7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
The story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale, Clément SibonyAdventure | 100% |
Biography | 55% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Perhaps in no other film can moviemaking's magic be better experienced than in The Walk, Director Robert Zemeckis' touching, funny, and in every way inspiring and spectacular true-to-life recreation of the Philippe Petit story. Petit is a French-born man who, in 1974, walked on a wire tightly strung between New York's Twin Towers, crossing back-and-forth to the awe of spectators far below and the angst of law enforcement closing in on him. The towers have long since fallen but Zemeckis' film lovingly returns them to life in a fitting, heartfelt cinema experience that explores their majesty set against one man's determination to fulfill a dream. The film elicits all kinds of emotion -- everything from deep sadness to overwhelming joy -- in what can only be described as a movie as monumentally satisfying as the wire walk performance itself, capturing a spirit of accomplishment in the shadow of tragedy that will undoubtedly stand as tall as the towers as a loving tribute to not only fallen steel and concrete but man's persistence, the power of hope, and the joy of seeing a dream fulfilled.
Walk.
The Walk was shot in 2D and converted to 3D in post production, but the results are nevertheless strong to spectacular. Sony's presentation
gets the little things right on every front. Detail and color are strong within the film's visual style. Parisian streets reveal fine brick, stone, and tile
work. Iron bars and the World Trade Center façade show intimate details. Clothing definition is strong. Faces are mildly pasty and soft, but so too
is much of the movie. Colors aren't exactly exciting, but there's just
enough balance and pop, when necessary, to impress, again under the film's fairly dominant blue-gray color scheme, particularly in its third act. The
3D
elements are impressive right off the bat as New York is seen at some distance from the Statue of Liberty, which is itself clearly dense and
dimensional.
There's a nice sense of general depth looking down Paris streets, for example. General shots show a nice sense of space, whether out in the open or
in
more confined spaces, like a dentist's office. A circus tent offers a much broader, but still in some ways more intimate, sense of volume. Objects
are clearly
shapely, whether bits of rope or a pencil.
Of course, the primary reason to watch in 3D comes in the third act when Petit takes to the wire high above New York city. Even from the rooftops
in the scenes prior to the walk, the
sense of distance to the city sprawling out below is most impressive, both in terms of height above and length away. The wire seems to extend right
out of, and far
back into, the screen when the camera is positioned close to its level looking towards one building or the other, where the sense of space between
the
rooftops is clearly defined. Likewise, his lengthy balancing pole appears to extend well out of the screen when seen from side-on shots. But it's the
top-down shots that prove most exciting. The sense of distance, danger, and daring are made obvious with a spectacular bit of 3D craftsmanship,
but more
important is the heightened sense of exhilaration, skill, and triumph, all of which are evident in the 2D-only version (also included with the 3D release) but here brought to
another level. This is arguably one of the
most impressive 3D sequences yet, no surprise considering the movie lives or dies, visually in 3D, by this measuring stick.
Note that all screenshots in this review are sourced from the 2D-only image.
The Walk's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack isn't a classic example of aggressive, assaulting reference audio, but it's terrific in its own right and a perfect example of refined, supportive sound. Musical recreation is terrific. There's a nice cross-section of styles, each of them presented with exemplary attention to detail, perfect volume and stage balance, strong supportive bass, and natural surround envelopment. Ambient effects are terrific and filling, effortlessly recreating dense Paris and New York streets. Lighter elements gently surround the listener during the upper atmosphere high wire walk. A few examples of more aggressive sound -- tightly pulled and springy wires, a whirring helicopter near film's end -- enjoy precision placement and superb definition. Dialogue drives the film, and delivery is naturally focused in the center. Clarity is strong and prioritization is perfect.
The Walk contains three featurettes and several deleted scenes on the included 2D-only disc. The only 3D exclusive extras are 3D trailers
for Goosebumps and Hotel Transylvania 2. A UV digital copy code is included with
purchase.
Who can say whether Philippe Petit's story would have been made into a film were it not for the events that transpired on 9/11. But that day did happen, and for all that's followed The Walk is, at least cinematically, perhaps the most important. The film is a triumph. While it's a bit slow out of the gate, that sluggishness becomes a sense of anticipation becomes a nearly unbearable wait and hope, and all of that is only matching Philippe Petit's own unquenchable thirst to live his dream. Once the action shifts to New York and the film spends much of its second half in the actual preparations for, and recreation of, the walk, it takes flight like few films before it and commands the audience's full attention not only as visual spectacle but emotional triumph. It's a beautifully crafted film, breathtaking in every way, and a treasure of the cinema world and certainly in the post-9/11 era. Sony's Blu-ray 3D release of The Walk delivers good and, when it counts, breathtaking 3D imagery. Sound is excellent and supplements are fine. The 3D release is certainly the way to go. The Walk in 3D earns my highest recommendation.
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