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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans

    Featured In Issue 141, July/August 2009

    Picture5
    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):
    Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    29210
    (MPAA Rating):
    R
    (Rating Reason):
    Bloody violence and some sexuality
    (Retail Price):
    $39.95
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    92
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    A
    (Theatrical Year):
    2009
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    05/12/09
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Patrick Tatooulos
    (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 characters created by Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Danny McBride.

    Special features include cinechat; filmmakers' commentary; Behind The Castle Walls: Picture-In-Picture viewing; a Lycanthropes Around the World Interactive Map; three featurettes: Underworld: Rise of The Lycans From Script To Screen (HD 09:18), The Origin Of The Feud (HD 19:58), and Re-Creating The Dark Ages—The Look Of Underworld (HD 13:01); up-front previews; BD-Live interactivity; plus a digital copy of the film.

    The 1080p AVC picture is extremely stylized, with an intended unnatural color palette. Scenes exhibit a bluish-greenish tint, with warm hue highlights that enhance contrast. Vampire fleshtone distinctions are vivid. This is an extremely dark film that requires a display with exceptional deep-black capability and fine shadow resolution, as details are abundant in the shadows. The picture should be viewed in a darkened, preferably black room absent of all ambient light, to reveal the very fine dark textures. Resolution is excellent and reveals facial features, hair, and textures, both in the foreground and the background. The imagery often appears dimensional, with excellent depth of field. This is a visually intriguing picture with a dark cast that creates a horrific mood. (Gary Reber)

    The Dolby® TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is first rate, with an aggressive holosonic® enveloping surround presence. Atmospheric sound effects are incredibly spatial and directionalized, with sounds spurting out in various directions and intensities. The surrounds are aggressively directionalized and are treated equally with the front channels, as they should be. The result produces a three-dimensional soundscape that enlivens the storytelling and tension. Bass extension is deep and powerful in all channels, and especially in the .1 LFE channel, which extends to below 25 Hz. Dialogue sounds perfectly natural and spatially integrated throughout. The music score is haunting and well recorded, with a wide and deep soundstage. This is an extremely effective soundtrack that is sonically and spatially impressive, and is definitely reference quality. (Gary Reber)

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    Michael A Schlosser
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