7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A visionary epic of obsession and beauty about Jacques Mayol, the handsome diver who is so at home in the water that he seems only half-human. Jacques' best friends are a family of playful porpoises and Enzo Molinari, his swaggering Italian diving rival. Jacques and Enzo grew up together in the Mediterranean, and remain lifelong friends despite a fierce battle for the top prize in the world free diving championships, where divers compete to see who can descend to the furthest depths of the sea with no equipment other than their own courage and determination. But when the dreamer Jacques falls in love with the beautiful Johanna, he finds himself torn between the damsel and the deep blue sea.
Starring: Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno, Rosanna Arquette, Paul Shenar, Sergio CastellittoDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 85% |
Romance | 11% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: LPCM 2.0
French: DTS 2.0
Back cover incorrectly states French DTS-HD MA 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Luc Besson's "Le grand bleu" a.k.a. "The Big Blue" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The disc contains the longer Director's Cut of the film (169 min) as well as the shorter Theatrical Cut (138 min). The supplemental features on the disc include the documentary feature "L'aventure du grand bleu" and trailers. In French, with optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked". Please note that this English language release has the following disclaimer on its front cover: "Includes English & International Language Options".
The beginning
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Luc Besson's The Big Blue arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. Please note that the disc contains the longer Director's Cut of the film (169 min) as well as the shorter Theatrical Cut (138 min).
As it was the case with the Blu-ray release of Luc Besson's Subway, The Big Blue appears to have been struck from a dated source. As a result, there are minor contrast and clarity fluctuations. Fine object detail, however, is mostly pleasing. The film's grain structure is mostly intact; very mild noise is occasionally mixed with it, but I believe that only the most sensitive amongst you would be bothered by it. The color-scheme is pleasing. Blues, greens, yellows, reds, browns, blacks and white look stable and rich, though they are not always well saturated. I noticed a bit of mild edge-enhancement popping up here and there, but macroblocking is nowhere to be seen. Finally, I did not detect any large cuts, splices, warps, marks, or stains to report in this review. To sum it all up, even though there are a few issues with the transfer, The Big Blue has never looked this good before. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
The are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0 and French DTS 2.0 (the back cover incorrectly states that the disc contains a French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track). For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.
The English LPCM 2.0 track is solid. Its dynamic amplitude is a lot better than I expected it to be. The bass is potent and the high-frequencies very good. The dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. There are no balance issues with Eric Serra's wonderful music score either. The beautiful sax solos, in particular, sound outstanding. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hiss. There are no dropouts either.
Theatrical Cut - the shorter theatrical cut of Luc Besson's film (138 min). With an English LPCM 2.0 track and optional English subtitles. (1080p).
L'aventure du grand bleu - a fascinating documentary by French distributors Gaumont about the making of The Big Blue, the unique locations seen throughout the film, its characters, music, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (PAL, 97 min).
Trailers - the original French theatrical trailer (with optional English subtitles) and U.S. trailers for the film. (PAL, 3 min).
There are a few minor issues with the Blu-ray release of The Big Blue, but I still think that it is very much worth owning. Eric Serra's score has never sounded this good! Frankly folks, I don't think that we would see a North American release of this wonderful film any time soon, so if you could play Region-B "locked" discs, go for it. RECOMMENDED.
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