7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Through a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Kim Ok-bin, Eriq Ebouaney, Kim Hae-sookForeign | 100% |
Drama | 50% |
Erotic | 12% |
Horror | 12% |
Dark humor | 9% |
Supernatural | 2% |
Romance | 2% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Korean: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Korean, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Park Chan-wook's "Bakjwi" a.k.a "Thirst" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include two audio commentaries; behind the scenes featurette; making of featurette; interviews; gag reel; and theatrical trailers. In Korean, with optional English and Korean subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
A new taste
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Park Chan-wook's Thirst arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment.
This is a very strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is terrific, clarity pleasing and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color scheme is also impressive, but I must point that it is not identical to that of the UK Blu-ray release of Thirst; the heavy blue tint from the UK release is missing, reds and browns are lighter, greens look much more natural, and blacks are not as well saturated; generally speaking, Thirst has a much more natural look. Edge-enhancement is never a serious issue of concern; neither is macroblocking. I also did not see any traces of heavy noise reduction. There are no serious stability issues either. Finally, I did not see any marks, cuts, stains, or debris to report in this review. For the record, this Blu-ray disc contains the directors cut of Thirst, which is slightly longer than the theatrical version, and runs at approximately 148 minutes. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, CJ Entertainment have provided optional English and Korean subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The Korean DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is rock solid. The bass is potent and punchy, the rear channels very effective, and high the high-frequencies not overdone. As I noted in my review of the UK release of Thirst, there are some great ambient effects in the film that benefit tremendously from the loseless treatment (Sang-hyeon and Tae-ju's foreplay on the rooftops is a great example). The dialog is crisp, clean, stable and exceptionally easy to follow. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review.
Note: I would like to apologize to our readers for not being able to comment on the supplemental features included on this Blu-ray disc. Unfortunately, they are all listed in Korean and not subtitled in English. Even the names of the participants in the audio commentaries are listed in Korean only. However, all of them are playable on North American PS3s and SAs. The supplemental features are: two audio commentaries, a behind the scenes featurette, making of featurette, interviews, gag reel, and theatrical trailers.
Park Chan-wook's deliciously perverse Thirst has received a top-notch Blu-ray treatment courtesy of Korean distributors CJ Entertainment - which is why fans of the film will probably have a very difficult time deciding which Blu-ray release to get, the UK or the Korean, as both look absolutely fantastic. I lean towards the UK release as I liked its wild and rich colors, but the Korean release has the Director's Cut of the film, it is Region-Free, and its packaging is once again very classy. I think I will keep both in my library. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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