7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
A team of elite FBI agents are sent to Saudi Arabia to solve a brutal mass murder and find a killer before he strikes again. Out of their element and under heavy fire, the team must join forces with their Saudi counterparts. As these unlikely allies begin to unlock the secrets of the crime scene, the team is led into a heart-stopping do-or-die confrontation.
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf BarhomAction | 100% |
Thriller | 84% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
This is a nation where tradition and modernity are in violent collision.
At its core, The Kingdom is a War picture. It is not a War picture in the traditional
sense,
nor does it depict a war fought in a traditional manner,
with armies facing off across a large field, or in the air, or at sea, but rather a war fought
with
fear. Some of the combatants fight with no regard for the sanctity of life, either their own or that
of
their enemies. It is a war fought in the open, amongst the innocent. It is a war fought with
quick, messy strikes, crudely
but effectively realized. These combatants are difficult or impossible to spot; they wear no
uniforms, show no colors, and oftentimes do not openly wield a weapon before the savagery
commences. The
film also depicts a clash of cultures, a war of words, and a battle of wits as those perceived as the
enemy enter a hostile environment, where they become the target; the militants take aim at the
individual, but in doing so also take aim at their country, their religion, their values, their way of
life. Intense, frightening, and depicted with a sense of urgency, The Kingdom
encapsulates
modern warfare well in the guise of a taut, well-made thriller.
Fleury surveys the chaos from above.
The Kingdom welcomes Blu-ray viewers with a most impressive 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer that does the movie extremely proud. Colors are strong but sometimes look slightly subdued and pushing the hues that meld with the Saudi locales, not a fault of the disc but rather replicating the intended look of the film. The image is incredibly sharp and deep, highly detailed and strong in every regard. The Kingdom on Blu-ray offers a natural-in-appearance and highly impressive picture quality that offers an excellent cinematic look and feel, helped both by the wonderfully detailed transfer and its retention of inherent film grain. The transfer holds up well under any condition, be it in the naturally lit Saudi exteriors, moderately lit interiors, or dark highways at night. Black levels are rock solid, flesh tones are finely rendered, and the detail in faces in close-ups is extraordinary. Detail is also excellent in scenes featuring the debris of the aftermath of the attack, seen, for example, in chapter 10. Every piece of twisted steel and every remnant of the blown-out building feature detail that invites viewers to reach out and grab them. While the fast-paced camerawork and rapid-fire edits sometimes make every corner of the film difficult to analyze, there is no doubt that when the camera slows down and viewers take in the frame, the transfer they see is nothing short of gorgeous. Universal's Blu-ray release of The Kingdom features one of the best transfers on the market when it comes to live action material.
The Kingdom sports Universal's standard audio codec, DTS-HD MA 5.1, and the results are excellent, though not quite on the same level as the best audio presentations available on Blu-ray today. Gunshots are deep and pack a nice punch, and the soundtrack is immersive, but it seems to lack that last bit of oomph and immersion, never quite reaching the top-tier level. An explosion in chapter three rocks the listening area, though once again it gives the impression of lacking just that last bit of power and presence to drive it over the top. Dialogue reproduction is strong, but at times somewhat jumbled under effects or ambient noise. Music spreads nicely across the front, with a good, solid, deep presence in the front left and right speakers. Surrounds are used more in support rather than offering a plethora of discrete effects in many instances, never providing an active, ambitious surround presence. The very first "wow" moment of the track comes from the firing of a .50 caliber machine gun in chapter 11. It thumps and pounds and reverberates with incredible force that rattles the chest cavity and makes for a reference sonic moment in an otherwise good but not fabulous sound presentation. Likewise, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) fired in chapter 16 discharges an impressive thump as the projectile flies heavily through the listening area and creates a shattering explosion upon impact. Make no mistake, The Kingdom offers listeners a thrilling soundtrack, but it just doesn't have the same vigor and vitality of the very best of the best Universal has to offer, including The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy II, Wanted, and U-571.
The Kingdom features a good selection of bonus materials, headlined by a commentary
track with director Peter Berg. Neither a well-paced nor terribly slow track, Berg offers up
production insight, his thoughts on the actors in the film, and the themes of the film. Perhaps
most
interestingly, he discusses his personal trip to Saudi Arabia in preparation for the film. Despite
the
track featuring numerous pauses that are just long and frequent enough to be noticed, the track
is
well worth a listen for fans. This disc is also U-Control enabled, with four different visual tracks
that
appear at times through the course of the film. Picture in Picture is a basic track that
offers
up behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew. The Mission
Dossier
allows viewers to read up on Saudi culture, disciver the life of Westerners in the country, and
browse a
series of "investigation notes." The Mission Dossier: Surveillance showcases some of the
film's most crucial sequences in a three-dimensional computer animated state. Finally,
Character by Character: The Apartment Shootout allows viewers to watch this crucial
sequence through four varied perspectives: Fleury & Al Ghazi, Janet Mayes, Adam Leavitt, and
Sykes & Haytham.
A series of deleted scenes (1080p, 11:06) are next. Constructing the Freeway Sequence
(480p, 18:18) is an in-depth feature that showcases the making of one of the film's most intense
sequences, intercut with plenty of cast and crew interview snippets. Creating 'The
Kingdom' (480p, 35:35 total runtime) is an 8-part feature that looks at the making of the
film through the eyes of various cast and crew members and behind-the-scenes footage.
History of 'The Kingdom:' an Interactive Timeline (480p,
19:15) features a clickable timeline that goes from 1932 through 2003 and provides highlights
from the Kingdom's history, featuring both video clips and text that describe the particular period
of history. Finally, the U-Control feature Mission Dossier: Surveillance is included as a
separate feature.
The Kingdom is a professionally-crafted film that features a story packed with emotion, intrigue, and action. Evolving naturally and logically, the story never forces one element, and allows the action in particular to work its way into the story rather than being forced on viewers weary of such tactics employed to make up for less-than-gripping drama in far lesser films. Well-acted and directed, and featuring a fine score by composer Danny Elfman (Planet of the Apes), The Kingdom is a can't-miss movie. Likewise, this Blu-ray from Universal is another quality release from a studio quickly establishing itself as one of the format's best. Featuring top-notch picture quality and a fine soundtrack, not to mention a nice selection of bonus materials, The Kingdom is a Blu-ray disc worth owning. Recommended.
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