Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Big Bang Blu-ray Movie Review

For Antonio Banderas's character, a double entendre to be sure...

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 18, 2011

All things being equal the simplest solution is the best.

If only high school physics classes were taught in the style of throwback noir films and worked in naked girls covered in scientific-looking tattoos, maybe the United States wouldn't be lagging behind other countries on test scores. Or maybe it would fall to dead last. The Big Bang is a fresh and satisfying chase movie that has all the usual elements: an edgy private eye; a boxer who's thrown a match, served time, and is looking for his lovely mystery penpal; a hidden stash of diamonds; a madman; and...and...and lots and lots and lots of physics. Watching The Big Bang is kind of like combining film school and a physics major. Throw in a trade like plumbing, too, because the film pretty much tosses in the kitchen sink on top of everything else, making this one of the most well-rounded, strangely-brewed, yet oddly appealing movies to come around in a long, long time. It's a nerd's dream come true; it's stylish cinema that features big-name actors jabbering about science while featuring a stripper, a porn director, and a waitress with a fetish for college-level sciences who gets naked and does the dirty while deriving more pleasure by talking about physics than she does from the act of love. It's not a new classic or even a movie that's going to be much more than a blip on the radar screen, but thumbs up for going in a new direction, even if it goes way over the top to do so.

Spill the beans.

Ned Cruz (Antonio Banderas, The Mask of Zorro) is a low-key private eye who's about to stumble onto a case that's going to define his career as an investigator. He's hired by a hulking former boxer just out of the joint named Anton Protopov (Robert Maillet, Sherlock Holmes) to locate his "girlfriend," Lexie, a girl who wrote to him extensively while in prison but whose return mailing address proves to be bogus. Cruz takes up the case, and it starts out strangely, leading him to become involved with a major Hollywood actor with a dark secret in his closet (James Van Der Beek, James Van Der Beek) and a pornography director known as "Puss" (Rapper Snoop Dogg). Cruz pushes further along and meets an unusually tattooed and sexually active waitress who leads him to the big prize, an incredibly wealthy man named Simon Kestral (Sam Elliott, Ghost Rider) who has funded a massive underground project where he hopes to recreate "the God particle," an element thought to be a critical but mysterious part in the process that supposedly formed the universe. The picture is told in flashback form as Cruz is interrogated by a trio of tough-nosed cops who grow more interested in Cruz's story when they learn it also involves millions of dollars worth of hidden diamonds.

Behind all the scientific blabber and the girl with the physics tattoo (though she doesn't play with fire or kick a hornet's nest) lies a pretty interesting premise. The film begins with a man who's looking for his love. By its end, it kinda-sorta centers on a man who wants to play god and reshape the world. The Big Bang plays on two things that man so desperately wants to understand but cannot explain: how the world started and that which is said to make it go 'round. Of course it's the meshing of the literal and the figurative, but that seems to be part of what makes The Big Bang such an interesting picture. There's no telling the hows or the whys of what goes on in a man's heart or what happened at the microscopic level who knows how long ago when man was only a three-letter word in a language that had yet to be spoken on a world which did not exist in a universe that may or may not have been vacant, so it all comes down to theory and observations and hypotheses and good old fashioned gut feelings, which describes both the scientific process and the process of love. The Big Bang is one big explosion, so to speak, of everything, and it doesn't always make sense, but then again, does life? In the film, love -- matters of the heart -- sets the wheels in motion for an adventure that leads to a potential discovery of either great significance or deadly consequence and may lead to theories and explanations and truths and lies and life and death. Or maybe The Big Bang is just a playful little movie that has no real motive other than to cram in all sorts of scientific references and fill a niche as the go-to Saturday night party movie for science majors all around the world. Either way it's a fun watch.

