Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

White Squall Blu-ray Movie Review

A 5.1 lossless soundtrack supports a high quality movie.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 21, 2012

The journey's the thing.

There's a little bit of something for everyone in Director Ridley Scott's (Alien) 1996 Drama/Coming-of-Age/Adventure picture White Squall. The picture incorporates human drama, high-seas action, triumph of the soul, and tragedy of the worst kind. But for all the elements the film puts to work above deck and below, there are few movies that can match the focus, raw personal intensity, and human interest of White Squall, the picture offering a cutaway glimpse into life not just on the high seas but deep down in the soul where experience, camaraderie, and an education of how the world works -- but not necessarily why it works as it does -- reshapes and redefines the lives of several young men who call the sea their temporary home. It's the story of individuals, of different backgrounds, means, fears, and abilities, all becoming a single, cohesive unit both as their situation demands and as they come to crave. It's a tale of personal and collective struggle, of individuals becoming a unit, of life's challenges faced not on the singular level but rather as the group-become-one. It's a high quality picture that's both well made and thematically gripping. They still make 'em like this, but not often, and not always with the precision and balance found in what is one of Ridley Scott's better pictures.

Will she last?

Several young men from all walks of life are leaving behind their families and their troubles for an academic year on the high seas. They will say goodbye to land for a life of sailing into "wind and rain and some big damn waves," rocks, sand bars, and enough fog to hide it all. But what they will really find -- unexpectedly find -- is themselves. Ship's Captain Christopher Sheldon (Jeff Bridges) and his wife Alice (Caroline Goodall) lead the way towards education, self-discovery, and whatever destination the water has for them. The boys will find not only an education of the classroom variety, but learn how to work a ship and, more importantly, how to live, to become a man, what it means to be responsible, to stand tall, to face fears, to take on life as a unit both on the high seas and ashore. As they come together as shipmates and friends, their pasts and fears and influences remain, but as a whole the power to overcome is only heightened. But as the boys sail towards maturity, they're also sailing towards fate, a fate none -- not even the captain -- could ever expect, a fate that will test their newfound skills, their bond, and their very will to live.

White Squall is a thematically rich and rewarding experience. It takes its subject matter seriously and gives it shape from what begins as a mostly shapeless form. It follows basic structure -- separate characters, characters coming together, and the test of the their newfound togetherness -- but is anything but basic in terms of appeal and relevance. This is a movie about facing fears and finding oneself all the while embracing an unforgettable adventure and coming to terms with the realities of life, of discovering friendship and purpose and duty and respect and trust. On the open waters and in the tight confines of the Albatross, the young crew is forced, at first, to come together, but they choose to remain so even when tragedy strikes, competency is questioned, and some of their own are lost. It's the story of experiencing life firsthand, of the fragility of life and the permanence of death, of the dangers the world has to offer and the freedom to navigate life as one chooses, but also a story of the responsibility to sail through life with proper care and respect for others and oneself. The movie combines an entertaining exterior with a deep, meaningful interior. It's entertainment, art, and purposeful cinema all rolled into one. It respects its audience and respects its story and characters, the experience one of the more unforgettable in recent cinema memory, unforgettable for its triumphs both dramatic and structural.

Indeed, White Squall is as well made as it is dramatically intense and thematically relevant. The picture's limited visual scope means a greater reliance on not only drama and quality of script, but directorial precision and acting abilities. The film succeeds on all fronts. Director Ridley Scott crafts the film with an evident know-how and command of the medium. He frames the movie's drama and action precisely, getting the most from every moment and ensuring that no moment is wasted in furthering the drama; shaping the characters; or in the film's climax, creating and pulling the audience into one of the most harrowing and visually-complete storm sequences in film history. The storm comes expectedly -- the movie is named for it, after all -- but it also comes somewhat suddenly even though as if on cue, just when the characters have bonded, come to know the ship, the ways of the sea, and learned the importance of togetherness and hard work on the open waters. To be sure, the film creates something of an eerie, haunting vibe that's evident through the movie, but the disaster still strikes with tremendous physical power and emotional impact. The moment is remarkably well crafted, and made all the more dramatically intense and tragic thanks to the quality array of characters and equally impressive performances. White Squall is populated by a strong cast of characters, none of whom are merely throwaway bodies meant to fill background space or perish so the main characters may live. No, the audience will come to know, love, and care for all, and that's the key to finding the deepest meaning and forming the closest audience connection with the story. The acting is certainly up to the challenge; there are moments of stiffness and uncertainty from some of the younger actors, but in total the performances meet expectations and elevate the film further than even the surrounding elements can take it themselves.

White Squall Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

White Squall's 1080p Blu-ray transfer looks nice, but it's not without faults, and one major fault in particular. To be sure, Mill Creek's image offers up some good, steady details. Seafaring attire -- caps, polo shirts, shorts -- are presented with nice attention to detail, allowing viewers to see seams and stitches and fabric textures with regularity. Additionally, some of the ropes and shiny yet worn wooden textures around the boat offer up a steady diet of nicely replicated details that give the vessel a life and texture all its own. But there's evidence of a smoothing process. The image appears glossy and unnaturally smooth, appearing as if anything other than film. Grain is usually missing in action, visible only in select shots. The noise reduction and smoothing effect doesn't ruin the transfer -- it's still pleasantly watchable -- but it certainly takes the life out of it. Fortunately, the color palette is steady, capturing any number of shades, from bright clothes to natural island landscapes, with ease and efficiency. Banding and print wear are marginal concerns at best, but blacks never quite find a natural appearance. Still, the image as-a-whole isn't terrible. However, the absence of a more film-like texture is disappointing, particularly considering Mill Creek's inclusion of a 5.1-channel lossless soundtrack.

White Squall Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Indeed, White Squall arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack, not the two-channel (lossless or otherwise) presentation the studio usually releases. While this one isn't a showstopper, the presentation is quite involved and satisfying. Music plays with a cool, smooth, steady cadence. It offers nice spacing and a quality low end feel that gives it a sense of completion and a good, positive cinematic flair, whether score or a more involved party scene as heard in chapter three. Atmospherics are consistently impressive. Mill Creek's soundtrack practically places listeners on the boat, recreating various rattles and creaks and moans and the sound of gently rolling waters with pinpoint accuracy and placement. Heavier waves and blowing winds can sound muffled and drag down what is otherwise smooth and center-focused dialogue. The track is largely defined by the chaos that ensnares the ship near the end of the film. Waves crash, people scream, water drenches, and objects break all around the listening area, creating a frenzied and frightening symphony of liquid terror. The track satisfies in all areas and this sort of track is necessary in truly enjoying White Squall to its fullest. Kudos to Mill Creek for stepping up and delivering the right track for the right movie.

White Squall Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All that's included is the White Squall theatrical trailer (480p, 2:39).

White Squall Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

White Squall works on pretty much every level, as a coming-of-age tale, as a human drama, as a harrowing adventure experience. The film is remarkably well put together, directed with a keen eye and a knowhow for getting the most from every element, and that all of those elements -- script, drama, heart, acting -- are already well above-average, the result must be a superior motion picture experience. That's exactly White Squall, a high quality, high yield picture that delivers on all fronts. Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of White Squall features the soundtrack the film deserves, but the picture quality appears smoothed over. As for supplements, only a trailer is included. For a few dollars and despite the shaky video quality and absence of extras, this release comes recommended on the strength of the film.