7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A movie shot in a single take about Victoria, a runaway party girl, who's asked by three friendly men to join them as they hit the town. Their wild night of partying turns into a bank robbery.
Starring: Laia Costa, Frederick Lau, Franz Rogowski, Max Mauff, Burak YigitForeign | 100% |
Drama | 87% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
German: Dolby Digital 5.1
German: Dolby Digital 2.0
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
“Victoria” is a gimmick film from director Sebastian Schipper, who, a long time ago, appeared in the German art-house hit, “Run Lola Run.” Perhaps looking for a way to update the run-and-gun formula, Schipper attempts to razzle-dazzle the audience with a single take, following the action through an unbroken shot that lasts a whopping 138 minutes. As a technical achievement, “Victoria” is impressive, working with loose choreography and precise planning to turn a casual night of drinking for the players in this dangerous game into a turbulent series of personal challenges. While it’s a neat idea, Schipper doesn’t have anything more to offer than the basic cinematographic stunt, taking such a long time to position characters into the heat of the moment, he forgets to add the moment.
The MPEG-2 encoded image (2.40:1 aspect ratio) presentation is admittedly dealing with a tricky movie. Shot on commercial grade digital cameras in a single take during evening hours, "Victoria" is more of a functional viewing experience than a dazzling one. Detail is acceptable but never remarkable, hitting inherent softness in the original cinematography, and textures are only interesting during intense close-ups, rarely displaying full power. Contrast struggles at times, creating problems for delineation, which runs into a few passages of solidification, making some evening events difficult to identify, including pained reaction shots. Color isn't a priority for the production, but subdued hues fare well, surveying street decoration and club lighting, while skintones are acceptable. A noisy patches are detected, along with some banding.
The default audio selection on the "Victoria" Blu-ray is a 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, and it takes a long time before it reveals its limitation. There's no separation to be found, with the track presented as one channel pushed through all speakers, delivering a strange mono listening experience that doesn't service the movie's needs. It's murky, overwhelmed, and difficult to listen to, with music often competing with dialogue exchanges, while the directional design of the production is reduced to a single stream of activity. However, there is a 2.0 Dolby Digital mix that's unadvertised (it's not accessible on the bare bones main menu), and it provides a much more defined aural event, servicing the feature with appropriate clarity. While the mix still doesn't impress or experience the feature's lossless expanse as hoped for, it supplies direct access to dramatic displays, making conversations intelligible, while club scenes offer a more atmospheric snap, delivering some EDM throb to back up celebratory moments. Street interactions aren't as crowded, sounding as natural as the original elements allow. If it all seems a bit confusing at first, just hit the audio button on your remote. "Victoria" immediately opens up, allowing listeners to enjoy the movie.
There is no supplementary material on this disc.
Tensions finally arrive in the second half, once the chase begins and characters are put on the defense. The one-shot gimmick is obviously remarkable, with digital cinematography winding around the actors, dashing in and out of buildings and cars. The planning to pull off such a feat alone is nearly worth a viewing, yet "Victoria" doesn't make much of an effort to move beyond its stunt intentions, with bloated screen time once again threatening the efficiency of a simple plot. Once Victoria's feral nature is revealed, the endeavor should spring to life. However, all the weight packed on in the first hour keeps "Victoria" sluggish and anticlimactic. There's a profound character analysis buried in the picture, but emotional density is sacrificed to highlight showmanship.
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