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A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Split [Blu-ray]

 

(M. Night Shyamalan, 2016)

 

  

 

  

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Universal Studios

Video: Universal Video

 

Disc:

Region: FREE! (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:57:07.854 

Disc Size: 45,683,694,282 bytes

Feature Size: 37,195,302,912 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.89 Mbps

Chapters: 20

Case: Standard Blu-ray case inside cardboard slipcase

Release date: April 18th, 2017

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3408 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3408 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DUBs:

DTS Audio Spanish 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio French 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DVS (Descriptive Video Service):

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
 

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), Spanish, French, none

 

Extras:

• Alternate Ending with optional Introduction by Shyamalan (1:37)
Deleted Scenes with optional Introductions by Shyamalan (26:37)
The Making of Split (9:50)
The Many Faces of James McAvoy (5:38)
The Filmmaker's Eye: M. Night Shyamalan (3:40)

Digital Copy of Split (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)
Includes UltraViolet (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: Writer/director/producer M. Night Shyamalan returns with an original thriller that delves into the mysterious recesses of one man's fractured, gifted mind. Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has revealed 23 personalities to his psychiatrist, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls, Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him – as well as everyone around him – as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.

 

 

The Film:

Unlikely as it might seem at this point in his up-and-down career, M. Night Shyamalan proves he can still pull off a genuine surprise at the end of his unnervingly clever new thriller, “Split.” The precise nature of that twist will not be revealed here, though given its mind-tickling narrative implications — to say nothing of the wildfire-like speed of social media these days — you can probably expect the statute of limitations on spoilers to run out faster than it did on “Bruce Willis is dead” or “Rosebud is a sled.”

Nevertheless, the more significant and spoiler-proof astonishment here is that Shyamalan — after nearly a decade-long creative (and sometimes commercial) drought — has reclaimed much of the formal precision and conceptual daring that made his earlier pictures, “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable” chief among them, so memorably creepy.

Excerpt from the LA Times located HERE

 

Best known as Professor Xavier in “X-Men,” James McAvoy’s transformations are stunning, moving from one guise to another, subtly sifting his posture, demeanor and speech patterns. With her subtle manipulations, sad-eyed Anya Taylor-Joy fulfills the sly promise of her breakout work in “The Witch.”

Produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse on a $10 million budget, Shyamalan’s taut yet playful thriftiness, coupled with Mike Gioulakis’s haunting cinematography, has already paid off at the box-office...

Excerpt from SusanGranger located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Split arrives on Blu-ray from Universal looking pristine on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. It's a modern film that looks flawless in HD's authentic theatrical replication.  Visuals are crisp and consistent and Mike Gioulakis' cinematography adds some unique touches and creative askew close-ups. This Blu-ray 1080P has true colors, excellent contrast and plenty of depth. It looks superb.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Audio is transferred via a strong DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track, in the original English language, at a whopping 3408 kbps (24-bit) that significantly adds to the film suspense and tension with a rich restrained bass seething with power. There are DUBs in Spanish and French and optional DVS (Descriptive Video Service). The surround is quite potent in Split. with a few head-turning moments - if, often, decoys. West Dylan Thordson (The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, and 2009's excellent The Art of the Steal) did the effective score and it also adds flavor to the film's powerful potency via the lossless. Some may not the music of Slam Allen, Lucius, Jim Keller, Snails, and, if you can recognize, Ennio Morricone. The final music was the same used in Unbreakable. There are optional subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

 

Extras :

No director commentary but we do get some interesting extras in the form of a brief alternate ending with optional Introduction by Shyamalan (which I won't spoil), 26-minutes of deleted scenes also with optional input by Shyamalan. The 10-minute Making of Split is standard stuff with some input from the filmmakers and cast. The Many Faces of James McAvoy spends almost 6-minutes extolling the actors varied characters in Split. The Filmmaker's Eye is a, too brief, reference to M. Night Shyamalan's style from the director himself. There are both a Digital Copy of Split and UltraViolet accessibility for those keen.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I've championed Shyamalan for years as misinformed critics continue to denounce his films that have made over a billion dollars. Films are fantasy - you know, I didn't find the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz particularly effective but I didn't allow it to diminish the film experience for me. Almost all of Shyamalan's films are on my re-watchable shelf. And let's talk about James McAvoy. Brilliant for a decade - since The Last King of Scotland or, the masterpiece, Atonement. Split is great. I was expecting no less. The Universal Blu-ray is a fabulous way to watch seeing as it doesn't seem to be supported in 4K UHD. Don't miss this... it is so entertaining. Strongly recommended! 

Gary Tooze

April 7th, 2017

 

  

 

  

 


 

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.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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