Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The year is 1429. France is in political and religious turmoil as members of the royal family battle for rule. But one peasant girl from a remote village gave her country the miracle it was looking for. Milla Jovovich is Joan of Arc, a young woman who would inspire and lead her countrymen until her execution at the age of nineteen.

This has always been one of my favorites from Luc Besson despite its rather ho-hum reviews and box-office take. Besson does a great job of setting up the characters and the production design is superb. The film presents some interesting religious overtones and undoes itself as the film concludes. This leaves the viewer to make their own conclusion on history in a way and sheds different viewpoints on the players involved. Ultimately the combination of great imagery, terrific scoring and a solid ensemble cast culminates in a great historical epic that I enjoyed as much this time as the many times I’ve seen it before. This Blu-ray release should have actually been called Joan of Arc though since it is the international cut, which was titled that way instead of the domestic title of The Messenger

I was always a fan of the DVD presentation of this film but the Blu-ray presentation has me a bit disappointed. The image has a very detailed look in close ups, but this appears to be the result of exaggerated detail. Ringing is noticed far more than I would prefer and the image has a rather harsh look to its detail giving it a slightly flatter look. Contrast is a bit inconsistent with some scenes looking a bit washed out, which hurts image depth. Colors are still quite good and have a very natural quality that provides some rich eye candy from time to time. Some of the CG work doesn’t hold up quite as well as it used to but thankfully it is hardly distracting. While this is still a good HD presentation, it reminds me more of Sony’s entry Blu-ray offerings more than their more refined work of today.

Without a doubt Eric Serra’s scores are always the highlight of Luc Besson’s films. I love his work and this film is no exception. The moody atmosphere and intensity of Joan’s delusions are complimented perfectly with the film’s scoring. The rest of the sound design is first rate as well. There is a lot going on during the battle sequences and the soundtrack puts you right in the middle. The balance between the front and surround soundstage is excellent and dynamic range is strong. The track is a little hot overall compared to most soundtracks, but this didn’t seem to affect fidelity.

Sony has not included any extras on this release.

I am a huge fan of Luc Besson’s epic and glad to see Sony present the international cut for the Blu-ray. The video presentation was a bit disappointing for a Sony title, which is baffling considering their normal consistency in quality. It reminded me a lot of the first wave of titles in its inconsistency. Hopefully Besson’s other great catalog titles will fare better.