The Master Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Master Blu-ray Movie Review

The Master is an exciting action-adventure classic. Featuring an original story by Hark Tsui, The Master is also produced by Tsui. Executive produced by Anthony Chow and Siu-Tin Lai, The Master stars the great martial arts legend Jet Li in the leading role.

Master “Uncle” Tak (Wah Yuen) loses his entire store after a huge fight breaks loose. Master Tak ends up disappearing. Jet (Jet Li) must now work to find the missing master and travels from Hong Kong to Los Angeles to help Master Tak out. Jet soon comes face-to-face with a gang of thugs.

Epic fights now unfold with Jet having to defeat one thug after another from the gang. Can Jet both save Master Tak and defend his esteemed honor? Jet also encounters a potential romantic interest with May (Crystal Kwok).

Jet Li is incredible in the lead role. There is something quite magical about Li. Li has that rare and special charisma as an action star that only so few martial arts actors achieve – the perfect balance of having perfect skills as an action performer and providing the right charisma. Li adds so much wonder to the performance.  

The supporting cast of characters includes Jonny (Jerry Trimble), Anna (Anne Rickets), Cito (Rueben Gonzáles), Ruben (Guy Fadollone), Mouse (Derek Anunciation), Mouse (Henry Penzi), Oscar (Michael Burke), Jeannie (Camille Carrigan), Jimmy (Wayne Post), Coach (Pamela J. Anderson), and Paul (George Cheung). The supporting actors in The Master do great work with their respective roles, too. The cast have a lot of fun with their parts.

The production designs by Lynn Christopher (Ted & Venus) are well-done. Christopher is a talented production designer and the efforts here impress in spades. The design work is one of the most noteworthy strengths of the feature. The production also highlights the excellent art direction by Bret Alexander and Gil Draper.

The stunts coordinated by Chun Yeung Yuen (Armour of God) and Wah Yuen (Lightning Fists of Shaolin, Shaolin Intruders) are well-done. The stunt coordinators have a ton of fun with the filmmaking. The stunts impress with superb choreography. The stunt work also adds to the sense of action-packed adventure. The action is arguably the main draw of the entire film and in this regard The Master certainly delivers in spades.

Edited by Peter Cheung (The Way of the Dragon, Fist of Fury) and Ma Kam (A Better Tomorrow, Last Romance), The Master is well-paced. The editing is one of the highlights of the filmmaking. There is compelling tension with the action sequences.

The score composed by Yee Tat Lam is one of the most important highlights of The Master. The score is engaging and exhilarating. The score provides ample energy to the action set-pieces and provides an impressive sense of scale to the entire feature. The dramatic backbone of the filmmaking is also well highlighted by the score.

The cinematography by Henry Chan (Legend of the Mountain, Raining in the Mountain) and Paul A. Edwards (Eye of the Stranger) is a delight. The visual sensibilities of the cinematography are quite beautiful. The lensing by Chan and Edwards creates a sense of poetic beauty that helps the action scenes stand out in a visually compelling manner.

Written by Kee-To Lam and Tai-Mok Lau, The Master is well-written genre filmmaking. The script has a great central protagonist. The characterizations add depth and wonder to the storytelling. The script also builds to an impressive conclusion.

Directed by Hark Tsui (Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back, Once Upon a Time in China), The Master is enormous fun. The Master delivers exhilarating spectacle. Martial arts fans looking for an entertaining action classic will be enormously pleased with this gem. A must-see for Jet Li fans.

The Master Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory, The Master is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The high-definition transfer is impressive in spades. The transfer looks naturally filmic and has good clarity and overall detail. A wonderful encoding. The fine grain detail adds to the presentation quality. Color reproduction is impressive.

The Master Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound, English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound, and Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. The release provides English subtitles. The English subtitles are well-done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. The Cantonese 2.0 Mono audio sounds crisp and well detailed on the release. Dialogue is well reproduced. The soundstage is excellent and the sound effects are well integrated.

By comparison, the 5.1 surround sound option is not as impressive sounding and has some drawbacks. The sound effects do sound a bit more artificial and the sound mixing is not as impressive as on the best surround sound tracks. The 5.1 mix sounds somewhat thin and less organic compared to the original 2.0 mono presentation. The original audio option is the best one and sounds more authentic on the release.

The Master Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary With Frank Djeng Of The New York Asian Film Festival

Audio Commentary With Film Critic James Mudge

Making a Masterpiece – Interview With Actor Steven Ho (HD, 32:35)

Interview With Actor Yuen Wah (SD, 15:38)

Interview With Actor Crystal Kwok (SD, 12:28)

Interview With Stuntman John Kreng (SD, 17:28)

Trailers (HD, 6:32)

Image Gallery (HD, 1:51)

The Master Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Master is an enormously entertaining action classic. Jet Li is a master of martial arts – someone with incredible skills. The feature-film is so well-done and there is much to love and appreciate about the filmmaking.

The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high-definition presentation and lossless audio. The release also has an impressive assortment of supplemental features. Recommended.