Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Universal/DreamWorks Movie ••• Picture/Sound •••• Extras •••½

Five Oscar nominations notwithstanding (including one for Best Picture), Munich is only middling Steven Spielberg. And its retelling of Israel's violent response to the 1972 Olympics massacre never gets far beyond the basic theme of "revenge will eat your soul." As with all previous Spielberg DVDs, though, this one sports a gorgeous transfer that captures all the minutiae of the movie's color palette as it changes from subtle to extreme, complementing the mood of individual scenes and locations. The sound is less spectacular but similarly dynamic and detailed, with solid dialogue and a well-integrated John Williams score. The only extra on the single-disc edition is an oddly apologetic introduction from Spielberg. Instead, spring for the two-disc special edition, which adds a six-segment, 80-minute documentary whose exhaustive thoroughness will be appreciated by fans. [R] English and French, Dolby Digital 5.1; letterboxed (2.35:1) and anamorphic widescreen; two dual-layer discs.

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