Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Near Gloucester, Massachusetts, the six members of the Andrea Gail, a sword fishing boat, head out to sea for their last trip of the season. Unbeknownst to them, a shockingly brutal storm is slowly gaining steam. Before the National Weather Bureau has a chance to inform the crew of the impending danger, it's too late. The resulting battle with three merging weather fronts - an unheralded natural disaster - is grueling and tragic.

I’ll never forget how intense the trailer for this film was. The film is still a compelling look at the unfortunate events that ultimately lead to the death of a crew of sword fisherman. The film is more of a memento and loosely based on real events since no one from the crew survived but it is moving in its drama and intensity. Despite having seen it countless times now, it still moves me.

The Blu-ray release is supposedly a new encode from the previous HD DVD release but I can’t say I saw a lot of difference. This has never been what I would call a stellar looking release and most of the time the image is overly soft. The image has an intentional gritty look to it, which is fine, but it seems out of focus so much that it becomes a bit frustrating. Contrast levels are strong but I did notice some light banding at times in some of the murkier moments of the film. The CG still holds up well but it is a bit cleaner than the raw photography so it stands out quite a bit. While not a bad looking disc, I thought it could look better.

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby TrueHD and I was a bit disappointed with the overall dynamics. The track is good at being loud but dynamic range is a bit compressed. Low bass doesn’t have near the extension I was expecting in the more intense moments of the storm. The soundstage is quite engaging though and the surrounds are used aggressively to convey atmosphere. Dialogue gets lost in the intense sequences a bit but I didn’t find it overly annoying. Still a rich soundstage, I just wish it extended a bit deeper from time to time.

Extras are the same as the previous HD DVD release and include a few documentaries on the film and the events that inspired it. You also get a look at composing the score. Three feature commentaries are included along with a montage of images and the trailer.

This is still a great testament to the events and a solid film. The video presentation could still look a bit better in my opinion but overall the presentation was about average. Compared to the previous HD release, it is a toss up.