that stands out as almost neon in color next to the more natural greens of the dense jungle and various plants seen around the village. The army green uniforms look fantastic. We can make out the smallest stitches in Morgan Freeman's uniform, for example, and later, the interior of a cargo plane is dark but intricately detailed. The image has a decent film-like quality about it that is a bit grainy in places, and seemingly grain-free in others. Flesh tones appear a bit rosy but never offer too much of a red push. Outbreak doesn't hold up to the best of the best on Blu-ray, visually, but it offers better-than-adequate high definition material and makes the movie all the better.

Outbreak Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Outbreak should relieve the ill-effects many listeners experience when not hearing lossless audio. Warner Brothers has stepped up to the plate for this one and offers a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless mix, and it is a good one. The opening of the film does a fine job at creating a rich jungle atmosphere in our listening area. It suddenly comes alive with the sound of automatic weapons fire and explosions in a battle ground in Zaire. The soundstage is full and fairly immersive, with an impressive range of sound as lead rains down from all directions. Helicopter rotors buzz around; propellor-based aircraft fly from front to rear; voices yell in all directions; and finally, a terribly large explosion rocks the listening area as a bomb is used to wipe out an entire disease-ridden camp. The track continues to feature a fine surround presence throughout, generally in the form of helicopters flying and various land-based military vehicles cruising the streets of Cedar Creek. The film's rather exciting and well-done score, courtesy of James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight), sounds clean and precise, placed nicely around the front, and it supports the movie very well, particularly during a climactic helicopter chase in chapter 38. Dialogue is always clear and accurate, and even various scenes where it is filtered through biohazard suits, it never loses much of an edge. Outbreak offers a surprisingly robust soundtrack, one that supports the film well and does its part to engulf viewers in the horrors, thrills, and drama of the story.

Outbreak Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Warner Brothers has surgically removed all supplemental features from this Blu-ray release of Outbreak.

Outbreak Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Outbreak is a tense, well-crafted horror/thriller that offers a predictable plot, but the film retains a high level of tension and excitement throughout. Wolfgang Petersen, whose body of work entails some of the better films of the past quarter-century, including Das Boot, Enemy Mine, and The Perfect Storm, directs an all-star cast and rarely misses a beat during two hours of solid visuals, slick editing, and rapid pacing. Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of Outbreak is fine from a technical perspective, but the lack of supplements is sure to turn away many potential buyers. Nevertheless, fans of the film should be pleased with the 1080p video presentation and lossless soundtrack, and the disc is worth its current $14.95 asking price from Amazon. Recommended.