6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
The Ono family are dairy farmers happily living in a peaceful village. One day, a great earthquake strikes, causing a nearby nuclear power station to explode. Their neighbors, who lives fairly close, are forcibly ordered to evacuate by the government. The Ono family, however, only have half of their garden designated as within range. They then have to make the hard decision whether to take refuge or not.
Starring: Megumi Kagurazaka, Satoru Matsuo, Akira Hamada, Toru Tezuka, Isao NatsuyagiForeign | 100% |
Drama | 40% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Japanese director Sion Sono's "Kibo no kuni" a.k.a "The Land of Hope" (2012) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Third Window Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; documentary film; and trailers for other Third Window Films releases. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Safe at home
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sion Sono's The Land of Hope arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Third Window Films.
Shot digitally, The Land of Hope looks beautiful on Blu-ray. Image depth and clarity are excellent. Colors also look strikingly natural (many close-ups actually look like digital photographs). During the indoor sequences where light is restricted some low digital noise is often present, but the high-definition transfer is not to be blamed for it. Such noise is often present on films shot with sensitive HD cameras. Contrast levels remain stable from start to finish. Also, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. Compression is also very good. All in all, I believe that the technical presentation is indeed as good as it can possibly be. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Third Window Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The Land of Hope is primarily a dialog-driven feature. There are a few sequences where Gustav Mahler's music is heard, but its role is strictly to enhance the existing atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, surround movement is extremely limited. However, the dialog is exceptionally crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow.
Sion Sono's The Land of Hope should be seen by people who continue to believe that nuclear plants can be safe. They can't be, and they won't be. And because they are not, there is always a chance that we may witness a new accident such as the one that destroyed the Fukushima plant. If you can play Region-B discs, I urge you to see The Land of Hope. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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