Stylistically, Director Tony Krantz's (Otis) film is as whacky as the story and the characters that live it. The film is grounded in a shady noir styling; it plays with shadows and plenty of looks that hearken back to the good old days of smoky bars and shady back alleys and low-lit office interiors, but it's also fairly bright while also incorporating some oddball special effects that clearly remove all semblance of reality from several critical scenes but succeed in giving the movie something of a trippy, otherworldly feel. It all fits in fairly well with the oddball story and over-the-top characters; it fizzles on occasion and seems to be too aggressive in pursuing "different" for the sake of "different," but there's enough in the way of old-fashioned sensibilities here to make the movie work more often than it flops. The acting is supercharged, not great, but energetic. The Big Bang seems to derive some of its strength from the fact that the actors seem to at least be enjoying taking the film in a different direction. The Big Bang is all about earning style points; it's pretty inconsequential otherwise, but whether it's the figurative out-of-this-world premise or the borderline psychedelic visuals, the film is, pardon the pun, a blast to watch and should satisfy more intellectual audiences who can appreciate the literal and figurative nuances scattered throughout the film while also pleasing viewers who only want to see big name actors in different sort of movie.

The Big Bang Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Big Bang's 1080p Blu-ray transfer is easily one of the absolute best in Anchor Bay's catalogue. Fine detail is flat-out exceptional; close-ups reveal incredibly intricate skin textures that really show off the horsepower behind a well-constructed Blu-ray transfer. The image is crisp and sharp, and fine detail is superb across the board, not only in the most zoomed-in shots. Colors are well-balanced and neutral, occasionally vibrant depending on the lighting conditions and palette, but flesh tones favor a slight bronze appearance. Black levels are impeccably deep and natural, yielding exceptional shadow detail and not a hint of crush. Banding is minimal and background blocking is a non-factor. Clarity is outstanding; The Big Bang is immaculately clean and is accentuated by a handsome and balanced layer of natural grain that gives the image that wonderful finishing touch that is a beautiful film-like texture. This is a top-tier transfer from Anchor Bay.

The Big Bang Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Big Bang's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack isn't exactly an explosion of sonic delights, but it's a steady enough listen that suits the material well. Music is full-bodied and enjoys extraordinary spacing; the entire soundstage springs to life over the opening title sequence, with notes spilling from every speaker like they were designed to take advantage of all five speakers at a high level of volume and an even higher level of clarity. That sense of spacing remains throughout, the track offering up both music and sound effects that live for the opportunity to stretch the limits of the soundstage both from side to side and from front to back. Action sound effects are nicely implemented; a unique "projectile" hurtles from the front of the soundstage to the rear early in the movie, and additional action-oriented sounds are nicely balanced, spacious, and suitably potent. The track features a tight low end, energizing the soundstage through music, action, and even the background beats that really emphasize the low thumpthumpthump at a strip joint. The picture doesn't deliver nonstop action, however; there's far more in the way of straight dialogue than there is raw action-specific sound effects, but Anchor Bay's lossless track delivers a balanced, crisp, and satisfying presentation no matter the situation.

The Big Bang Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Big Bang's Blu-ray release is enhanced by the inclusion of a few extras of note, headlined by an audio commentary track.

• Audio Commentary: Producer/Director Tony Krantz and Co-Producer Reece Pearson do a fine job of talking up the film, covering all of the basics -- shooting styles, equipment used, the film's score, the history of the production, shooting locations, set designs, homages to previous films and shout outs to the world of physics, character traits, assembling the cast, acting performances, the picture's budget, small nuances that enhance the picture's look and feel, the use of computer-generated effects -- and delivering their comments with a steady enthusiasm that makes this track one that fans should enjoy.
• Lex Parsimoniae: The Making of The Big Bang (1080p, 19:56): Cast and crew talk up the production's history, the elements that construct the plot, the meeting of a noir picture and a physics film, the greater ideas behind the plot, the picture's visual style, the work of the cast, shooting on a limited timetable, and more. The piece is assembled through the usual trio of behind-the-scenes footage, clips form the film, and static interviews.
• Extended Scenes (1080p, 4:11).
• Also on Blu-ray Disc (1080p): Trailers for additional Anchor Bay titles.

The Big Bang Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Big Bang is...unique. It's definitely not a picture for all tastes, and it's all over the map in terms of plot, acting, and general level of insanity. That's not a bad thing, but as many will likely be turned off as turned on. For those with an open mind and a willingness to embrace something that lies well beyond the line separating the normal from the abnormal, The Big Bang may just be the ticket to an enjoyable Saturday night. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of The Big Bang features a tip-top technical transfer and a few extras. Recommended.