7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Pampered action superstar Tugg Speedman is cast in the biggest, most expensive war movie ever produced. He sets out to Southeast Asia with a "Who's Who" of celebrity co-stars. They include Kirk Lazarus, an intense, three-time Oscar-winner; Jeff Portnoy, star of the popular gross-out comedy franchise "The Fatties"; multi-platinum hip-hop-star-turned-entrepreneur-turned-actor Alpa Chino; and first-timer Kevin Sandusky. Soon after the production begins the actors are thrown into a real-life situation and are forced to become the fighting unit they're portraying, in order to find a way out of the jungle in one piece.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Nick Nolte, Steve CooganAction | 100% |
Dark humor | 52% |
War | 29% |
Comedy | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ben Stiller's "Tropic Thunder" (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include two archival audio commentaries; various archival featurettes with cast and crew interviews; promotional materials; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tropic Thunder arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
Please note that the comments below were used in our review of the 4K Blu-ray release. They are reposted here because they address the differences and similarities between the 1080p and 4K presentations of the two versions of the film.
I viewed the Theatrical Cut with Dolby Vision enabled. Shortly after, I did some direct comparisons with the 1080p presentation of the Director's Cut of the film. I thought that both cuts looked very good, with the main discrepancy in visual quality emerging from the Dolby Vision/HDR grade. However, my take on this grade is that it gives the Theatrical Cut a very balanced appearance that is quite similar to what you would get if you view the Director's Cut in 1080p. In some darker areas, for instance, the difference between the 4K and 1080p presentations is almost impossible to detect without looking at simultaneous presentations. During daylight footage, there are expanded ranges of nuances, but they are small and the original cinematography already handles these types of nuances really, really well. What about discrepancies in terms of delineation, clarity, and depth? On my system, both versions of the film look very good. The footage that I tested in 1080p did not reveal serious gaps in quality even in areas where I expected to see shadow definition and other subtle nuances looking more convincing in 4K. Image stability is outstanding. Fluidity is striking in 4K and 1080p. The entire film looks spotless. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Mater Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. I do not believe that one of these new Dolby Atmos tracks that pop up on recent 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases would have handled the original soundtrack of Tropic Thunder better. This film has a lot of action footage with some very serious dynamic intensity and the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track definitely tested the muscles of my audio system. I thought that dynamic contrasts were simply superb. (Test the footage around the 1:35.00 mark). The dialog was very clear, clean, and always stable.
Note: All of the archival supplemental features that are listed below were previously made available on this Blu-ray release of Tropic Thunder.
BLU-RAY DISC ONE - THEATRICAL CUT OF TROPIC THUNDER
The wit and great humor that a lot of people have discovered in Tropic Thunder remain elusive to me. To be honest, I consider this film to be a pretty serious endurance test, but this is how I feel about most of Ben Stiller's comedies. If you are a fan of Tropic Thunder and want it in your collection, please keep in mind that in addition to this two-disc Blu-ray set, the boutique label has available for purchase this two-disc 4K Blu-ray set. Both have newly remastered presentations of the longer Theatrical Cut and shorter Director's Cut of the film, approved by Stiller, and they look great. RECOMMENDED only to the fans.
Director's Cut
2008
Director's Cut
2008
Director's Cut
2008
2008
1990
10th Anniversary Edition
2009
2013
2013
2016
1988
1985
2010
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2014
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Big Hairy American Winning Edition
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2016
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4K Restoration
1984
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2012