8.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.7 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.6 |
A serial killer terrifies the San Francisco Bay Area. Police and reporters are obsessed learning the killer's identity and bringing him to justice.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian CoxDrama | 100% |
Crime | 66% |
Period | 50% |
Psychological thriller | 50% |
Mystery | 49% |
Thriller | 41% |
History | 24% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
What follows is based on actual case files.
Director David Fincher's (Se7en) Zodiac represents one of the more unheralded
of
the modern classics of cinema. The story tightly woven, the directing effortless, the acting
flawless,
and the pace neither too fast nor too slow, Zodiac features all of the qualities that make
a film stand above its contemporaries. What really sets the film apart is that, despite its lengthy
runtime, drama- and dialogue-oriented script, and minimal action, Zodiac plays out as an
audience-friendly picture. While the story is deep, complex, and requires audiences to pay attention, it's presented with room to breathe through the 162 minute runtime, thanks in large part to Fincher's outstanding direction that never allows audiences to fall out of the story. Oddly, the film was
overlooked completely come Oscar season, though it was nominated for
several of the "lesser" awards, for everything from the Palme d'Or to the Golden Trailer's Best
Teaser Poster Award. Recognized by the Academy or not, Zodiac is prime storytelling,
helmed by one of the best directors of his generation, and expertly acted thanks to some of the
best in the industry today.
The origins of an obsession.
Paramount delivers Zodiac to Blu-ray with a gorgeous 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The transfer is simply incredible. It is often difficult not to become dumbfounded by the clarity, depth, and precision of the image. Zodiac was shot digitally utilizing the Thomson VIPER FilmStream Camera, so there is no film grain to be seen, and video noise is minimal. Detail is impeccable, natural, and honest. Check out an exterior scene in chapter four as Zodiac robs, ties, and stabs a couple on a lakeside. Every last inch of the frame is breathtaking in every facet: detail, from individual blades of grass to tree bark, remain impressively clear in both foreground and background locales; colors jump off the screen with remarkable vibrancy; and the depth of field is highly impressive. A garden sequence in chapter 21 is another excellent example of the transfer's strengths. The many interior shots of the newspaper offices, where there is much detail to be seen but not as impressively and naturally lit as the various outdoor scenes, and appearing a bit more sterile, manage to sparkle. Dimly lit interior shots are excellent, featuring a warm color scheme and retaining a high quality look with a depth and breadth that surpass most high definition content currently on the market. Blacks are perfectly dark and inky. Darker scenes, a nighttime shot featuring a car on city streets as seen from overhead, for example, reveals fine attention to detail on the pavement, which could barely look better if the viewer were looking out a window. Zodiac looks as good as the movie plays, and is a reference-quality Blu-ray disc.
Zodiac on Blu-ray features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This audio presentation is rather basic, front heavy, and not too loud. The disc does an adequate job of sonically recreating the hustle and bustle of the Chronicle's office, but scenes in the building never truly place the viewers inside. Dialogue is occasionally slightly hard to hear over sound effects, but for the most part it is clear and discernible. The rear channels are used sparingly, sometimes seemingly not at all. Atmospherics and environmental support, both in the interior shots alluded to above and in various exterior settings, are mostly handled by the front, and the rear channels rarely carry a discrete effect. In this case, a rather bland sound design is fine; the movie is carried by the strength of the story, the set design, the acting, and the direction, and all the soundtrack needs to do is support those factors, which it does admirably and efficiently. It won't knock the socks off (or even nudge them), but here, that's fine.
Zodiac debuts on Blu-ray as a massive two-disc special edition, with a pair of
commentaries included on disc one, and the additional extras available on disc two. The first commentary track
features director David Fincher. The director dives right in, describing in detail the film's
establishing
shot and moving on to share a cornucopia of information, including the locations, the time period
detail seen in various shots, personal memories of the time and subject material, the strengths of
the actors, and plenty more. The track is honest, easy, intelligent, and informative. The second
track features actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey, Jr., producer Brad Fischer, writer James
Vanderbilt, and James Ellroy, "King of American Crime Fiction." This track is somewhat more
lively
than Fincher's, but not necessarily more informative. It's more the mix of commentators that
add
strength to this track. Each participant shares plenty of pertinent information, including the
history
of the production and the case, the integrity of the film, the research that went into the film, and
more. Both of these tracks make for essential listens.
Disc two begins with The Film. This feature is further divided into four segments.
Zodiac Deciphered (1080o, 54:15) takes a detailed look at the history of the production,
beginning with a discussion of the case and the subsequent book, and digging into the production
of the film, its accuracy to real-life events, and liberties taken with some of the unknown facts.
The piece also examines the realism that exudes from the film, including the most mundane of
props, files, and documents, and how they changed as the film evolved over the time period it covers. Also included is
a discussion of the actors' performances and the characters they portray, shooting in particular
locations, and peeking into Graysmith's obsession with the case. The Visual Effects of
'Zodiac' (1080i, 15:18) is just as it sounds, a look at the special effects that lend to the film
the desired look and feel and the challenges of getting them all just right.
Previsualization (480p) features three scenes with the computer-generated
previsualization sequences playing in a window above the finished product. Scenes available
include Blue Rock Springs, Lake Berryessa, and San Francisco.
Concluding this set of special features is the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:33). Moving along
is another grouping of supplements, The Facts. The first of two in this set
is This is the Zodiac Speaking (1080i, 1:42:18). This piece plays out as something of a
history lesson on the area, the case, and the time period. Some of the actual people involved in
the case are interviewed, recounting the crimes, intercut with photos, archival footage, maps,
recreations of the scenes, and more. Prime Suspect (1080i, 42:35) more closely
examines suspect Arthur Leigh Allen.
Zodiac is something of a rarity of modern cinema, a well-paced, completely engrossing, nearly epic-in-length-and-feel picture that never becomes too bogged down in superfluous storytelling that takes away focus from the primary plot. The tale is chilling, all the more because it is based on factual events, following the obsessive hunt for one of the country's most notorious killers. Director David Fincher's film is nothing short of brilliant cinema, combining his eye for engrossing storytelling with first-rate acting. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Zodiac is almost as equally compelling. Although the audio is a bit pedestrian, understandable of a dialogue-driven drama, the film's video presentation speaks for itself, an achievement in its own right and breathtakingly rendered on Blu-ray high definition. Rounding out this already irresistible package is an offering of first-class supplements spread over two discs. Zodiac is one of the best films of the decade and worthy of a spot in every collection. Highly recommended.
2-Disc Director's Cut
2007
Director's Cut
2007
Director's Cut
2007
2-Disc Director's Cut
2007
2007
2014
2024
2002
2008
2011
Se7en
1995
2007
1997
2006
Academy Awards O-Sleeve
2008
2009
2018
1970
2009
2003
1971
Män som hatar kvinnor
2009
10th Anniversary Special Edition
2000
2004
Two-Disc Special Edition | featuring All the President's Men Revisited
1976