6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse compete to create a sustainable system and market it to the American people.
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Katherine Waterston, Tom Holland (X), Tuppence MiddletonBiography | 100% |
History | 50% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) describes The Current War as a movie about the future, even as it's set in the past. The film travels back to the late 1800s at the dawn of the technological revolution and follows two competing visionaries -- Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) -- and their work to light the world through power. But both men face mounting odds and obstacles, personal and professional alike, as they pitch the same idea but offer different solutions to the big problems standing in the way of progress. It's a tight, focused, high energy film, literally and figuratively both.
The Current War's 1080p Blu-ray presentation serves the material nicely. There are no problems areas of which to speak, save for naturally occurring noise in lower light shots, of which there are many. Conversely, there are not many instances of noise presented at extreme, bothersome levels. The picture is quite good in the aggregate, boasting quality detailing that allows viewers to explore high yield facial textures in abundance during close-up shots. Likewise, viewers will note resplendent detail on period clothes and the vast number of textures seen throughout the film within, throughout, and across the numerous era-specific location elements, workshops, factory floors, offices, train interiors, homes, and the like. Colors are fine, which include warm glowing lightbulbs, most prominently and apropos to the story, but also attire and accents across the same environments listed above. The movie is a bit dark in total, never really offering anything that just leaps out of the screen in terms of color reproduction, but the presentation is just fine within Gomez-Rejon and Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung's vision for the film. Black levels are fine and skin tones never betray natural complexions within lighting parameters. This is a very good presentation from Universal.
The Current War electrifies Blu-ray with a high energy DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track proves dynamic from the outset, offering immersive, blustering winds followed by loud, intense train brakes squealing and grinding. Excellent spacial reverb may be heard in chapter four when Edison addresses a crowd outside the New York Stock Exchange. The track finds plenty of such lively and large sound elements, each challenging the configuration to expand as far as capable and the subwoofer to output low end goodness not so much in abundance but rather in balance. Music plays with impressive low end depth, spacial awareness, and lifelike clarity, with front dominance but also finely tuned surround integration. Dialogue is always presented with perfect clarity and prioritization from a natural center channel output area, save for those aforementioned moments of natural spacious reverb.
The Current War includes deleted scenes and an audio commentary track. Interestingly, the menu screen composition makes it look like there
were more extras planned to appear in the motion boxes on the right hand side (see screenshot 20). A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere
digital copy code are
included with purchase. This release ships with a slipcover.
The Current War is a fine film elevated by a gripping story, relentless momentum, a good score, and several top-rate performances from a few of the best actors working today. Universal's Blu-ray earns high marks for video and audio content delivery and while the supplements are slim the included commentary track is excellent. Highly recommended.
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