7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The stories of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre -- one the son of a Brooklyn longshoreman, the other straight out of Compton -- and their improbable partnership and surprising leading roles in a series of transformative events in contemporary culture.
Starring: Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, Ice Cube, Bruce Springsteen, BonoBiography | 100% |
Documentary | 98% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (2 BDs, 2 DVDs)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In four hour-long episodes, The Defiant Ones opens doors to the music industry that were otherwise previously only accessible through the peephole and, certainly, through the short-burst, toe-tapping stories told inside the Beats headphones. But this isn't just about the inner workings of an industry that evolved more quickly and expanded so thoroughly in the past few decades than it has at any time before. The Defiant Ones isn't the business of the beats but rather the heart of the men and women who make them, discover the next big movers and shakers, and use technology to make the experience better for everyone. There's also a rawness to the series, and even when the story of the cans feels a little canned for promotional material, the sense of history and the transformative shaping of the product seems clear. The series opens up the music world in a way that articles, sound bytes, or information cobbled together from various sources could not previously achieve. It features enough inside access to please, but it's the fully unveiled souls that make the program so compelling.
The Defiant Ones was shot on video (and includes some up-converted SD footage along the way that does not factor into the review score) and presents rather well on Blu-ray. It's typical of a modern documentary. The image is clean and sharp, highly detailed and capable of handling everything with ease. Static close-ups fare the best. Facial definition proves very intimate, clothes are well defined down to the finer point stitches and fabric elements, and background environment are clean and precise. Various other locations and objects look great, too, with a good example coming in episode four as Dre tours his under-construction home and drives to it in his Ferrari; both look magnificent. Colors are rich and pleasing with an even, accurate, neutral appearance. Black levels satisfy and flesh tones appear spot-on. The image does suffer through some source noise and reveals a bit of banding here and there, but neither really mar the image to any troublesome degree. This is a fine 1080p image from Universal.
The Defiant Ones beats onto Blu-ray with an impressively deep and rich DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track offers a regular and intense surround wrap. Music is large and spacious, playing with abundant clarity even through the heaviest beats and aggressive back channel round-up. Every variety of music -- from classic Hip-Hop notes to a selection from The Untouchables soundtrack -- features master definition and stage penetration. Atmospheric effects are strong as they're implemented, and dialogue is always clear and center-focused, whether in static interviews, in the studio, or on the road. Fans will find this to be a wonderful listen, particularly as it compliments the music heard throughout.
This Blu-ray release of The Defiant Ones contains no supplemental content. A two-disc DVD copy of the program is included with purchase.
The Defiant Ones won't immediately enthrall general audiences who aren't established fans of the artists or the music they make, but give it some time, and it will. This is an undeniably well done look inside their world and how they have shaped the industry into what it is today. It's lightning-quick even at just under four hours, and the narrative ebbs and flows come seamlessly, even as on paper it might look much more scattershot. It's a bit slow to start, particularly if one is coming in more or less cold rather than cozy with the facts around the people in the middle of the story, but it quickly evolves into a tangible and agreeable story of modern music's upward and onward path. Universal's Blu-ray is unfortunately featureless, but video and audio are very strong., Highly recommended.
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