6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
On his ninth birthday a boy receives many presents. Two of them first seem to be less important: an old cupboard from his brother and a little Indian figure made of plastic from his best friend. But these two presents turn out to be much more magic than the rest...
Starring: Hal Scardino, Litefoot, Lindsay Crouse, Richard Jenkins, Rishi BhatFamily | 100% |
Fantasy | 30% |
Adventure | 5% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There's a growing segment in the video game industry known as "Toys to Life." It's a concept that allows players to purchase physical toys, place them on a base (or "portal"), and see them spring to life on the television screen in the digital world. It started back in 2011 with Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure and has grown...and grown...and grown to include no less than four additional Skylanders games (and hundreds of figures), three Disney Infinity games (and dozens of figures), a LEGO-branded franchise that's about to hit the market, and tons of (mostly) hard to find Nintendo Amiibo figures that, as of right now, are currently limited in usage by an absence of software that takes real advantage of them, at least in the way the other franchises allow. But, at the end of the day, they're just toys fitted with hidden NFC chips that send a signal to the software to unlock a digital figure that's already in the game. It's a neat (and very costly, as the Liebman household has come to know) concept. But what if the toys could actually come to life in the real world? What if the "portal" wasn't just a plastic base and a USB cable but instead an old wooden cupboard unlocked by an heirloom key? What if sticking any toy inside of it -- whether it had a chip in it or not -- could transform it into a living, breathing thing? That's the idea behind The Indian in the Cupboard, a 1995 film directed by Frank Oz (The Dark Crystal) and based on the novel of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks.
Where the magic happens.
The Indian in the Cupboard comes to life on Blu-ray with a top-shelf 1080p transfer sourced from a 4K master. The image isn't the most vibrant in the world. Colors aren't aggressively bold, but neither are they in any way dull. "Reserved" might be the best word. Shades of red, natural exterior greens, and other examples of the brightest shades usually impress with consistently and accuracy. Details are strong, too. The image is perhaps a hair -- a hair -- soft, but it enjoys a good, natural, filmic quality to it, accentuated by a very light and even grain structure that helps accentuate details, like the wooden cabinet, skin, grasses, and clothes. The image is consistent in its evenness and attention to fine detail. Black levels aren't problematic and neither are flesh tones. There's no evidence of more than trace bits of print wear and there are no discernible examples of macroblocking, banding, aliasing, or other troublesome additions. This is a rock-solid catalogue effort from Sony.
The Indian in the Cupboard's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack supports the movie with efficiency and attention to detail. The track offers a nice spread of basic sound elements presented with a refined effortlessness. Music is richly clear and nicely spaced across the stage, with positive instrument definition, naturally enveloping surround, and a positive low end weight. Supportive sound effects like cracking thunder and deliberately over amplified gunshots coming from a television are precise and enjoy a good amount of depth and potency. Minor ambient effects -- outdoor elements at a skate park, basic school classroom and hallway sounds -- are presented with positive immersion and placement. Dialogue is the star, however, and it's delivered with effortless clarity and natural center placement.
The Indian in the Cupboard contains a commentary, a new retrospective featurette, a vintage short, and some Goosebumps related
extras.
The Indian in the Cupboard is a film with just the right amount of wonder, heart, and purpose. It's simple despite its magical premise, approachable despite a fairly complex undercurrent, and fun despite playing without a lot of frivolous fluff. It's well acted, effortlessly directed, and the story is simple yet sublime. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Indian in the Cupboard sports high end video, a quality lossless soundtrack, and a fair allotment of extra content. Recommended.
2016
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Special Edition
1971
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30th Anniversary Edition | US Version
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1971
80th Anniversary Edition
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30th Anniversary Edition
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