7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
China's deadliest special forces operative settles into a quiet life on the sea. When sadistic mercenaries begin targeting nearby civilians, he must leave his newfound peace behind and return to his duties as a soldier and protector.
Starring: Jing Wu, Frank Grillo, Celina Jade, Gang Wu (III), Nan YuForeign | 100% |
Action | 54% |
Martial arts | 38% |
War | 6% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Mandarin: DTS:X
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Industry rags like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are currently trumpeting the box office magic of Coco, and no doubt will be repeating their mantras about huge ticket sales once Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi opens in just a few more days, but one of 2017’s most astounding successes is a film that is perhaps not all that well known in the United States, Wolf Warrior II (as its title is transliterated in the film itself). I frankly wasn’t all that enthused about Wolf Warrior, a pretty generic action adventure yarn that featured Wu Jing (also known as Jacky Wu) as Leng Feng, a well meaning if kind of zealous sharpshooter whose exploits led him into being recruited by a secret black ops organization. Wolf Warrior was frenetic and extremely noisy, but it didn’t offer much in the way of surprises or even basics like character development, and while it did relatively well (close to $100 million globally), it certainly didn’t portend the kind of reaction its sequel would generate, especially since it’s at least arguable that Wolf Warrior II, like its progenitor, doesn’t really stretch genre boundaries much, if at all. But for whatever reason Wolf Warrior II evidently really resonated in the Asian market especially, leading to a box office take which may actually approach a billion (like, with a “b”) when all is said and done. There’s a kind of fish out of water aspect to this sequel which may remind some viewers of another old sequel, Shaft in Africa, since in this outing Leng Feng travels to the so-called “dark continent” after once again having run afoul of all those pesky rules and regulations prohibiting things like, you know, killing people who aren’t behaving very well. Wolf Warrior II has an interesting location and a number of incredibly intricate set pieces that feature some pretty astounding stunt work, but as to why this particular film became one of the all time reigning box office champs in China and beyond may be somewhat of a mystery to Western viewers.
Wolf Warrior II is presented on BLu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with a AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The IMDb lists Red cameras as having been utilized, reportedly capturing at 6K which was then finished at a 2K DI. Whether due to the source resolution or some other reason, this is a really beautifully sharp and well detailed looking transfer for the most part. Even the underwater material in the pre-credits vignette has rather surprising detail levels that overcome any inherent murkiness. The colorful locations used offer plenty of opportunities for wide vistas and impressive depth of field, and while the palette has been graded from time to time to the ever popular blue tones, quite often there's a refreshing lack of tweaking and everything pops quite naturally, with excellent saturation. Fine detail is typically excellent when the camera is stationary and close-ups are employed. My only niggling qualm is once again with regard to some fairly soft looking CGI, especially with regard to some of the water set sequences that supposedly feature large fleets of ships. This is just the latest in a long line of Asian releases which had 3D theatrical exhibitions but which are being presented on domestic (US) Blu-ray as 2D only. There are some obviously gimmicky effects throughout the film which were designed to be "in your face" moments, many of them utilizing CGI, and many of which tend to look even softer in this flat presentation.
Wolf Warrior II features a bombastically effective DTS:X track, one that offers superb directionality and a glut of precisely placed midair effects, especially when elements like helicopters are involved. The regular outbreak of either hand to hand combat or outright shooting also provides excellent opportunities for some well done sound effects which are liberally sprinkled through the surround channels. Dialogue and score are also rendered with precision and smart prioritization on this problem free track.
- Director Wu Jing (1080p; 4:15)
- Filming in Africa (1080i; 4:24)
- Action Scenes (1080p; 2:43)
- Wu Gang (1080p; 3:14)
Wolf Warrior II has a lot of energy from virtually the get go, which may lead some to wonder why Wu Jing spends so much time on so many needless sidebars. The film is kind of relentless in a way, but adrenaline junkies should enjoy its nonstop array of excellently staged set pieces. Technical merits are strong, and Wolf Warrior II comes Recommended.
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