Outcast Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.0

Outcast Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 13, 2015

Here’s an idea: maybe we could all just agree to start some kind of crowdfunding to help eliminate whatever massive debt it is that Nicolas Cage seems to need to pay off. Frankly, the need to retire some nagging bills seems to be about the only logical explanation to account for the sometimes bewildering (and annoyingly ubiquitous) appearances the Academy Award winner has undertaken over the past few years. Perhaps those deficits are slowly getting under control, though, for Cage, despite being highly billed in the international 2014 production Outcast, is actually probably only a step up from a glorified cameo, marauding through this film that wants to evoke a kind of Kingdom of Heaven epic quality, but which barely makes it to purgatory instead.

The film begins with a more traditional Muslims versus Christians scenario, as Crusader Jacob (Hayden Christensen) goes about slicing and dicing various worshipers of Allah despite the protestations of an older man named Gaillan (Nicolas Cage). That simply sets the scene for what turns out to be the bulk of the story, Jacob’s adventures with a beautiful young royal Asian named Lian (Liu Yifei) as she attempts to get her little brother to safety and, ultimately, onto the throne. She’s being chased by her older brother, who is belligerent that their father (whom he has killed) appointed the little tyke rightful heir instead of the firstborn male. Outcast is often relatively scenic and even sumptuous at times, but it traffics in so many hoary clichés that it’s hard to take it very seriously. It becomes even harder to take seriously when a bizarrely accented Cage tromps through the proceedings, chewing scenery as if he hadn’t eaten in a good, long while.

Outcast Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Outcast is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Entertainment One with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The overall look of this presentation is often somewhat on the soft side (see screenshot 1), though colors are typically very lushly saturated and quite appealing. Fine detail can be excellent, especially in close-ups, where Cage's weird facial makeup and the tufted fabrics of the costumes offer good textural presence. There are recurrent issues with banding from the first scene on, but otherwise this is a largely problem free presentation.

Outcast Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Entertainment One seems to have been cutting down on their Blu-ray releases as of late, and so maybe they've forgotten that one component of high definition is lossless sound. While this Blu-ray does include a rather nicely appointed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, the disc has been authored to default to the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track which is also included. Aside from a somewhat clunky score, which, while impressively immersive and spread throughout the surrounds, is still occasionally intrusive, there is good attention paid to effects like galloping horse hooves which clearly pan through the soundfield during battles. The clink of swords is also quite vividly rendered, as are other skirmish-centric effects. Dialogue (such as it is) is presented cleanly and clearly, though whatever accent Cage is attempting does not exist naturally in any country I've ever been to.

Outcast Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interviews with Cast and Crew (1080p; 53:23) include Nicolas Cage, Hayden Christensen and Nick Powell.


• Making of Outcast (1080p; 9:47)


• Trailer (1080p; 1:42)

Outcast Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Outcast traffics in too many well worn tropes to ever really connect forcefully. It's fun at times, especially due to the hyperbolic presence of Cage, but it never really amounts to much, with a definite lack of any emotional impact chief among its faults. Technical merits are generally very good to excellent for those considering a purchase.