Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Red Cliff: Part II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 5, 2009

John Woo's much anticipated "Red Cliff II" (2009) debuts on Blu-ray with reference quality audio and video. Fans of the film will be delighted to know that the disc isn't watermarked. Region-Free, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mei Ah.

General Zhou Yu (Tony Leung)

The second installment in John Woo’s Red Cliff begins exactly where the first one ended – at the camp of Prime Minister Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) where thousands of soldiers are getting ready to attack the rebels from the South. On the opposite end, General Zhou Yu (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) and his allies - Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), Sun Quan (Chen Chang), Liu Bei (Yong You), Zhao Yun (Jun Hu) and Sun Quan (Chen Chang) – are discussing how to outmaneuver Cao Cao’s formidable army.

While waiting for orders, many of the Northerners fall sick; a typhus epidemic breaks out and claims the lives of thousands of soldiers. Instead of cremating the infected bodies, however, Cao Cao orders that they are placed in large boats and sent to the enemy; the epidemic strikes the Southerners. Seeing his soldiers suffering and dying, Liu Bei and his commanders abandon General Zhou Yu and his troops. The news reaches Cao Cao’s camp and he orders his army to prepare for an attack.

So, Red Cliff II is finally here! Having just seen it though, I find it difficult to predict how well the film will resonate with those of you who liked Red Cliff. Obviously, if you enjoyed the epic atmosphere from the first film, you will appreciate what John Woo and his team have cooked up in the second one. As far as character development is concerned, however, there are a number of unexpected changes that may disappoint some of you.

First, there is a major shift in Red Cliff II towards elaborating on specific themes (loyalty, brotherhood, honor) rather than further exploring key relationships that were introduced in Red Cliff. As a result, a lot of the drama is not as intense and intimate as it was in the first film.

Second, the editing is far less convincing. A lot of the key events leading to the final battle between the North and South armies are introduced as individual episodes that remind of prolonged, expertly produced but lacking substance MTV-esque videos. Especially during the first half of the film, the absence of a consistent rhythm hurts the narrative tremendously.

Third, Red Cliff II has been dramatically overpolished for mass consumption – the dialog in particular has been marred by a number of clichés that were not an issue of concern in the fist film - and this would certainly disappoint plenty of viewers. There is also a lot of posing (perhaps something that could not have been avoided given the all-star cast) that is completely out sync with the events taking place on the screen.

Thankfully, the action – probably the only reason why some of you would want to see Red Cliff II to begin with – is indeed impossible not to admire. I won’t go into detail so I do not spoil the ending of the film for you, but I would like to mention that the clash between the North and South armies certainly leaves little to the imagination.

Red Cliff: Part II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Woo's Red Cliff II arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Mei Ah.

Those of you who have already seen the first installment of Red Cliff on Blu-ray will be delighted to know that Red Cliff II looks just as solid. Mei Ah have once again provided a spotless print with terrific contrast and outstanding detail. The color-scheme is also very pleasing – the predominant yellow tint seen on the first installment of Red Cliff certainly has a major role in Red Cliff II as well, though a lot more of the action here takes place at night. This being said, there weren't any external manipulations here that I could detect; DNR is definitely not an issue of concern. On the other hand, the actual print is notably healthy – I did not detect any disturbing specks, scratches, or debris to report here. I would also like to point out that this Blu-ray disc has not been watermarked (apparently, Mei Ah are no longer going to have these watermarks on any of their releases). (Note: This is a Region-Free disc which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Red Cliff: Part II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Mandarin Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and Mandarin LPCM 7.1. I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track and, suffice to say, I was every bit as impressed with it as I was the first time around when I viewed Red Cliff (also using the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track) – the bass is powerful, the surround channels unusually active and the high frequencies about as edgy as one would want them to be. And, yes, the giant battle scene at the end of the film is indeed the perfect show-off material that you want to take advantage of every time someone questions Blu-ray's superiority over DVD. Simply put, if any of the three loseless tracks Mei Ah have packed on this disc does not make it painfully obvious to your non-believer friends or relatives what HD audio is capable of then, more than likely, they are deaf. This being said, Mei Ah have provided optional Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and English subtitles for the main feature. (For the record, the subtitles appear outside of the image frame).

Red Cliff: Part II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from the original theatrical trailer, a teaser and a photo gallery, on this Blu-ray disc you will also find a gallery of interviews with Tony Leung Chu Wai, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Lin Chiling, Zhao Wei and John Woo. Unfortunately, none of these interviews have been subtitled in English.

Red Cliff: Part II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Red Cliff II isn't the type of film I was expecting to see. It is way too flashy and heavy on action for my taste. Of course, this is precisely why many of you will probably want to see it as soon as possible. This being said, the Blu-ray treatment is superb. I am willing to bet that very soon many people will be using this disc to show off their audio setups. Recommended.