Blu-ray Movie Reviews

As a serial killer terrifies the San Francisco Bay Area and taunts police with his ciphers and letters, investigators in four jurisdictions search for the murderer. The case will become an obsession for four men as their lives and careers are built and destroyed by the endless trail of clues.

David Fincher delivers a powerful and creepy drama with this one and takes a look at one of the most popular serial killers of our time. The film doesn’t keep everything tied down to the facts but instead provides a little style and suggestion to the themes of the book that was written by the film’s main character. Fincher doesn’t delve into quite as dark a territory as he normally does but still manages to put together a tight cast and amazing cinema feel for this thriller.

This was one of the best looking HD DVD titles released and this Blu-ray edition is every bit as good if not a tad better. Fine detail is jaw dropping and the image has some of the most gorgeous razor sharp imagery available in HD today. The compositions are superb and Fincher’s style exudes from every frame. This movie was shot with digital cameras so the sense of fine detail and dimension is incredible and even the darker imagery holds up really well with solid blacks and great shadow detail. My only nitpick is the occasional line twitter apparent with some of the digital effects.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is a chilling example of sound design and does a great job with the mood and momentum of the film. This isn’t an aggressive sound design but they always seem to strike the right chord and the soundtrack selections are excellent. The balance of the mix is dead on and the timbre of the dialogue is very natural. A solid audio presentation.

Extras are pretty much identical to the previous HD release and include two feature commentaries for the main film; one with the director and the other with the principal cast along with some outstanding features on the second disc. You’ll find a feature length documentary that goes into painstaking detail on the real Zodiac killings and investigation along with interviews. There is also a great documentary on the making of the film and a look at the special effects used to recreate the city for the film.

David Fincher has once again delivered a spectacular film and this was one of my favorites from 2007. This Blu-ray features a reference quality HD presentation and some great features. Highly recommended.