Blu-ray Movie Reviews

A contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells' classic, the sci-fi thriller reveals the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family. Fleeing from an extraterrestrial army of killer Tripods that annihilate everything in their path, Ray Ferrier races to keep his family safe.

These last couple of months have been a real treat for Spielberg fans. While this one may not be quite as popular as the recent releases of Saving Private Ryan and Minority Report, it’s an A/V lover’s wet dream. The film is incredibly simple by most sci-fi standards, but provides enough popcorn entertainment and incredible special effects to win over most sci-fi fans. Plus the special effects and sound design are to die for.

Paramount has done a spectacular job with the A/V presentations of Spielberg’s recent releases and this is no exception. More than any of his other films, this one is incredibly stylized with absorbent amounts of grain and texture in the image. This may put off some. The Blu-ray does a perfect job of capturing the style Spielberg intended, though some of the post production effects take their toll at times. You see this mostly in the opening sequences and the film looks better and better as it progresses. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is one of the best I’ve heard to date, and the sound design is a true testament to the power of sound in films. Low bass extension is probably the most aggressive I’ve ever heard in any soundtrack and could truly threaten the capabilities of one’s speakers and drywall. But the soundtrack is more than that, spatial design is phenomenal and the inventiveness of the mix is truly engrossing. You’d be hard pressed to find anything that sounds this good anywhere else.

Extras include a considerable amount of behind the scenes features that include interviews and comparisons to the original sci-fi classic. You also get a lot of insight into the creation of this production from the SFX to the score. The trailers and some photo galleries are also included.

While not the most memorable story every lensed by Spielberg, you can’t deny the power of the visual and audio experience of it. This is a show off disc of epic proportions with a 5.1 mix that will leave you breathless. Highly recommended!!