6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Tianhuo Island is as beautiful as a paradise. It almost makes people forget that it is located in the "Ring of Fire" the world-famous Pacific Rim volcanic belt. The volcano erupted, and the fate of the people in the island was entangled.
Starring: Xueqi Wang, Hannah Quinlivan, Shawn Dou, Jason Isaacs, Yuqi ChenForeign | 100% |
Action | Insignificant |
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, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Skyfire's claim to fame, per Wikipedia, is that it's "China's first big-budget disaster film." If this is the finished product, China would seem to have a long ways to go to compete with the genre's best Western efforts. Apparently "big budget" is a relative term because the movie is saddled with not only secondhand special effects but also hopelessly forgettable story details and substandard performances. Simon West, whose credits include films like Con Air and The Expendables 2, directs dryly with little palpable passion for the project. The picture finds no novelty in style or structure; it simply plucks from other, better films (a laundry list of which include films like Dante's Peak, Jurassic World, The Meg, and Skyscraper) and finds no identity, no uniqueness, nothing that would whet even the most forgiving genre fan's appetite. It satisfies essential genre requirements but forget about finding anything remotely close to the breakthrough film this is purported to be.
Skyfire' 1080p transfer delivers a steady, reliable high definition image that is largely typical of a midrange film shot on digital. The picture is sharp with steady clarity and fine color output. Skin and clothes in close-up yield excellent foundational texturing to pores and hairs and fabrics and fibers. Natural vegetation, dusty vehicles, and some of the slick and smooth location elements within the resort offer exemplary definition. Color output is fine with much of the vibrancy coming from the aforementioned natural greenery as well as some of the intense reds and oranges that give bold yet deadly coloring to the lava, fireballs, and other naturally occurring phenomena that serve as the movie's chief antagonists. Tonal output here is excellent with fine gradations commonplace and the most dangerous colors expressively popping out of the screen. Skin tones appear accurate and blacks are fine. The picture does reveal relatively minor examples of noise, aliasing, banding, and macroblocking. None of these are in such severe quantities as to significantly detract from the picture quality but do appear with enough regularity to depress the sum a little bit. This one's not going to set the world on fire, so to speak, but it does provide a perfectly serviceable, even agreeable, watch in all areas of concern.
The film arrives on Blu-ray with a pair of 5.1 lossless soundtracks, one in the original Mandarin and the other in dubbed English. Both are similar in terms of musical engagement, sound effect depth and traversal, and the like. Action scenes do not reach a level of sonic intensity and pinpoint detailing that these sorts of movies usually demand, but there's enough in the way of essential energy, stage engagement, and subwoofer extension to reach a level of baseline sonic satisfaction when the volcano's fiery projectiles zip and zoom through the air, as cars rush from the scene or drones fly about, as the general din within the maelstrom of mayhem intensifies in the second half (and in the opening minutes). Music plays with good width and fidelity, leaving surrounds to support the content rather than carry it fully. Dialogue in both languages is clear and well prioritized, though the natural flow from the original Mandarin (accompanied by English subtitles) yields the best viewing experience.
This Blu-ray release of Skyfire contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen only offers options for "Play," "Chapters," and "Setup." No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.
Skyfire summed up in a word: generic. The film has no original thought, which is not a death sentence for a film in this genre, but the sheer lack of even marginal creativity or diversion from the norm is disappointing. To that end the film hits all the "right" notes. It just doesn't hit it's "own" notes. The Blu-ray is nothing special either. Video and audio are fine but no extras are included. Rent it.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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