6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
WWE goes EXTREME in this high octane pay-per-view event. Each of the matches have special stipulations as WWE Superstars battle for high profile championships and pride. The 2010 edition featured Street Fights, Steel Cage Matches, Strap Matches and more extreme antics. Who knows what lengths the Superstars of Raw and SmackDown will go to top last year's event?
Starring: John Cena, John Hennigan, Jay Reso, Alberto Rodríguez, Mike MizaninSport | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: LPCM 2.0
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
One must pardon the WWE for branding "Extreme Rules" as such when it's not particularly "extreme" in the truest sense of the word, and in the truest sense of the word in the professional wrestling universe at that. Sure, it allows the wrestlers some added wiggle room to do some things normally reserved for select matches or engage in the kind of antics that would get them immediately disqualified in a garden-variety clash. Throw down a cage, toss around some chairs, climb a ladder, or brawl backstage. That's all well and good. But long gone are the days of truly hardcore wrestling, the sort of blood-and-guts of the Attitude Era and the raucous shenanigans of ECW. But even if it's not as "extreme" as fans would like, the event at least makes for a welcome reprieve from the standard issue WWE match. A little more punishment and a few more opportunities for insanity help give the universe an edge it desperately needs more than once per year, but in this PG climate, WWE fans will have to settle for what they can get. At least it's not Monday Night RAW, Thursday Night SmackDown, and Sunday evening Tea and Crumpets. At least not yet, anyway.
He hears voices in his head. They council him, they understand, they talk to him.
Extreme Rules 2011 features a fairly typical transfer for some of the earlier WWE Home Video Blu-ray releases. The 1080i, 1.78:1-framed image looks nice enough on the surface, revealing plenty of quality intimate details, such as wrestler sweat and skin, tattoos, and costumes with commendable definition. Likewise, the mat and rope textures, digital and handmade crowd signs, and basic crowd definition, particularly close to the ring and some rows back, are all strongly defined. Colors are rich and pleasing, again with the red ropes, signs, and wrestler attire being most prominent. Unfortunately, the image is shaky below the surface. Mild, moderate, and severe compression issues appear with regularity, particularly across some of the darker backdrops through the arena. Additionally, there's a steady haze that hovers and dismisses some of the finer points of clarity and color. Overall, however, this is a decent enough effort from WWE Home Video.
Extreme Rules 2011 crashes onto Blu-ray with a boisterous but not quite precise Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. It's at least energetic, spilling wrestler intro music into the stage with plenty of vitality and energy to spare, sometimes at the expense of raw clarity. Overlaid music is likewise strong but a little on the sharp side, favoring power over subtlety but not to bad effect. Crashes into the mat from the top rope or as the result of some slam hit hard -- harder than normal, seemingly almost amped-up -- while other details like the match bell and various other sounds from the action offer a little more balance. General in-ring dialogue is clear and precise, while play-by-play and color commentary are accurately presented. It's hardly a spectacular listen, but it's a fun, energetic ride that suits the "extreme" nature of the matches well. A Spanish language commentary track, presented in uncompressed 2.0, is also available.
Extreme Rules 2011 contains a few interviews and moments from the time around Extreme Rules (spoilers for one of the matches follows).
Home Video Exclusive:
Extreme Rules 2011 probably won't be remembered as an era-defining PPV outside of the real-life drama involving Edge, but it's a rock-solid program that's effortlessly re-watchable, both for the raw entertainment value of the wrestling and, for fans whose memories go back a few years, for remembering some of the old feuds that were at the center of the event. Packed with great superstars and several memorable moments, this is a PPV that wrestling fans definitely need to add to their ever-growing collection. WWE Home Video's Blu-ray release of Extreme Rules 2011 delivers serviceable video and entertainingly aggressive audio. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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