7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Set in an alternate future, focuses on boy and girl teenaged pilots called Kildren who are destined to live eternally in their adolescence. Raised to engage in aerial battles over Europe for the entertainment of adults, the Kildren are conscious that every day could be their last because they fight a war organized and operated by adults. But as they embrace the reality they are faced with, they live their day-to-day lives to the fullest.
Starring: Rinko Kikuchi, Ryô Kase, Chiaki Kuriyama, Shosuke Tanihara, Daisuke HirakawaForeign | 100% |
Anime | 87% |
Adventure | 5% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Portuguese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
All 3 Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes are 16-Bit
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ask any anime fan who Mamoru Oshii is, and most will immediately identify him as the director of
the 1995 classic, Ghost in the Shell. I’ve always loved Ghost in the Shell, and still
consider it one of my all-time favorite anime films, but it doesn’t seem to reflect Oshii’s creative
style as well as Jin-Roh (which he wrote but didn’t direct), or the follow-up Ghost in the
Shell film titled Innocence. Those two later works demonstrate the sublety of his
creative side, while lulling the audience into a philosophical trance that seems to be Oshii’s
cinematic style.
The Sky Crawlers continues this trend, with a story that’s based
on the the final chapter in a series of novels written by Hiroshi Mori. I’ve never read the novel and
have little knowledge of the other four books in the series, but I suppose there are plenty of
examples where non-linear storytelling can work in the writer’s favor. It also stands as a testament
that the final chapter in the series was the first book released to the Japanese public (also titled
The Sky Crawlers), with the intention that the series would be read without regard to
proper chronological order. In the hands of any other director, I’d be a little worried, but Oshii has
proven himself to be a capable artist over the years and I was excited to see him step into the
directing chair for this film.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 22Mbps), The Sky Crawlers offers a visual experience that appears to be somewhat hampered by the source material, but still offers a mostly pleasing visual experience. Several scenes in the film incorporate visual effects that were likely intended to help blend the hand-drawn animation with computer generated backgrounds, but the end result is a noticeable softening of the picture. Lighting effects seem to be the main culprit in the loss of detail during the dialogue driven scenes (for a good example, go to the sequence around the 26 minute mark with the call-girl), but I still noticed a degree of softness in several aerial shots that were completely rendered using CGI. On the positive side, I never detected the presence of artifacting, banding, edge enhancement, or any other transfer-related anomaly, and black levels were consistently deep with a pleasing degree of contrast in both daytime and nighttime sequences. Despite the hazy nature of some scenes, the transfer is still a vast improvement over DVD resolution and my overall impressions are positive.
Skywalker Sound demonstrates they have the midas touch with this Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track in the native language of Japanese. Aside from one or two scenes with overly soft dialogue, this film could be used as demonstration material for the unique use of surround channel separation to create a cinematic experience that is truly engulfing. Anyone with an interest in aerial jet battles will be treated to a first-hand experience that (dare I say) surpasses anything we've heard in live action films such as Top Gun. The sound of bullets as they zing past the aircraft, or the whir of the propellors approaching from the back of the room blend together with clarity and spatial precision to create a jaw-dropping experience. Even in the subtle, dialogue-driven scenes, the creative use of environmental effects is handled with a level of care I simply didn't expect. You'll heard the tiniest drops of rain as they hit the concrete, or jump at the resulting echo of the falling bowling pins during the bowling alley sequence. I've heard impressive effects on a number of prior Blu-ray releases, but it's a rare treat to hear sounds that stand out with ultra-realism. Kudo's to everyone involved in this audio track and I hope to hear more from Skywalker Sound in the near future.
Animation Research for The Sky Crawlers (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 30:52 min): This supplement
includes interviews with director Mamoru Oshii, who discusses the inspiration for locations and
artistic designs in the film. A good portion of the supplement is also dedicated to video footage of
Oshii and the crew traveling around Ireland and Poland to gain first-hand experience that could be
utilized in The Sky Crawlers. The audio is presented in Japanese with English
subtitles.
The Sound Design and Animation of The Sky Crawlers (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0,
32:16 min): This is a wonderful extra, that includes footage of Oshii's initial meeting at the
Skywalker Ranch (they completed the creative sound design for the film) as well as footage of the
Japanese animators working on several scenes. It's a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at Oshii's
directing style and the people who dedicated countless hours to his labor of love.
Sky's the
Limit: An Interview with Director Mamoru Oshii (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 15:18 min): On this
extra, Oshii provides an exposition on the many themes he hoped to convey in the film and provides
some background on how he designed the alternate reality that exists in The Sky Crawlers.
Anyone with an interest in Oshii's work as a visionary director will find this supplement fascinating.
If you already have an interest in the film, I hope this review doesn't sway you away from at least testing the waters with a rental. The underlying story is intriguing, and the revelations toward the end are a welcome addition, but I found the overall experience a little underwhelming compared to other anime films on the market (including prior work by Mamoru Oshii). This is definitely the type of film you have to be in the mood to watch and I could see a number of viewers losing interest (or falling asleep) within the first hour. From a technical standpoint, the audio presentation is close to reference quality and the video appears to be an accurate representation of non-reference source material. Taken as a whole, this Blu-ray is easy to recommend as a rental, but can't be recommended as a purchase unless you're sure the film fits your taste.
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