6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A true story about a group of American teenage boys who crew a school sailing ship to gain experience, discipline, or whatever their parents feel they lack.
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall, John Savage, Scott Wolf, Jeremy SistoDrama | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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?
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.
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.
All that's included is the White Squall theatrical trailer (480p, 2:39).
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.
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