BLU-RAY REVIEW

Uninvited, The

Featured In Issue 141, July/August 2009

Picture4
SoundNR
WSR Score3.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
DreamWorks Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
14317
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking
(Retail Price):
$39.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
87
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2009
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
04/28/09
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
The Guard Brothers
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Based on the motion picture Janghwa, Hongryeon, written and directed by Kim Jee-Woon, the psychological thriller The Uninvited follows the suspicious death of a mother of two sisters. Anna (Browning) and Alex (Kebbel) become entangled in a deadly battle of wills when their father (Strathairn) becomes engaged to Rachel (Banks), their mother's former caretaker. Anna is driven by her mother's ghost to investigate her untimely death. As the two sisters investigate Rachel's questionable past, they are confronted with ghostly visions, terrifying nightmares, and deadly consequences—all leading to a shocking ending. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurette Unlocking The Uninvited (HD 19:00), four deleted scenes (HD 05:37), and an alternate ending (HD 0.50).

The 1080p AVC picture is well rendered, with an excellent contrast ratio and good shadow delineation. Blacks can be deep and solid, which adds depth and dimension to the imagery. Colors are perfectly natural, with vibrant warm hues. Fleshtones are accurately rendered throughout. Resolution is excellent, with fine facial features and textures detailed. The picture exhibits a natural look that enhances the image quality. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby® TrueHD 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely produced, with a wonderful orchestral score that is well recorded, and a wide and deep soundstage with excellent instrumental timbre resolution. Dialogue sounds perfectly natural, with good spatial integration. There are plenty of haunting and surprising atmospheric sound effects that can provide quite a bit of slam and bang excitement. The sound effects and music, at times, provide aggressive holosonic® envelopment. Bass extension during effects is deep and powerful, especially when the .1 LFE channel is energized. Surround envelopment is not always a constant, with the soundfield mostly focused on the front channels. Nonetheless, there are some effective sonic events that are perfectly enhanced, with the music and sound effects providing an aggressive enveloping presence. (Gary Reber)