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World War Z [Blu-ray]
(Marc Forster, 2013)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Plan B Entertainment Video: Paramount
Disc: Region: FREE! (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 2:03:03.667 (Unrated Extended Edition) Disc Size: 44,791,574,651 bytes Feature Size: 36,527,235,072 bytes Video Bitrate: 29.73 Mbps Chapters: 17 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: September 17th, 2013
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 4991 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 4991 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Portuguese 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles: English (SDH), English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, none
Extras: • Origins (8:21) • Looking to Science (7:29)• WWZ Production - 4 chapters (36:18) DVD and Digital Copy
Bitrate:
Description: Brad Pitt stars as an ex-United Nations employee racing around the globe in a bid to halt a worldwide zombie pandemic in Marc Forster's sprawling adaptation of Max Brooks' bestselling novel of the same name. Retired U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) and his family are sitting in what appears to be a typical Philadelphia traffic jam when helicopters began to circle ominously overhead, and an explosion throws the city into panic. In the blink of an eye, the streets are consumed by chaos. When Gerry learns that the catalyst for the turmoil is a highly contagious virus that transforms those who contract it into rampaging maniacs, and that legions of the infected are growing on all continents, he agrees to join his former colleagues in discovering the source of the rampant plague so that his wife and two daughters will be guaranteed safety aboard a UN fleet in the Atlantic Ocean. Upon tracing a crucial e-mail to a U.S. military base in South Korea, Gerry learns that the infection has spread more rapidly than anyone realizes. Although a subsequent trip to Jerusalem, where the government has constructed a massive wall to keep the public safe, initially offers hope that the growing horde can be kept at bay, an unexpected breach sends Gerry back into the sky in search of patient zero. Just when Gerry thinks he's traced the origins of the virus, however, the unthinkable happens. Subsequently stranded in Cardiff with a fearless Israeli soldier, Gerry quickly makes his way to a World Health Organization outpost where the few remaining scientists have hit a dead end in their search for a cure. But the struggle is far from over, and after recalling an unusual scene witnessed in Jerusalem, Gerry prepares to make a leap of faith that could prevent the downfall of humanity.
The Film:
Screenwriting team Matthew Michael Carnahan, Damon Lindelof, and Drew
Goddard craft a well-balanced narrative where every character, and
situation, add dramatic tension in the film. In one end, there is the
global impact on politics, health institutions, and government -
elements which help expose the magnitude of humanity’s likely doom. At
the other end, there is the compassion, bravery and sense of survival
that brings people together at the brink of the edge.
Is this the ultimate zombie movie?? No. But it’s a terrifying nail biter
that’ll have you gripping your seat about 5 minutes in and for the rest
of the ride. Though Brad Pitt is the only major star (with Matthew Fox
making a brief appearance), this one has summer blockbuster written all
over it.
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. World War Z looks very impressive on Blu-ray from Paramount. The camera is so kinetic that you don't see many tight crisp shots. Colors are passive but the grand effects are spaced within minutes of each other. Contrast exhibits healthy, rich black levels but there may be a shade of teal-leaning with mucho earthy browns thrown in. There are some dark sequences but no noise is visible on the dual-layered 1080P transfer with a high bitrate. CGI Effects don't have any transparency - perhaps, again, because of the movie camera. This Blu-ray seems a flawless representation although depth is not at the forefront of the visuals - I assume this is authentic. It looks very pleasing in-motion and I expect fans will appreciate the HD transfer. NOTE This is the 'unrated, extended' version at over 2-hours.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :We get a real barn-burner audio track - a DTS-HD Master 7.1 at a massive 4991 kbps. Seperations are as plentiful as the visual effects and cause head turning to the back of the room (what that the film?) a few times. Excellent depth and range - although the windows didn't literally rattle I'm sure with a crank of the volume they could have. There are Dolby foreign language DUBs and a simple(r) 5.1 English track as options. There are subtitles on the region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Extras : Some featurettes as supplements on the Blu-ray edition. 'Origins' runs about 8-minutes and examines the idea/book to evolution of the film project. 'Looking to Science' is 7.5-minutes on the scientific realties behind such a thing as a global pandemic/virus. The most substantial extra is the 4 chapter, 36-minute, piece on various production aspects of World War Z by isolating details on specific scenes like 'The Outbreak' and 'Behind the Wall'. This package contains a DVD and code for Digital Copy although 3D versions are available.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze September 9th, 2013
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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 5000 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. 60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD
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