7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When a fiercely devoted group of military school cadets learns that their school is being sold to real estate developers, they refuse to accept defeat.
Starring: Tom Cruise, George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Sean PennTeen | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
German: DTS 5.1
Italian: DTS 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 4.0
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Finnish, Italian, Polish, Slovak
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
My late father was a Major General in the U.S. Army, and in fact was one of the highest ranking officers west of the Mississippi when I was growing up, so I was raised in an environment where tradition, honor and duty weren't just buzzwords, they were literally a way of life. Like most young boys, I absolutely idolized my Dad and for many years as a youngster I wanted to follow in his military footsteps and told everyone who would listen that I was going to be attending West Point and pursuing a career in the Armed Forces. That dream died, as most very young dreams do, with the advent of my teenage years and a perhaps more worldly understanding about the rigors and dangers of being a member of our armed services. At about the same time, my typical teenage mood swings led both of my parents to “suggest” (I wouldn’t want to come right out say they threatened) that a military boarding school might cure me of some of my 15 year old “attitude.” For these reasons alone, Taps has always held a certain allure for me, as I couldn't help but invent backstories for some of the characters depicted in this 1981 film about a bunch of military school cadets who take over their Academy when it's threatened with closure. Featuring a number of early performances by a retinue of young actors who would go on to greater fame and fortune (Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn and Tom Cruise), Taps may still strain credulity more than a little, but it provides showcases for Hutton and Penn especially, and it still retains a certain dramatic edge despite its improbable aspects.
Taps' AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 is surprisingly strong, with only a few passing issues that may bother the more persnickety videophile. The image is clear and there is little if any damage to report. Colors are strong and very well saturated, especially the reds, which are in fact so robustly saturated that they are just this side of blooming a time or two. Fine detail is intact and the grain structure is natural looking without ever becoming overwhelming. There is some occasional softness in some of the darker nighttime shots, which are slightly hobbled by minor crush. A couple of quickly passing moments of aliasing are also in evidence, as is some moderate edge enhancement and haloing, but otherwise this is a very crisp and appealing transfer that should delight the film's fans.
While Taps has a perfectly solid, and at times very robust, lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, it doesn't really bristle with consistent surround activity. The film's best sonic moments are in some of the battle scenes, where a variety of gunshots echo with ferocious LFE and discrete channel utilization is at its most prominent. Otherwise, this is actually a fairly small scale dialogue driven film which sports excellent fidelity if no outright "wow" moments of incredible immersion. Maurice Jarre's score is very well represented and the overall mix is very well handled, with some appealing and dramatic dynamic range.
Taps is wildly improbable, and yet it retains a very visceral impact courtesy of some fine performances by Hutton and Penn and some of the excellent supporting cast. Some of the film may appear overly melodramatic, but there are some finely crafted moments of suspense and some especially fine interplay between some of these very young actors, and for those reasons alone, the film manages to rise above some of its more hackneyed elements. This Blu-ray release features really solid image and audio quality and should be enjoyed by the film's many fans, as well as introducing it to a whole new generation of appreciators. Recommended.
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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