7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
When a machine that allows therapists to enter into people's dreams and explore their unconscious thoughts is stolen, the research facility is sent into an uproar and all hell breaks loose. In the wrong hands, the device could be devastating, allowing the user to completely annihilate a dreamer's personality while they are asleep. Only a young female doctor named Atsuko Chiba can stop it. Entering the dream world under her exotic alter-ego, code named "Paprika," she attempts to discover who is behind the plot to undermine the new invention.
Starring: Megumi Hayashibara, Toru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Tôru Furuya, Akio ÔtsukaForeign | 100% |
Anime | 71% |
Surreal | 18% |
Imaginary | 10% |
Sci-Fi | 9% |
Mystery | 8% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: Dolby Atmos
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Thai, Turkish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
You can't Google Paprika without finding someone, somewhere accusing Christopher Nolan of stealing from director Satoshi Kon's dazzling trip into a world of dreams and nightmares. Bah. Two filmmakers can have similar ideas, and Inception is not Paprika any more than Black Swan is not Perfect Blue. (Another matter for another review.) No, Inception and Paprika are both brilliant sci-fi masterpieces in their own right, with poignant explorations of how the mind controls reality, set in strange, deconstructing and constructing realms that can be harnessed to noble or selfish ends. Paprika may even go a step farther, allowing the imagination -- true flights of dreamscape fantasy -- to enter the mind-flayed mind-frays, making Kon's film a disorienting, at-times disturbing but always fascinating descent into the surreal. The story itself is terrific too, with genuine groundwork laid in characterization, arcs, plot development, twists and turns, and palpable high stakes that lead to plenty of tension, suspense and what'll-happen-next excitement. Can the dialogue be a bit esoteric? Sure, but no matter. More reasons for a rewatch. Regardless of how many times you've seen it, you'll forget you're watching an anime and simply be blown away by the ideas at play.
"Science is nothing but a piece of trash before a profound dream."
An early Blu-ray release in 2007, Paprika earned raves from first-generation high definition disc reviewers, and rightfully so. It was, at the
time, stunning. Expectations have increased since then, of course, and while the 2007 video presentation still delivers in most ways, Sony's newly
restored 2160p 4K UltraHD Blu-ray transfer (presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1) is the clear winner and the must-own definitive
version of the film. First a warning: Paprika isn't home to the hair-splitting, razor-sharp line-art and animation your memory, like mine, might
recall when whispering sweet nothings in your ear. Detail and clarity are excellent, without a doubt, but there is a slight bit of relative softness to the
picture (a la Perfect Blue) -- in reality a cinematic trait resulting from the source -- that you may catch some modern film-fans
grumbling about. Pay such criticism no mind. This is Paprika as it was created, as it was intended, and as it has been faithfully restored.
Every last line, texture and nuance is present and accounted for, without encoding flaw.
There is a bit of extremely faint noise present throughout, which deserves discussion. It's almost imperceptible, particularly on a properly calibrated
display, and could easily be mistaken for grain when it is noticeable. However, Paprika, as far as I know, shouldn't necessarily exhibit any
grain structure, as its original elements are digital. One forum member offered an excellent explanation, though: dithering, which is "digital noise
added in areas of banding to reduce its effect", which as that same member states, is indeed a good thing. Banding is far more distracting. And I
would go one step farther and assume banding very likely could have been present at the source animation level, meaning Sony could have very
intentionally used dithering to improve picture quality; not diminish it. I will, of course, update this review if more information or a more accurate
explanation becomes available and adjust the score accordingly. As it is, I'm making two assumptions: one, this is the rare noise that is a net positive
for the presentation, and two, it is meant to alleviate a problem in the original elements. That also means I'm not considering the noise to solely be a
negative trait when scoring the video (at least not at the time of this writing).
Back to the transfer's higher qualities. Colors erupt off the screen with a richness and vibrancy that practically screams "HDR10" and "Dolby Vision"
at the top of their lungs. The depth of the image is quite incredible, as is the power of the film's primaries, the inkiness of blacks, and the beauty of
the
contrast leveling. Paprika can be a rather dark film (visually, not just thematically), but at no point does the image seem murky, even when
on those few occasions in which it's meant to convey murkiness. You won't ever find yourself peering into the shadows to discern what's happening;
it all comes to dazzling life in 4K. For my money and from all I understand at this point, Paprika's 4K transfer is borderline perfect. I can't
imagine it looking much better than it does here.
Note: the Blu-ray disc included in this 2-disc set features the new restored version of the film presented in 1080p.
Oh Sony, God bless. Paprika arrives on 4K UltraHD Blu-ray with a terrific Japanese-language Dolby Atmos track (along with an English-language DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track for those who prefer an English dub). Dialogue is crystal clear and nicely situated within the soundfield, lending the film a more cinematic feel than the usual front-heavy non-feature anime mixes tend to deliver. Effects are perfectly prioritized as well, as is music, which seems to have a presence in every channel without ever overwhelming the soundscape; other than when a crescendo is meant to simultaneously disorient the dream world inhabitants and the viewer. Rear speaker activity and directionality are dizzying, and did my absolute favorite thing: tricked me into believing there was something in my home theater responsible for key noises. (Ah, right... I'm watching a movie. Dangit.) Parading creatures, grasping hands, bulbous monstrosities and other chaotic scenes are somehow made even more memorable, more surreal and more nightmarish, simply by how aggressively they surround and assault the listener; further joining the audience's experience with the on-screen characters' encounters. Dynamics deliver as well, with deep, booming low-end support and plenty of weight being thrown around. Taken together, the cacophony of sonic delights serve as appropriate dream realm enhancers, staying lockstep with the film as it bounds between Paprika's real and fictional worlds.
The 2-disc 4K Blu-ray release of Paprika (arriving in a SteelBook case with striking cover art) includes all of the 2007 edition's extras, as well
as new content. The biggest downside is that all of
the previously released video content is presented in standard definition. That said, there's plenty here to dig through and enjoy.
Paprika is those two words we reviewers love to throw around: a masterpiece. We overuse "masterpiece". You know it, I know it. And it becomes Peter crying wolf, making it that much more difficult for us to convince those new to a film that, yes, this one actually is a masterpiece. Sony's 4K Blu-ray release treats it as such too, with a deserving restoration and definitive 4K video presentation, a fantastic Dolby Atmos track, and a great supplemental package (complete with a filmmaker commentary and two hours of video content). Highly recommended.
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