6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Based on the real-life event, when a gold and copper mine collapses, it traps 33 miners underground for 69 days.
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, James Brolin, Lou Diamond PhillipsBiography | 100% |
History | 47% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Attention spans and news cycles being what they are, many viewers have probably forgotten the
Copiapó mining accident of 2010, which left thirty-three miners buried beneath thousands of feet
of rock inside the San José Mine in Chile's Atacama Desert. The rescue effort lasted sixty-nine
days and riveted world attention, especially after word reached the surface on day 17 that every
man trapped in the mine was alive and well (or as well as could be expected, considering they
had been living off rations sufficient for only three days).
By the time the official account of the miners' experience appeared in 2014 with the publication
of Deep Down Dark by L.A. journalist Héctor Tobar, a filmed version was already in
development. Helmed by Mexican director Patricia Riggen (Under the
Same Moon) and
featuring a curiously international cast, The 33 was released to theaters on November 13, 2015,
where it promptly got buried at the box office by the twin juggernauts of Spectre and The
Peanuts Movie. A common reaction was that the film played like a standard-issue disaster movie,
which is only partly accurate. Besides, this disaster really happened.
The 33 was shot on Alexa by Peruvian-born cinematographer Checco Varese, who is director
Riggen's usual DP (and also her husband). The San José Mine was recreated in an abandoned
mine in Colombia, with scenes aboveground shot in Chile near the scene of the original facilities.
Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray, which was presumably sourced from digital files,
captures the stark contrast between the miners' dimmed surroundings (which was probably much
darker than what appears in the film) and the crystal-clear sights aboveground in a region known
for the clarity of its sky and the intensity of its daytime light. The opening sequence featuring
miners with their families sports a bright and colorful palette, which gradually returns to the film
as the rescue operation becomes an encampment for those who have loved ones trapped below.
Black levels are excellent, and detail is plentiful, whether on the grimy, haggard faces of the
trapped miners or the massive drilling equipment trying to reach them. The image is free of
distortion, interference or artifacts.
Warner has mastered The 33 with an average bitrate of 27.98 Mbps, which is higher than normal
for the studio's new releases and is certainly enough bandwidth for the needs of this digitally
acquired production.
The 33 was released to select theaters in Dolby Atmos, but the Blu-ray features a 5.1 track
encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA. Even without the Atmos "height" channels, the film's sound
designers have created an effective and memorable sonic experience to convey the miners'
plight. Geological creaks and groans are heard from everywhere, even above (in a properly
configured surround array), both before and after the collapse. The sounds of drills tunneling
through solid rock are rendered in numerous variations. The mine collapse itself is a thunderous
affair that, for those with a good subwoofer, will rattle the room.
Despite the variety of accents, the dialogue remains clear throughout. The film's music was one
of the final works of the late James Horner, to whom The 33 is dedicated and who, as an Oscar winner for Titanic, knew a thing or two about scoring disaster films.
The biggest disappointment with the Blu-ray of The 33 is the small complement of extras.
The classic disaster films of the Seventies were nightmares that attempted to exorcise fears of
catastrophe by confining them within a camera's frame. Because The 33, like 2012's The
Impossible, re-creates actual events, it is pitched at a different emotional level. Even when the
film seems melodramatic, it's hard to forget that the reality was probably worse, if for no other
reason than that the outcome was not yet known. Recommended.
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Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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Director's Cut
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