5.1 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A daring synthetic biologist who, after a car accident kills his family, will stop at nothing to bring them back, even if it means pitting himself against a government-controlled laboratory, a police task force and the physical laws of science.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch, John Ortiz, Emjay AnthonySci-Fi | 100% |
Thriller | 88% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Here’s a little test to see if you perhaps have previously unrecognized oracular powers, or at least the ability to see screenplay clichés without the aid of any special glasses. Let’s say for example that there’s a movie about a scientist who has perfected the ability to transfer the dormant consciousness of a corpse into a synthetic brain housed inside a robot. But let’s say the very first view of this scientist is as he waits impatiently at his laboratory workstation computer, where he has taped a sweet drawing from his young daughter to the monitor, and that he gazes at it lovingly, obviously basking in that warm familial glow that only loving parents can experience. What do you think is going to happen? Well, give Replicas scribe Chad St. John (developing a story by star Keanu Reeves’ producing partner Steven Hamel) at least one kudo, since my hunch is he probably won’t be getting any Academy Awards for this effort: the scientist’s adorable little daughter is not the only family member to be killed in a horrifying car accident, necessitating all sorts of machinations so that the scientist can transfer a whole host of dormant consciousnesses into clones. (Sorry, did I forget to mention there are clones, too?)
Replicas is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Once again the IMDb comes up short on technical data, but a bit of digging online unearthed some Facebook posts where Arri Alexa capture was mentioned (hashtagged, actually) with regard to the cinematography of Checco Varese, and I'm once again assuming things were finished at a 2K DI. Aside from some pretty wonky looking CGI (it almost looks like interlacing artifacts afflict some of what I'm assuming was greenscreened), this is a sharp and well detailed looking presentation which benefits from generally decent lighting conditions which in turn help to sustain fine detail levels. Some of the lab interiors are a little hazy looking at times, an aspect probably not helped by the ever popular cool blue grading choices, and perhaps more understandably the car crash sequence is pretty murky, since it takes place at night in a torrential storm, ending up in an unfortunately located body of water.
Replicas' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track gets some good workouts courtesy of effects like the roar of a helicopter in the early going, or, more frequently, the "bells and whistles" (literally, in some cases) of the lab environment, where all sorts of "high tech" sounds can dot the surrounds. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly and there's good attention paid at various moments to directionality, especially in some of the crowded lab scenes. Fidelity is fine throughout the audio presentation, and there are no problems of any kind to report.
I had a kind of cheeky idea about how Replicas might have been a more exciting story: how about if Jones and Whittle were in a conspiracy to replace Foster's family (perhaps after some kind of horrible accident), without Foster's knowledge? I think something like that might have given this enterprise a bit of energy that it's lacking in its current state. Technical merits are first rate for those considering a purchase.
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3 Disc Edition
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Extreme Unrated Set
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Ultimate Collector's Edition
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