6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
An elite Special forces unit is sent to the Bolivian jungle on a search-and-destroy mission. But the team soon find that they have become the target of a deadly double cross instigated by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Making good use of the fact that they're now presumed dead, the group goes deep undercover in a dangerous plot to clear their names and even the score with Max.
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldaña, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus ShortAction | 100% |
Thriller | 50% |
Comic book | 36% |
Crime | 33% |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
As questions about the viability of traditional superhero films become all the rage, adaptations of lesser known comicbooks and graphic novels are being scooped up and primed for launch. Don't like superheroes? How about a league of F-bombing super assassins, or a Canadian guitarist who has to defeat an American girl's seven evil ex-boyfriends to win her heart? Perhaps a decidedly underpowered, foul-mouthed every-teen who decides to fulfill his crime-fighting dreams, or an aging team of CIA veterans fighting their way back from retirement. Hollywood's latest anti-super adaptation? The Losers, a frenzied, self-effacing, run-n-gun actioner based on Andy Diggle and Mark Simpson's award-winning Vertigo comic series of the same name. While it isn't nearly as clever or edgy as its sexy swagger suggests, it does offer a fast and funny dose of Big Dumb Fun. And sometimes -- especially in a summer packed with less-than-thrilling options -- that's enough.
Not exactly the right stuff, but they make do...
Take a moment and open your window. Now stare directly into the sun. Welcome to The Losers' blistering 1080p/VC-1 transfer, an overcooked presentation if there ever was one. Not that it should look any other way. Director Sylvain White and DoP Scott Kevan crank up the heat on every Puerto Rico locale at their disposal, skewing strong and subtle colors alike, transforming shadows into black holes, and cursing Colonel Clay's Losers with ragged and flushed dispositions. Thankfully, Warner adheres to White and Kevan's intentions without reservation, and delivers a sound, technically proficient encode. Kevan's palette is vivid and voracious, basking in whatever syrupy reds and blazing greens White tosses in front of the camera. Blacks are exceedingly deep, calling to mind the bold linework and ink-splashes of the original DC comic, and contrast remains stark and stable throughout. Moreover, detail is fairly impressive. Granted, a small handful of closeups suffer from minor to moderate smearing (presumably the result of scene-specific noise reduction applied in post production, à la Star Trek), but textures are generally crisp and well-defined, edges are clean and sharp (no gratuitous edge enhancement here), and dimensionality and delineation are as convincing and revealing as Kevan's photography allows. Factor in a pristine image that isn't hindered by compression artifacts, aberrant noise, or other serious anomalies and you have a high-quality transfer sure to energize fans of the film.
What's that? What? WHAT? Yes, The Losers is loud. Crazy loud. Yes, it wears its ricochets and 'splosions on its tattered, flame-seared sleeve. But Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track proves itself to be up to the task, packing enough sonic punch and aural firepower into its ninety-seven short minutes to make the film's over-the-top comicbook lunacy seem positively quaint by comparison. LFE output embraces White's madcap violence with resonant thooms and shoulder-jolting booms, granting everything from missile detonations to raining debris menacing presence in the soundscape. The rear speakers aggressively immerse the listener in the at-times nonstop action -- fiery helicopter blades whisk overhead, machine guns erupt in unison and en masse, a strong breeze carries billowing smoke across the soundfield, shattered mirror shards crash on a hotel floor, and the crew's south-of-the-border nightlife presses in from all sides -- and serve up effective ambience from beginning to end. And the music? John Ottman's playful score and the film's bass-blaring hip hop remixes sound fantastic (despite being a tad overbearing on occasion). Dialogue is sturdy, crystal clear and intelligible as well... for the most part. Several lines are inevitably consumed in the chaos, and a number of others aren't as perfectly prioritized as one might hope. Still, it hardly detracts from the experience, particularly since the quips lost in the heat of battle never involve crucial words of wisdom or exposition. All things considered, action junkies will be most pleased.
No Maximum Movie Mode, no Picture-in-Picture features, no audio commentary, no production documentaries... the Blu-ray edition of The Losers doesn't offer much more than a batch of easily exhaustible EPKs, a single deleted scene, and an extended preview for the latest Warner Bros. Animation flick. Ah well, at least all of the film's behind-the-scenes content is presented in high definition.
The Losers is a fast and funny bit of Big Dumb Fun, but its action and humor aren't as savage or savvy as they could be. Still, you could do much worse. Warner's Blu-ray release fumbles out of the gate with a shallow supplemental package, but makes up for any shortcomings with a faithful, finely tuned video transfer and an explosive DTS-HD Master Audio track. My advice? Give White's flashbang comicbook/videogame hybrid a try. At the very least, it should tide you over until Timur Bekmambetov's Wanted 2 blasts into theaters next year.
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