6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A legendary demon hunter (Jackie Chan), tracking down beasts that enter the human dimension, assisted by a lawman protégé and a motley group of friendly monsters.
Starring: Jackie Chan, Ethan Juan, Peng Lin, Charles Luu, Lance LuuAction | 100% |
Foreign | 94% |
Martial arts | 60% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
It’s perhaps indicative of the rote quality of a certain subgenre of Asian film that The Knight of Shadows* is at least the second
or
third film I’ve personally reviewed that begins with a so-called “demon hunter” attempting to wrestle a mutant (demonic) sea creature into
submission
(it’s actually hard for me to accurately recall how many films I’ve seen with this particular element — no watery pun intended — which itself may
indicate as much as anything how some fantasy laden Asian films tend to traffic in some of the same imagery and plot mechanics). It’s also
probably
indicative of the vagaries of the Asian film market that The Knight of Shadows is labeled as being “a Jackie Chan film”, when Chan did not
direct it (unless he used a pseudonym), typically the imprimatur that such a branding refers to (Chan did Executive Produce). The Knight of
Shadows is often goofily
enjoyable, even if it’s unabashedly reminiscent of many other Asian fantasy films, and it is of course wonderful to see Chan strutting his often
wacky
stuff on screen, even if that aspect can seem “well worn” more often than not.
* Neither the branding on the box nor the actual on screen title credit includes the subtitle Between Yin and Yang that the IMDb and
several
other online sources feature.
The Knight of Shadows is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The IMDb lists "RED DSMC2 Helium 8K S35" in its technical specs for the film, which is an aggregation of a camera "brain" and sensor, but one way or the other, I'm not certain whether or not this was finished at a 2K or 4K DI. This is yet another Asian fantasy film that was obviously designed for a 3D presentation, but which is only being offered in its "flat" version for domestic consumption. There are all sorts of special effects that are more than apparently designed to either grant the frame depth or, alternatively, provide "in your face" moments, and their translation to a 2D environment may leave some wanting more. I'm on record as repeatedly stating that for whatever reason I tend to like RED captures more than those done with Arri Alexa models, but this transfer has some issues. Once again, there's noticeable banding (I actually noticed it more for the first time with regard to the Iqiyi Films masthead, rather than the Well Go USA masthead, where it can typically show up early on), but even more distractingly, there are some compression issues that tend to crop up repeatedly, especially (for whatever reason) toward the left bottom side of the frame (see screenshots 17 through 19 in full resolution for an idea of what I'm talking about). Generally, though, there's nice fine detail throughout the presentation, and the lush palette is also nicely rendered. My score is 3.75.
The Knight of Shadows features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks in the original Mandarin, as well as an English dub. I noticed no really appreciable difference between the two languages in terms of surround activity or general mix levels, other than (obviously) the different languages being spoken. There is some fun placement of at times outlandish sound effects throughout the side and rear channels, and some of the biggest special effects sequences, as in the rousing sea demon segment early on, can offer nice bursts of LFE. All dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout, and is nicely mixed forward even in some of the noisiest effects sequences. Fidelity is fine throughout, and dynamic range is very wide on this appealing track.
- Teaser (International Version) (1080p; 1:24)
- Teaser (English Dub) (1080p; 1:23)
- Trailer A (International Version) (1080p; 2:00)
- Trailer A (English Dub) (1080p; 1:59)
- Trailer B (International Version) (1080p; 1:27)
- Trailer B (English Dub) (1080p; 1:26)
Fans of Jackie Chan and/or this kind of fantasy laden Asian "demon hunter" film may get a passing kick out of The Knight of Shadows, even if some may feel they've seen it all before (repeatedly). This is another 2D presentation that probably looked spectacular in 3D, something that may disappoint some fans, but the video component here has a few other passing issues as documented above, but audio is really fun and immersive, for those who are considering a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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