H D - S E N S E IA view on Hi-def discs by Gary W. Tooze |
Introduction: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 7500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
it, but film will always be my first love and I list my
favorites on the old YMdb site now accessible
HERE.
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The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2-disc) [Blu-ray]
(Rob Cohen, 2008)
Review by Gary Tooze
Studio: Universal
Discs: Region: FREE Feature Runtime: 1:51:47.742 Chapters: 34 Disc Size: 45,570,216,303 bytes Feature Size: 29,724,383,232 bytes Average Bitrate: 35.45 Mbps One dual-layered Blu-ray Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: December 16th, 2008
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.4:1 Resolution: 1080p Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Audio:
Supplements:
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Audio Commentary with director Rob Cohen
Bitrate Graph:
Product Description: A despotic Emperor (Jet Li) in 50 B.C. is punished for his evil when a witch lays a curse on him, turning him and his army into terra cotta for all time. Forward to 1946, where Rick (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn (Maria Bello) have retired to Oxfordshipre, England, having worked as British spies during WWII. They're offered one last mission from the Foreign Office. Their assignment: courier a precious artifact back to the museum in Shanghai, China. Back in Asia: China is in turmoil but Jonathan (John Hannah) owns an Egyptian-themed bar in Shanghai. Unbeknownst to his parents, now grown-up Alex O'Connell (Luke Ford) is following in the family business as a young archaeologist on a dig in north-central China. He makes the discovery of a lifetime: the tomb of the Dragon Emperor, which has been buried for millennia. The Emperor's monument is transported back to Shanghai where another plot is in motion: a military zealot intends to awaken the Emperor and aid him in the re- conquest of China and the raising of his terra cotta army of ten thousand clay warriors...
The Film: Moviegoers who knowingly buy a ticket for "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" are going to get exactly what they expect: There is a mummy, a tomb, a dragon and an emperor. And the movie about them is all that it could be. If you think "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" sounds like a waste of time, don't waste yours.
Excerpt from Roger Ebert's review at the Chicago Sun-Times located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc. Expectantly impressive 1080P image from Universal - as good - maybe a notch superior to the rest of the series on Blu-ray. I thought detail, colors and contrast were as strong as most other highly-lauded Blu-ray discs I've seen. The image isn't flawless with smatterings of background noise but generally the visuals present a smooth, tight, slightly dark, appearance. Black levels are extremely strong. It's damage-free and exhibits some depth at times. The dual-layered disc (feature taking almost 30 Gig) is at the high end of Blu-ray transfer status. It's consistent quality from the MPEG4 encode is some of the best I've ever seen of late. The effects still can be blurry - a consequence of the CGI used - but Blu-ray adopters won't have much to complain about here. This image approaches the desirous 'jaw-dropping' status that is frequently sought.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
Extras:
Bottom line:
Gary Tooze December 4th, 2008
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