6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
Native American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Ruth WilsonAdventure | 100% |
Action | 71% |
Western | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Once a staple of cinema, westerns have become a risk studios aren't often willing to take. Action comedies had a good run in the '90s, but have floundered in recent years with far more flops than hits. And remakes and reboots... well, tricky business all around. So why oh why would a studio in its prime, having just acquired both the Marvel Movie Universe and a certain galaxy far, far away, devote $250 million-plus to an action-comedy western remake/reboot (pick your poison) of one of the most iconic American film serials and TV series? A (relative) box office bomb that grossed a mere $90 million domestically and eked out just $260 million worldwide? Five words: Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski. Or perhaps just four: Pirates of the Caribbean. The hope -- or, in hindsight, the delusion -- being that Bruckheimer and Verbinski could strike box office gold yet again with another franchise in the making; one that just so happened to star Pirates frontman Johnny Depp. No, The Lone Ranger isn't as terrible as you might have heard. It isn't the worst movie of the year, or even the most disappointing. It's more of a train wreck than it believes, though, and throws a tremendous amount of money at the screen for what turns out to be a shipment of damaged goods.
"Justice is what I seek, Kemosabe."
The Lone Ranger's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer is a beaut. I'd even call it perfect if it weren't for the persistence of some minor ringing, which appears a few times too many. It's quite negligible in the scheme of things, though, and if memory serves, a product of the source, as I recall spotting it when the film was in theaters. Colors are bleached, sun-struck and drained of life, with a palette that favors sickly greens and dusty ambers. However, all is precisely as Verbinski and cinematographer Bojan Bazelli intended. Contrast is excellent, without any significant crush or delineation issues to report. Black levels are deep and suitably sooty, skintones are nicely saturated and primaries deliver, when given the opportunity that is. Detail is also thoroughly striking, with razor-wire edges, crisply resolved fine textures and closeups that showcase every scab, scar, wrinkle, nick, pockmark, frayed stitch, scraggly hair, bead of sweat and bit of stubble. Moreover, artifacting, banding, aliasing and other distractions and eyesores are nowhere to be found. All in all, it's a terrific presentation.
Action, action, action. The Lone Ranger's bombastic DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track doesn't waste much time with subtlety, reveling in thunderclap explosions, splintering wood, crashing train cars, rending metal, cracking gunfire and roaring locomotives. LFE output is powerful and aggressive to say the least, with enough decisive kick to bolster even the most light-hearted chase or fistfight. Rear speaker activity never relents, creating a most immersive soundfield that's as enveloping as its directional effects are convincing and engaging. Cross-channel pans are smooth as silk as well, and dynamics are outstanding. All the while, dialogue is perfectly intelligible and impeccably prioritized, even when derailed trains, deafening battles or angry mobs threaten to drown out key lines and other crucial elements. I didn't walk away with a single complaint.
Bloated, ungainly and much too long, The Lone Ranger fumbles its fundamentals. Staged as the first installment in a trilogy rather than a satisfying standalone film, it sets the stage for its own failures. Still, there's some dark Looney Tunes-esque fun to be had, especially between Hammer and Depp, so long as you're willing to switch off the critical portions of your brain, you might just be able to enjoy the movie on its own terms. As Blu-ray releases go, The Lone Ranger's only sin is that its bonus content is too short and too unsatisfying. Otherwise, the disc's striking video presentation and thundering DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track impress.
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