Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Shaun (Simon Pegg) is a lovable loser spending his days working as a clerk in an electronics store and looking forward to a few after-hours pints at the local pub with his best friend and roommate Ed (Nick Frost). Life takes a turn for the worse when his girlfriend (Kate Ashfield) dumps him, his stepfather (Bill Nighy) berates him for ignoring his mother (Penelope Wilton), and—oh yeah—the dead return to stake their claim to the Earth. Instead of running scared, Shaun uses the opportunity to prove his manhood, and not even the undead can stand in his way.

As longtime readers know, I'm not a fan of the horror genre, but Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite films—go figure. It's a spoof of George Romero's horror classic Dawn of the Dead, but instead of the survivors hunkering down in a mall, Shaun and his pals head to the Winchester—his local pub—to make their last stand. There's ample gore, which I usually avoid, but it's in tune with the story, and there's more than enough comedy to counteract any gross-out moments.

I was always impressed with the VC-1 encoded HD DVD, but Universal has upped the ante with a high bitrate 1080p/AVC treatment for the Blu-ray. Detail is outstanding in both long shots and close-ups, but the interior shots are a tad dark compared to the visually stunning exterior scenes. Color saturation is excellent, especially reds—Shaun's red tie in the first act literally jumps off his blue shirt—and it wouldn't be a horror film without an overabundance of blood. Black levels are generally strong and deep, but the less-than-stellar shadow detail keeps this title from getting a perfect rating. Regardless, it's the best I've seen the film look.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack is superlative with an active surround presence, great imaging, and impressive LFE thrown in for good measure. The 360-degree soundfield places you right in the middle of the action with the sounds of grunting zombies moving in for the kill, and the dialog is always intelligible and firmly rooted in the center speaker.

Four commentaries grace the disc, the best of which is hosted by Pegg and Wright. Two U-Control features include a "Zomb-O-Meter" with onscreen zombie trivia and a PIP with the original storyboards. More traditional supplements include outtakes, deleted scenes, a video diary from Simon Pegg, special-effects featurettes, and a theatrical trailer.

The comedic aspect of the film far outweighs any of the gore, and I love how it spoofs the horror genre with that wry humor from across the pond. No matter how you slice it, this is a great film, and the presentation is top-notch. Highly recommend.

Release Date: September 22, 2009
Studio: Universal

Movie: 9/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 9/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics