7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Join Taylor Swift on her first headlining tour as she celebrates the success of her multiplatinum album Fearless. Packed with 13 live performances, rare home movies, and revealing interviews with Taylor and her inner circle, this concert special charts her earliest days as an aspiring singer-songwriter, through the stories that inspired her biggest songs, and finally to her arrival as a global superstar.
Starring: Taylor Swift, Andrea Swift, Scott Swift, Abigail Anderson, Amos HellerMusic | 100% |
Documentary | 38% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080/60i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There’s nothing better than watching hard work pay off.
It's not a surprise that Journey to Fearless paints superstar singer/songwriter Taylor Swift in a positive light. What's really a surprise
is that all has an air of genuine honesty to it, that this is indeed the real Taylor Swift and not a glamorized fluff piece meant to make fans feel better
about their favorite performer or help her recover from some troubled image. This is Taylor Swift both as she is and as she wants to be seen. She
seems
like the genuine article, someone who appreciates her fame but hasn't forgotten where she comes from, why she does what she does, or the people
that have helped carry her to astronomical heights in the music industry. Taylor's story isn't gripping, but it's the stuff of real-life fairy tales, the kind
of story that will leave audiences cheering for her success and thankful that stars of this caliber can and do remain so real.
Journey to Fearless is a hybrid Documentary/Concert. It's an all-encompassing look at the person behind the songs, an
informative, entertaining, and genuine glimpse inside the star's personal life and road to music success, intermixed with great live performances of her
biggest hits.
I dream of stardom.
Taylor Swift's Journey to Fearless looks great on Blu-ray. The image is clear, crisp, and stable, yielding strong details and fantastic color reproduction. Indeed, the transfer reveals the components and layers of Swift's makeup in close-up shots, not to mention the intricate textures that are visible in her outfits and on her guitar. Colors absolutely sparkle -- some literally, some figuratively -- with every gaudy shade appearing stable but remaining firmly in its place, never overwhelming the rest of the palette. Meanwhile, less garish hues are nicely pronounced and sturdy. The end result is a wonderfully natural palette, and the Blu-ray handles this great diversity with ease. Of course, older still photos lack color punch and detail, while standard definition video of Swift's childhood lack the clarity and accuracy of newer footage; such elements don't factor into the overall judgment of this release. As it is, the material that counts looks fantastic; Taylor Swift fans could only have it better by seeing her in person.
Taylor Swift's Journey to Fearless features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's worthy of the material and the home concert experience. Swift's spunky, energetic music has never sounded so good; the track creates a seamless sense of spacing across the front. It's exceptionally clear but at the same time robust. The track's low end is strong and balanced but never excessive. The surrounds aren't pushed very far, but they carry a good bit of the material, including ambient crowd noise that does a good job of plopping the listener into the middle of the concert. Dialogue is center based and always clear, whether in narration, interview clips, or the wider words spoken over the sound system at the shows. The best compliment to give this track? It's all very well balanced; it's easy to pick out the smallest nuances in the music while also just as easy to enjoy the collective sound. Like the video, it's the next best thing to being there.
Taylor Swift's Journey to Fearless contains no extras, but considering how thorough the feature is, it's not a surprise and not a great loss.
Taylor Swift's Journey to Fearless is the ultimate home video for both the biggest and most passionate Taylor Swift fan and newcomers who just want to catch their favorite tune, but be warned: casual fans are likely to grow into diehards when Journey to Fearless is all said and done. Add another to Taylor's rabid fan base! This is a very well-rounded feature that seamlessly transitions between music and any number of behind-the-scenes materials, from Taylor's childhood to her preparations to dazzle her fans on-stage. Through all the success is a genuine, down-home, all-heart girl whose passions and excitement paint her as the real deal, exemplified by a scene showing her purchasing her own album at a midnight Wal*Mart sale with all the wide-eyed excitement of a small child on Christmas morning. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless contains no extras, but the video and audio presentations are both superb. Highly recommended.
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