7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
An ailing father and his son travel toward the sea in a post-apocalyptic United States. As they evade cannibalistic gangs and fight to survive the unforgiving elements, the father tries to protect his son, teach him right from wrong, and preserve a sense of hope.
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Molly ParkerThriller | 100% |
Drama | 98% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
movieIQ
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When you dream about bad things happening it shows you're still fighting, still alive.
Stop for a moment and think of everything that modern man takes for granted.
Does the list include things like running water, fresh food, air conditioning, satellite television, and
transportation? Probably. How about those things that came before, that preceded fresh food and
satellite television, those things that made them possible? No, not just farming techniques,
preservatives, electricity, or even rocket science. How about innovation, drive, vision, and
courage? Even more base than those, how about encouragement, generosity, friendship, and
love? Everything can be boiled down to several base elements. Man is more than the sum of the
satellites in the sky, the meat in the freezer, the gas in the car. Even if it's no longer readily
apparent, he's about those things that deep down, from within, that make the world what it is,
good, bad, and ugly. But man can, and arguably has, reached a point where technology, the
fast-paced environment in which he lives, and the ease with which he can acquire goods of such a
quality -- a quality that even a century earlier would have seemed like science fiction, like a utopia
that could never exist, where life could never be so easy, and it is easy, on a fundamental level --
could be taken for granted, ignored, forgotten. Forget deadlines at work, forget getting the kids to
baseball practice, forget that urgent text message. Stop and think about how easy life really is, but
remember all those things that go into the innovation, production, delivery, and
consumption of fresh milk, worldwide communication, or medicine. Now imagine that in the blink
of an eye, it's all
gone: the products, the means of creating them, the desire to better them. What's left? The
shell of a society to be sure, but what would exist beyond the inoperable
cell
phone, the worthless computer, the dead garden, and the decrepit home? Is there enough of
that innovation, drive, vision, and courage to make it all, someday, work again? Is there enough
encouragement, generosity, friendship, and love to even get any rebuilding effort off the ground?
The Road, directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and
based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy (No Country For Old
Men) imagines a society with nothing left but hints of what once was and the survivors
that will shape its future state. In a cold, dead world with no rules, no right, no heart,
and no hope, a father and his young son must maneuver through a dangerous landscape that
could
lead them to death or salvation, not because of where it is they're going but because of how they
acquit themselves on the road towards the future they must help shape through their ability -- or
lack thereof -- to keep alive those base and non-tangible ingredients of encouragement, generosity,
friendship, and
love.
Is there anything worth finding at the end of the road?
The Road travels onto Blu-ray with a 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer that's, frankly, a bit hard to judge. Thick halos are visible in some shots; for instance, a cluster of dead trees that are seen during the film's opening voiceover look like they're glowing, and the effect remains here and there throughout the movie. Otherwise, Sony's high definition transfer is a thing of wonder in every other area. In the few bright and colorful scenes that open the film, viewers will marvel at the intricate detail on delicate flowers and roughly-textured brick walls, and while the picture immediately shifts to a rotten, gray, dead visual tone thereafter, the transfer marvelously captures every nuance amidst the deliberately weathered and worn visuals. Details are readily visible even under these conditions, whether the scuffs on a well-worn pistol, the texture of a stuffed animal, frays in tattered clothing, scraggly facial hairs, and even pores and wrinkles underneath untold amounts of caked-on dirt and grime; Sony's 1080p transfer delivers an extraordinary amount of information even through the deliberately lifeless visual scheme. The color palette is limited at best; grays, blacks, and browns dominate the transfer, and even brighter objects -- a dusty red can of Coke -- appears terribly faded but intentionally so. Through all of this, black levels amaze. In several scenes they might absorb some of the finer details, but in a picture that's overwhelmingly dark and harsh, there's little room to complain. Flesh tones reflect the dusty and worn look the picture employs. The print is free of unwanted dirt and debris, and it's coated with a light sprinkling of grain. The Road's visual tone and Blu-ray presentation is reflective of the film: this is an ugly picture, but it's also, for the most part, lovingly reproduced on Blu-ray. The apparent edge enhancement is cause for concern, but it's the only real problem in an otherwise spectacular release from Sony.
The Road winds onto Blu-ray with a high quality DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that does well to aurally place the listener in the midst of the decayed and unwelcoming world the film creates. There's no shortage of surround activity; rain falls about the listening area in several scenes, crackling fire engulfs the soundstage in another, gusting winds blow through the speakers, and imaging across both the front and the back is splendid, with sounds placed just so but also traversing the listening area with ease. The track captures the entire gambit of sound, from the smallest of atmospheric nuances to the rumbles of an earthquake, the latter delivering a potent amount of bass that's tight and aggressive but not mushy or undefined. For the track's several more powerful and pronounced moments, there are many more that are quiet, contemplative, and reflective of the lifeless atmosphere. Like the video quality, the sound design often creates an absence of information to further reinforce the death and destruction that has left but a shell of a world once full of sound and life. Dialogue, too, can be sharp or subdued, with a few quieter lines a bit hard to hear, even at reference volume. Overall, there's little room for complaint; Sony's has once again delivered a wonderful lossless soundtrack that suits the movie well.
Viewers may traverse a few more miles of The Road thanks to a decent supplementary section. First up is an audio commentary track with Director John Hillcoat. Though he admits to being a commentary novice, Hillcoat does an excellent job conveying a broad swath of information regarding the film. He speaks on shooting locales, special effects, voiceover work, his concerns with shooting certain scenes with a child actor, the performance and professionalism of Kodi Smit-McPhee, working with Author Cormac McCarthy, safety procedures on the set, and much more. This is a top-flight commentary and a fine companion to an already excellent film. It's a must-listen. The Making of 'The Road' (480p, 13:47) features cast and crew speaking on the picture's themes and emotion, the work of Cormac McCarthy, the performances and dedication of the cast, and the work of Director John Hillcoat. BD-Live functionality; MovieIQ connectivity; five deleted and extended scenes (480p, 6:38); two trailers for The Road (1080p, 2:32 & 2:29); and additional 1080p trailers for Youth in Revolt, Unthinkable, Chloe, Nine, The Last Station, Legion, and A Single Man are also included.
Incredible tension, unspeakable acts, hard decisions, lost hope, uncertain futures, unlikely generosity, and unending love: these are the dramatic and thematic realities of The Road, realities that both paint a bleak picture but also capture an amazing spirit of survival not only of the body but of the individual soul and, by extension, mankind. An under-the-radar masterpiece that for some reason didn't gain the recognition it deserved either at the box office or at the Oscars, The Road is a must-see films not only for its excellent performances, first-rate production values, and strong direction, but for its ability to capture such an uplifting spirit of good amidst so much that's unspeakably bad. No doubt about it, The Road is a tough watch but it's also a journey well worth taking. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Road sports a mostly great 1080p transfer while also featuring a strong lossless soundtrack and a few good extras that will leave viewers wanting more. The Road comes highly recommended.
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