6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Set in 1951, an unjustly blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident and loses his memory. Due to a remarkable resemblance, the residents of a small town mistake him for a local war hero presumed dead.
Starring: Jim Carrey, Bob Balaban, Jeffrey DeMunn, Hal Holbrook, Laurie HoldenRomance | 100% |
Period | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish DD 2.0=Latin; Japanese is hidden
English SDH, French, German SDH, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Polish, Romanian, Russian, Thai, Turkish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
It would be unfair to blame the failure of The Majestic on Jim Carrey, whose efforts to repeat the success with drama that he has so often enjoyed with comedy always seem to turn out badly. But it isn't Carrey's fault that the film bombed at the box office ($37 million worldwide on a budget of $75 million) and was savaged by critics (the late Roger Ebert being a notable exception). The problem was the material itself, or at least a mismatch between the material and its director, Frank Darabont, whose previous features, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, were built on bleak but firm foundations originally provided by Stephen King. The Majestic was something entirely different: an overly earnest attempt to be heart-warming, upbeat and schmaltzy, none of which are Darabont's strength. The fairy tale script was penned by the director's boyhood friend, actor Michael Sloane, who tried to channel the spirit of Frank Capra but succeeded only in demonstrating that what used to be dismissed as "Capra-corn" isn't such an easy blend to mix. Capra may have been corny, but he was genuine. In The Majestic, by contrast, not one thing feels authentic. Rather than evoking nostalgia for a simpler, "truer" America, the film just makes you yearn for a better movie.
Darabont's cinematographer on The Green Mile , David Tattersall, returned for The Majestic, which has a heavily stylized, period look throughout its running time, accentuated by the production design, costumes, hair and makeup. Warner's transfer for this 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray looks reasonably good, with enough fine detail to delineate individual faces and items of clothing in major crowd scenes (of which there are quite a few) and a sufficiently varied palette to accommodate both the delicate colorations of the women's fashions, the earth tones of the men's in Lawson, the grays of the studio "suits" and the bright neon of the renovated Majestic. Black levels and densities look appropriate, including key effects scenes like the bridge crossing that leads to Peter Appleton's car accident. The film's grain structure appears to be intact, and no artificial sharpening appears to have been applied. Warner has encoded The Majestic with an average bitrate of 23.95, which is within its usual range. It seems to be sufficient for this particular film, which is occasionally busy (e.g., at the HUAC hearings) but is otherwise not especially demanding. Artifacts were not an issue.
The Majestic's 5.1 soundtrack, encoded on Blu-ray in lossless DTS-HD MA, is mostly a low-key affair, with several standout exceptions. The buildup to Appleton's accident and the immediate aftermath involve a sudden rainstorm and a river, and the surround channels plunge the viewer into the chaos. The HUAC hearings, with the constant barrage of flash bulbs from the press, are another sonic set piece, and so are several large gatherings in Lawson to celebrate the return of "Luke". The dialogue is clearly rendered and, except for the opening "story conference" scene (and a reprise later in the film), generally centered. Mark Isham's score, which includes a heavy jazz influence, is one of the film's best elements.
The extras have been ported over from Warner's 2004 DVD of The Majestic (although I have not been able to confirm whether the DVD contained the deleted scenes):
I really wanted to like The Majestic on this viewing. The cast is wonderful, and Darabont is capable of exceptional work, given the right material. But within half an hour (with two more to go), the film has gotten lost, much like Appleton driving aimlessly in the California night, and it never recovers. The Blu-ray looks and sounds good; so if you're someone who sees more in The Majestic than I do, by all means pick it up.
50th Anniversary
1973
2008
1954
1995
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2004
1999
2011
1991
2005
2001
2015
Limited Edition to 3000
1957
Warner Archive Collection
1945
1942
Limited Edition to 3000
1960
1944
1997
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1955
2002
Warner Archive Collection
1954