|
|
|
Blade II (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Holland - RCV / E1 Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (19th December 2013). |
|
The Film
 ***This is an A/V and extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Exploding from the pages of Marvel Comics comes the thrilling follow-up to the hit 1998 film Blade. Blade (Wesley Snipes) is half man, half vampire and consumed by a desire to avenge the curse of his birth and save the human race from a blood-drenched Armageddon. In this newest action-packed adventure, Blade must align himself with a high-powered team of vampires to take on an even greater evil than either has ever faced - a new kind of super-vampire that is itself on a vicious hunt to eradicate both races.
Video
RCV and E1 Entertainment team-up to release Blade II on Blu-ray in Holland. The distributors provide the movie in 1.78:1 and the transfer uses a VC-1 codec, unlike the previous movie which used an AVC MPEG-4 codec. Surprisingly, the transfer of this bigger budget and often better-loved sequel, is not quite as good as RCV's release of the original Blade. The biggest fault with this transfer is the blockiness in some of the darker colours, especially blacks. It isn't overly noticeable in motion, but as always, it does become more obvious if you pause the film. Shadow detail does lack a little at times, especially in the scene that features the blood pack progressing through the sewers at the 68 minute mark, but generally speaking shadow detail is good for the majority of the run time. The picture is sharp and shows good clarity, whilst the mixture of skin tones look as good as I remember them being in the cinema (I managed to see this in the cinema again in 2012). The transfer has a filmic look to it, and doesn't appear to have undergone overly enthusiastic heavy processing, with a thin layer of natural film grain throughout. Unfortunately, there is a little damage to the print with some minor, but obvious, artefacts. There's no real cause for concern, but there is certainly room for improvement. The disc is region free, and the feature runs 116:51.
Audio
RCV and E1 Entertainment provide a single audio option here; English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. It's a quality track that deserves praise. Blade II features even more action than its predecessor, and the LFE channel and surrounds let you know it. Even the most minor of effects such as swishing a sword, shows perfectly placed directionality and separation. Motorbikes roar, explosions blast heavily without being too enthusiastic on the LFE, and gunfire rings round the sound stage effortlessly. The score complements the tension well, never overpowering the action on-screen or making the dialogue difficult to hear. As per the first movie, there is a scene in a vampire rave which sounds excellent. There is no damage to the track either - no dropouts, background hiss or scratches. Optional Dutch subtitles have been included, and any dialogue which is in the 'vampire' language includes burnt in English subtitles, making this release 100% English friendly.
Extras
Start-up Trailers (6:28, SD): - "Drag Me to Hell" - "Transporter 3" - "Kill Bill" Note that these trailers are in English with optional Dutch subtitles.
Overall
|
|||||
|