6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
An Asian warrior assassin struggles to finds peace, contentment and perhaps love in a forgotten western town on the edge of the desert.
Starring: Kate Bosworth, Jang Dong-gun, Geoffrey Rush, Tony Cox, Matt GillandersAction | 100% |
Fantasy | 29% |
Western | 7% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A story about a Korean master swordsman who emigrates to the wild Wild West and is forced into using his blade again to dole out justice when his enemies come looking for him? Normally, I’d say “yes please,” but The Warrior’s Way is nowhere near as fun--or badass--as its premise implies. In recent years, a new live action/CGI hybrid has emerged, a visual aesthetic that drops human actors into environments that are almost entirely digitally created. Sin City did it well, 300 upped the ante even further, and Avatar took it to new extremes, pushing the technology ever closer to photorealism. I’m not going to get into the pros and cons, or what this means for big-budget Hollywood productions in general, but it definitely looks like this kind of filmmaking is here to stay. What’s obvious, though, is that visual effects will never “make” a film. You can’t polish a turd, so the saying goes, but The Warrior’s Way definitely tries, resulting in the most generic of these green-screened action movies thus far. The film’s problems have very little to do with its computer generated comic book style and everything to do with its inconsistent tone, boring story, and swing-and-a-miss attempts at humor.
Warrior, on his way...
The film's style may be derivative and video game-ish, but in terms of high definition clarity and visual intent, I have nothing bad to say about the movie's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. You'd expect a production like this to be shot digitally, but The Warrior's Way was actually filmed on 35mm, and the image here retains its natural film grain, which gives the otherwise glossy, CGI-heavy aesthetic a bit of warmth and texture. There's no sign at all of DNR or excessive edge enhancement. The picture isn't overly sharp--and there are times when it could probably be a hair sharper--but there's a strong sense of resolution in the details of the actors' faces, the raggedy period costuming, and the stagey set design. The CGI backdrops look good for what they are, but there's usually a noticeable disconnect between the actors and their environments. Color is strongly stylized and scene specific, sometimes taking on a dusty orange cast and elsewhere draped in blues and grays. Skin tones look natural within these shifts, and the image rests on a solid foundation of strong contrast and black levels that are deep enough without endangering shadow detail. I didn't spot any blatant compression artifacts or any other encode issues.
The sound design for The Warrior's Way is just as theatrical and artificial as the film's visuals, but you can't say this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track won't give your home theater system a modest workout. The complete soundstage is engaged for the battle scenes, which often involve cross-channel machine gun fire, clanging swords, and all kinds of whiz-bang-pow sound effects. The surrounds are even put to use for quieter scenes; Lynne's knife-throwing act features crisp, head-turning pans, water laps in the rears during the opening lakeside showdown, and in one sequence, a fly buzzes around Yang's laundromat, zipping in and out of every channel. The subwoofer kicks in capably for some of the bigger explosions, and in general the mix has a strong presence, with a solid bass anchor, clean highs, and clarity throughout the range. Javier Navarrete's score is heavy on the plucky Jew's harp during more hokey-pokey moments, but it kicks in with force when the action ramps up. Dialogue is clear and easily understood throughout, but the disc includes optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles if you need or want them.
The Warrior's Way is one of the most underwhelming action films I've seen so far this year. I can see how it might appeal to younger teenagers- -it's got the plot and graphics of a mediocre videogame--but the target 18-35 demographic will be bored and unimpressed. Although 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, that's hardly reason enough to recommend the film. Check out 13 Assassins instead if you're looking for a movie with a solid story and kickass swordplay.
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