BLU-RAY REVIEW

Colombiana

Featured In Issue 164, February 2012

Picture4.5
Sound5
WSR Score5
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):
38940LIT
(MPAA Rating):
Not Rated
(Rating Reason):
(Retail Price):
$35.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
111
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2011
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
12/20/11
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Oliver Megaton
(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):
DTS HD Lossless 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):

In Colombiana, Cataleya (Saldana) is a young woman who has grown up to be an assassin after witnessing the murder of her parents as a child. Turning herself into a professional killer and working for her uncle, she remains focused on her ultimate goal: to hunt down and get revenge on the mobster responsible for her parents' death. (Gary Reber)

Special features include five featurettes: a making of (HD 25:12), Cateleya's Journey (HD 09:33), Assassins (HD 11:54), Training To Kill (HD 06:03), and Take The Ride (HD 07:46); up-front previews; the UltraViolet version; and BD-Live functionality.

The 1080p AVC picture is terrific, with a filmic quality throughout. The color palette expresses a warm texture, with a touch of dark and brownish hues, which enhances the rawness of the visual experience. Some colors are nicely saturated and provide balanced highlights. Fleshtones are naturally hued, though, at times are roughly visualized. Contrast is generally well balanced with strong blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Resolution is excellent throughout, with revealing facial features, hair, clothing, and object textures depicted in building materials and pavement. The slight film grain enhances the filmic impact. This is a wonderful
picture experience that perfectly captures the intensity of the storytelling. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is stellar! This is an intricate holosonic® envelopment soundfield experience with superb dynamics, powerful bass, and a very large presence. The orchestral music score is sweeping, with a wide and deep soundstage that aggressively extends to the surrounds. Atmospherics and sound effects are nuanced and powerful, with full directionality in the soundfield. The .1 LFE channel is fully energized with impactful deep bass that, at times, extends to sub-25 Hz. This enhances the intensity of gunfire and explosions, which are rampant. Dialogue is nicely integrated spatially, as well as natural sounding. This is an exemplary and exciting soundtrack experience that is action packed and thoroughly engaging. (Gary Reber)