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Paranormal Activity 2
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (4th January 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Steady your nerve... your sleepless nights are about to return! "Paranormal Activity 2 is as groundbreaking as the original". Just as Daniel and Kristi welcome a newborn baby into their home, a demonic presence begins terrorizing them, tearing apart their perfect world and turning it into an inescapable nightmare. Security cameras capture the torment, making every minute horrifyingly real. Critics warn to "say goodbye to sleep" as Paranormal Activity 2 will haunt you long after its shocking final scene.
Video
Paramount Home Entertainment have released the sequel to the sleeper hit "Paranormal Activity" onto Blu-ray in the United Kingdom in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is 1080p and uses an AVC MPEG-4 codec. This release features both the theatrical and the extended versions of the movie. When it comes to movies like "Paranormal Activity 2", it can be difficult to give a full opinion on just how good the quality of the transfer is. The vast majority of the feature uses hidden CCTV cameras that the family have placed around the house, and a handheld camcorder, so this obviously brings the filmmakers to give us a picture quality similar to what we would expect from CCTV/camcorders in order to make it realistic. Overall, the picture quality is strong, with a realistic feel, yet still giving us plenty of detail. Black levels sometimes feel washed out depending on which camera we are peering through, but again, this seems intentional rather than an actual problem. The CCTV footage is of course grainier than that of the camcorder footage, but still looks solid, with various shades of blues and blacks. There does seem to be some very minor compression artefacts at times, but nothing too noticeable. There is nothing conceivably wrong with this transfer, but don't expect it to use high definition to its full potential. The disc is region free, and the theatrical version runs 91:07, with the unrated version running 98:03.
Audio
There are several audio tracks included on this release: - English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - French Dolby Digital 5.1 - German Dolby Digital 5.1 - Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 - Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Audio Descriptive Dolby Digital 5.1 For obvious reasons, I opted to view the movie with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which was technically sound, but could've been more atmospheric. Due to the film using CCTV footage, we often get audio that would relate to how it would sound if we were watching it on CCTV (ie., without surrounds). The LFE is surprisingly well utilised, with plenty of low-end rumblings that really help set the mood. The surrounds are really only used to help with the easy jump scares by chucking out a loud noise at an appropriate time (a cheap shot used by most horrors), and for some occasional environmental noise. There's no damage to the audio, with dialogue clear at all times, volume levels consistent, and no signs of background hiss. Optional subtitles are available in Danish, Dutch, English, English HoH, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish.
Extras
The main extra is a deleted scene called "Found Footage", which is basically just a series of CCTV and camcorder footage from inside the house showing some spooky goings on. Doors shut, Hunter goes missing from his crib, and the family are drawn to his cries as they attempt to find him. It's a good scene, and I think we really could've done with it being left in the film. It added a little fear into a couple of the characters. The scene runs a paltry 3:49. The only other extra is a teaser trailer (1:01).
Overall
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