6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
U.S. couple, Roy and Jessie, decide to take the long way home from their recent sojourn in Asia on the legendary Trans-siberian Express train from Beijing to Moscow. On their way, they meet another couple from the West, Carlos and Abby, with whom they quickly form a familiar bond that often unites fellow travellers away from home. When Roy accidentally gets separated from the group at a stopover, Jessie begins to realize that their compatriots aren't exactly who or what they seem to be. The real danger begins to surface as a deceitful Russian detective and locals terrorize Jessie in this unforgettable journey.
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega (II)Drama | 100% |
Crime | 67% |
Thriller | 42% |
Psychological thriller | 35% |
Mystery | 16% |
Adventure | 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
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Subtly political and impressively misleading, “Transsiberian” (2008) proves that Brad Anderson is a director with a bright future. Parallels with Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Lady Vanishes” (1938) are probably inevitable during key scenes, but the film certainly has a look and style of its own. Courtesy of UK-based Icon Home Entertainment.
The Transsiberian
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, and granted a 1080p transfer Brad Anderson's Transsiberian arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based distributors Icon Home Entertainment.
There are some key differences between the US release of Transsiberian, courtesy of First Look Studios, and the UK release by Icon Home Entertainment. First of all, unlike the US release which boasts a VC-1 encode, the UK release relies on a MPEG-4 AVC encode. Second, even though the two releases appear practically identical, the UK disc actually has a slightly better saturated color-scheme (the blue hues throughout the film are a great example). This being said, the clarity and contrast of the UK release are very strong. For example, the trip to the abandoned church in the middle of the tundra looks absolutely terrific. Furthermore, those of you with digital projectors will also notice how impressively tight the transfer for Transsiberian is. Finally, I could not see this film in my local theater, but I must assume that this exceptionally strong presentation comes very close to what the theatrical print looks like; this UK-produced Blu-ray disc is indeed that strong. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing debris, scratches, or stains to report here. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc which you will not be able to play on your Region-A PS3 or SA).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (for the record, the US release of Transsiberian comes only with English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks). Well, to make a long story short, the UK disc certainly has the edge in the audio department. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very well mixed and I think that it is utterly disappointing that it is not on the US disc. Specifically in terms of bass and rear channel activity, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track adds substantially more to the overall viewing experience than the Dolby Digital 5.1 track does (the train collision is probably the best example that I could point out). On the other hand, the dialog is crystal clear and very easy to follow. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or drop-outs to report here. For the record, Icon Home Entertainment have provided optional English HOH subtitles for the main feature.
In addition to ten deleted scenes (I hope I counted them right), on this Blu-ray disc you will also find a standard "Making-Of" featurette where director Brad Anderson explains how Transsiberian came to exist. Apparently, the film was inspired by the director's trip to Russia after he graduated from college as well as his desire to learn more about Russians and their culture. Indeed, this is a very interesting piece that sheds plenty of light to Transsiberian as well as its characters and fascinating locations. (Note: All of the extras on this Blu-ray disc are in standard-def PAL).
Transsiberian is a film that certainly tells a very interesting story. It is beautifully-lensed, very well paced, and terrifically acted. If you are in the mood for an intelligent thriller, I strongly recommend taking a look at it. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Icon Home Entertainment, is of very good quality. As I noted earlier, the UK release of Transsiberian not only arrives with a different video encode, but it also boasts an exclusive English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. If you could play Region-B releases, you should certainly avoid the US release and opt for the UK Blu-ray. Highly Recommended.
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