6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
1000 AD, for years, One Eye, a mute warrior of supernatural strength, has been held prisoner by the Norse chieftain Barde. Aided by Are, a boy slave, One Eye slays his captor and together he and Are escape, beginning a journey into the heart of darkness. On their flight, One Eye and Are board a Viking vessel, but the ship is soon engulfed by an endless fog that clears only as the crew sights an unknown land. As the new world reveals its secrets and the Vikings confront their terrible and bloody fate, One Eye discovers his true self.
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevenson, Gordon Brown, Andrew Flanagan, Gary Lewis (III)Foreign | 100% |
Drama | 97% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | 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
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Nicolas Winding Refn's "Valhalla Rising" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Canadian distributors Entertainment One Films. The supplemental features on the disc include standard making of featurette and trailers for various E1 Entertainment productions. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Bloodland
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nicolas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Canadian distributors Entertainment One Films.
I don't see a sizable gap in quality between this high-definition transfer and the one Momentum Pictures used for their Blu-ray release of Valhalla Rising in the United Kingdom. If anything, the E1 Entertainment high-definition transfer looks just a tiny bit lighter, but the difference really is extremely small. There are still some minor inconsistencies - mostly soft halo-like effects, which, to be honest, are quite difficult to spot due to the manner in which Valhalla Rising was shot (Refn used the Red One camera) - but the basics are very much intact. For example, during the daylight scenes fine object detail and clarity are outstanding. The various color manipulations are also very effective. Once again, there are no serious stability issues. Blown through a digital projector, Valhalla Rising conveys terrific depth and tightness. Lastly, I did not detect any purely transfer-related anomalies to report in this review. (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 are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Entertainment One Films have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is outstanding. There are some outstanding ambient effects (wind blowing, arrows hitting targets, etc) that create a truly unique atmosphere, one that I believe is amongst the key reasons why Valhalla Rising works so well. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. Finally, while viewing Valhalla Rising I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or audio dropouts to report in this review.
This very attractively priced Canadian Blu-ray release of Nicolas Winding Refn's Valhalla Rising is a great alternative for everyone in Region-A lands who could not take advantage of the Momentum Pictures Blu-ray release. It is a shame that this most unique film isn't getting a local U.S. Blu-ray release, but it is what it is. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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