6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
One man must race against time to stop history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds as they get together to plot a war that could wipe out millions of people and destroy humanity.
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom HollanderAction | 100% |
Adventure | 82% |
Comic book | 60% |
Comedy | 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 7.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When Kingsman: The Secret Service became a perhaps unexpected smash when it was released in 2014, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out there were going to be follow ups, and indeed Kingsman: The Golden Circle was released in 2017, to sometimes withering reviews (including a not overly positive assessment by yours truly), but to once again encouraging box office returns. And so we now have The King's Man, writer-director Matthew Vaughn's attempt to offer viewers "the rest of the story" in terms of how Kingsman came to be in the first place. From an "epic adventure" standpoint, The King's Man is probably a step up from Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and it certainly manages to stuff in a veritable grab bag of "real life" historical figures into a story set largely around a nascent World War I era, but it's another overly labored effort that, rather like the first film, has a hard time deciding what its tone should be.
The King's Man is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Films and Disney / Buena Vista with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Captured with a variety of Arri Alexa and Black Magic models, and perhaps surprisingly finished at "only" 2K (given the fact that source resolutions often exceeded 4K, at least according to the IMDb), this is by and large a very sharp, well detailed and appealing looking presentation. There are some rather subtle grading choices on display, including golden tones in some of the interior scenes as well as a glut of blue shadings in many of the wartime sequences. Perhaps unexpectedly fine detail levels only temporarily falter and then arguably only very slightly during some of these changes. Fine detail levels on the often natty fabrics is typically exceptional. A lot of the CGI actually looks very good, including some of the battle scenes, but there are still some passingly curious anomalies some may notice with what I'm assuming were greenscreened backgrounds, where (real) foreground objects momentarily lose slight detail and/or clarity at their edges, and there can be occasional "swirly" ripples surrounding objects in motion (something I noticed even more in the 4K UHD version).
The King's Man features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track which makes full use of the soundstage in several well designed set pieces. The opening vignette is a notable example when the shooting breaks out, which includes some fast panning effects and well placed discrete channelization. Later set pieces including fight scenes, the biplane sequence with Orlando and his parachute and especially the big sequence with Rasputin and various would be assailants all provide really smart and immersive effects work. The score also enjoys a spacious accounting on the track. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles are available.
There's a lot to like about The King's Man, and I personally found it to be generally more enjoyable than Kingsman: The Golden Circle, which may admittedly be damning with faint praise. I just wish Vaughn and his team had provided a bit more information about the Shepherd and his hold over such a gaggle of notorious villains as well as maintaining a more consistent tone, which may have been well nigh impossible given this film's bizarre mashup of anti-war sentiment with visceral battle scenes and then almost slapstick laden comedy bits. There are some hugely enjoyable performances here, though, including a great scenery chewing effort by Rhys Ifans as an unforgettable Rasputin. Technical merits are generally solid for those who may considering making a purchase.
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