If Hollywood needs something blown up, Roland Emmerich is the man to do it; he has made a very successful career in destroying the world over and over again for the amusement of film fans. For his latest film
2012 - which is out on Blu-ray today Emmerich uses a Mayan prediction that the world will end in 2012 to destroy the world once again.
The Mayan civilization produced highly detailed calendars that come to an abrupt halt on December 21st, 2012 often cited as a prediction of the end of the world. As the date draws closer, scientists begin to notice signs of radical changes just below the Earth's crust, and governments around the world begin secret contingency plans to mitigate the pending disaster. The changes soon become cataclysmic, and the world's population collectively fights for the survival of the human race.
Similar to previous Emmerich films,
2012 features a battle for the survival of humanity, except instead of a giant lizard (
Godzilla) or climate change (
The Day After Tomorrow), it's a catastrophic planetary alignment that will doom our fragile planet. While he continually shows his prowess in depicting the ultimate destruction, the story is overly simplistic and without direction. The "event" plays the role of the enemy for the first three quarters of the film, but that role shifts at the end, creating a rift in the story that is insurmountable.
The inclusion of a separate disc for the majority of the special features should be enough of an indication to you that Sony held nothing back for this release. The video is crisp and clean, with massive explosions that will burn your retnas if you happen to be too close to your HDTV. Audio is bombastic to say the least, and accompanies the visuals perfectly. For fans of the film, it is an experience not to be missed.
Disney today releases
Ponyo on Blu-ray, the first Studio Ghibli film to be released on the high definition format in the US. While a relative unknown in the United States, Studio Ghibli is one of the premier animation houses in Japan, having received multiple awards and nomination throughout the studios history.
While accompanying her father on his daily tasks, Ponyo a fish-girl who lives under the seas - sneaks away from her father's supervision and begins sunbathing on a friendly jellyfish. As a ship passes by, garbage from the bottom of the sea is thrown everywhere, and Ponyo gets lodged in a glass jar. When she washes ashore, a young boy, Sosuke, rescues her and pledges to protect. Ponyo's father uses his magic to return her home, but she now wishes to be human and against her father's wishes uses his magic to transform into a girl and return to Sosuke. Having disrupted the balance of life, Ponyo must now choose to be human and lose her magic, or return to the sea with her parents.
As indicated on the cover of the Blu-ray, the story is based on Hans Christian Anderson's
The Little Mermaid, but you will be hard pressed to find many visual similarities between this film and Disney's
The Little Mermaid. Having (sadly) been the first Studio Ghibli film I've ever seen, I was absolutely amazed at how for lack of a better word pure the film came across. There is no singing or dancing; just a wholesome story that relies on human emotion and the essence of childhood to remain both entertaining and engaging at the same time. Needless to say, if you enjoy animation or have children who do, this is a must buy.
The Blu-ray is delivered by Disney (through their partnership with Studio Ghibli) and is a wonderful high definition presentation. The hand-drawn animation comes across very clean and bright, giving viewers a new appreciation to a dying field. The soundtrack also accompanies the video respectfully, and the choices for voice-over work deserve a nod of respect. My only complaint is that while a Japanese track is present, it is not presented losslessly, meaning those looking for a more genuine viewing experience are suggested to wait for a Japanese Blu-ray instead. This won't prevent most Americans from picking up a copy which, again, I strongly recommend but for you purist, please take note.
Two childhood favorites make their first appearance on Blu-ray today: the classic fantasy film
The NeverEnding Story and Spike Jonze's adaptation of the popular children's tale
Where the Wild Things Are. Staff reviewer Kenneth Brown had the chance to sit down with both titles, and evaluate how the films translated to Blu-ray.
In his
Blu-ray review of The NeverEnding Story, he commented, "Its story and characters have endured the decades, drawing me in as easily as they did when I was a young boy." He continued, "I do wish the studio had finally taken the opportunity to give
The NeverEnding Story the generous supplemental package it deserves, but the Blu-ray edition's exceedingly faithful video transfer and decent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track certainly soften the blow."
For the
Blu-ray review of Where the Wild Things Are, Ken concluded, "Simplicity and complexity abound in every scene, making Jonze's dark children's film accessible to all ages
" With regards to the Blu-ray quality, he concluded, "It features a faithful video transfer, a strong DTS-HD Master Audio track, and an unexpectedly engrossing selection of unassuming special features."
For martial arts fans out there, today marks the Blu-ray release of what is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Kung Fu films,
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. With so few Shaw Brothers films available, it's great to see one of their best make it to Blu-ray. Take advantage of this opportunity while you still can. The last studio to release a Shaw Brothers title (
Opium & The Kung Fu Master) disappeared soon after, and we've already had one title -
The Deadly Duo - delayed this year.
For a complete listing of all the Blu-ray titles released today,
click here.