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What Dreams May Come [Blu-ray]
(Vincent Ward, 1998)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Universal Video: Universal Home Video
Disc: Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:53:43.817 Disc Size: 34,368,662,075 bytes Feature Size: 31,167,092,736 bytes Video Bitrate: 29.56 Mbps Chapters: 19 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: May 3rd, 2011
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: VC-1 Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 3134 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3134 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) DTS Audio French 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit DTS Audio Portuguese 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Portuguese, none
Extras: • Commentary with director Vincent Ward • Alternate Ending (6:35 in 480i) • Featurette: What Dreams May Come (15:17 in 480i)• The Visual Effects (Joel Hynek - 2:55 in 480i) + (Josh Rosen - 1:51 in 480i) • Two Trailers (2:26 + 2:25 in 480i) My Scenes + BDLive
Bitrate:
Description: Academy Award-winners Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr. embark on a supernatural journey beyond the realm of mortality in this visually stunning and unforgettable epic. After Chris Nielsen (Williams) dies in an accident he tries to remain close to his beautiful mortal wife Annie (Annabella Sciorra). With the friendly spirit (Gooding Jr.) assigned to guide him he begins to adapt to his new state of being in a setting that can only be described as heavenly. But when his distraught wife takes her own life she is banished to an eternal damnation. Chris vows to find her so they can share eternity together but no one has ever succeeded in rescuing a soul from such a horrific fate. With the help of his heavenly friends Chris sets out on the most perilous and harrowing journey of his life or afterlife: a quest for everlasting love that will take him to hell and back! *** Despite everything we have experienced and all we have seen, nothing can prepare us for the wonders of what lies beyond.... Academy Award¨ Winner Robin Williams is about to take you on an amazing journey...through heaven and hell. To rediscover the meaning of life...and the wonders of love.
The Film:
What Dreams May Come has the sensibilities of an art film placed
into a big-budget feature with an A-list cast. Although it is undeniably
a tear-jerker, it's probably not mainstream enough to enthrall audiences
and assure a big return at the box office. It is arguably too offbeat.
The storyline, which has Chris relishing the serenity of heaven before
taking a trip through hell, is compelling, even if the ending is a
little too cute. Part of the reason the movie works is that the
characters are likable. Most of us would love to have the kind of
relationship that Chris and Annie enjoyed, so it's not hard to root for
them to somehow find each other again, even with the chasm of death
dividing them. Also, the production design is truly amazing, coming in
second only to Dark City for the most visually arresting picture of the
year (with the upcoming Pleasantville a close third).
Robin Williams somehow has a quality that makes him seem at home in
imaginary universes. Remember him in ``Popeye,'' ``The Adventures of
Baron Munchausen,'' ``Toys,'' ``Jumanji,'' and in his animated
incarnation in ``Aladdin.'' There is a muscular reality about him,
despite his mercurial wit, that anchors him and makes the fantastic
images around him seem almost plausible. He is good, too, at emotion: He
brings us along with him. In Annabella Sciorra, he has a co-star whose
own character is deeply unhappy and yet touching; her sin of despair was
committed, we believe, because she loved so much and was so happy she
cannot exist in the absence of those feelings. Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. What Dreams May Come has some impressive art direction and painterly effects that hold up extremely well via 1080P. This seems to be one of the last of the Universal HD transfers finally moved to Blu-ray and it retains the VC-1 encode but the size outstrips the capacity of the now defunct format with the feature taking up over 30 Gig of space on the disc. We've all seen colors on the Blu-ray format that go overboard with saturation, and while this is part of the effects of the fantasy sequences of What Dreams May Come - it never extends beyond its balance and for that I am appreciative and the image quality benefits from this restraint. I guess what I am trying to say is that the effect colors don't look enhanced for this release. This is dual-layered, clean, bright and contrast exhibits healthy, rich black levels. This is a beautiful film that often has me thinking of Kurosawa's Dreams. The Universal transfer is quite strong and offers a memorable presentation in this format.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Solid lossless track - a DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 3134 kbps covers all the bases well with effect noises sounding springy or buoyantly separated depending on the intent. I'm always keen on the subtleties and they exist here in harmony with the more boisterous sound-staging. Dialogue is not an abundant part with vibrant, visuals taking the lead but everything is in place here and sounds as close to flawless as I could ascertain. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Extras : Everything is from the past DVD and HD editions with the commentary with director Vincent Ward, a 6.5 minute alternate ending, the standard featurette: What Dreams May Come for 15-minutes with cast and crew giving soundbytes. There is also a 'Visual Effects' section with separate, very short, interviews with Joel Hynek (visual effects supervisor: Mass. Illusions) and Josh Rosen (visual effects art director), plus two trailers although nothing is in HD. We lose the photo gallery that was present on past digital editions. So, nothing new but the commentary will be appreciated by those who indulge.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze April 25th, 2011
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About the Reviewer: 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 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 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.
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