Blu-ray Movie Reviews

During a counter-terrorism summit in Spain, the President of the United States (William Hurt) is gunned down by an assassin's bullet. Eight strangers have a perfect view of the kill, but what did they really see? Replayed through the eyes of these witnesses, the minutes leading up to the fatal shot are repeated from different vantage points to solve the mystery of the shooting.

Vantage Point is a spellbinding film for the first two acts with its unique presentation of the story and excellent character development. Unfortunately, it falls apart in the third act, turning into a mindless action flick with over-the-top stunts and a far-fetched ending.

Sony delivers another outstanding AVC encode with one of their best efforts yet on Blu-ray. Detail is exquisite in close-ups and the long sweeping shots of the Spanish cityscape. The print is unblemished, and video noise is never an issue. Black levels are rock-solid, providing superb depth and shadow detail. Contrast is consistent throughout and never exaggerated.

While not quite on par with the video, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is very active and draws you into the story. Dialog is clear, and imaging across the front is spacious. The bass is deep and rumbling, and discrete sounds are effective in the surround speakers during the action-packed yet unbelievable third act.

The usual suspects grace the bonus section, including a commentary with director Pete Travis and three behind-the-scenes featurettes with cast and crew interviews that include a closer look at plotting the assassination. Exclusive to Blu-ray is a BonusView (Profile 1.1) PIP GPS Tracker that follows each character's location and vantage point throughout the film. Most of the features are in HD with the exception of one outtake, which is in anamorphic SD widescreen.

Out of the gate, I thought Vantage Point had the makings of a classic political thriller, but its disappointing and implausible third act turn it into another mindless Hollywood action film. The presentation is outstanding and is worth putting this disc in your Netflix queue.

Release Date: July 1, 2008

Film: 6 out of 10
Picture: 10 out of 10
Sound: 8 out of 10

Review System

Source
Panasonic DMP-BD50

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

Electronics
Onkyo PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 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