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    • WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

    Alaska
    Genre:Family

    Reviewed In Issue 24 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
    Thora Birch, Vincent Katheiser, Dirk Benedict, Gordon Tootoosis, Duncan Fraser, Ben Cardinal & Charlton Heston

    WSR Review Scores
    Picture Rating: 3.5
    Sound Rating: 3
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    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score:
    Internet Links

    Supplementals

    DVD General Information
    (Studio/Distributor): Columbia/TriStar Home Video
    (Catalog Number): 80206
    (MPAA Rating): PG
    (Retail Price): $34.95
    (Running Time In Minutes): 109
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Theatrical Release): 1996
    (LD Release Date): 3/9/97
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

    Credits Information
    (Director): Fraser C. Heston
    (Screenplay/Written By): Andy Burg & Scott Myers
    (Story): NA
    (Music): Reg Powell
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer): Douglas Higgins
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor): Rob Kobrin
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers): NA
    (Co-Producers): Gordon Mark
    (Producers): Carol Fuchs & Andy Burg

    DVD Picture Information
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 2.39:1
    (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 2.35:1

    DVD Sound Information
    (DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Surround
    (Theatrical Sound): SDDS (8) Digital
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (Remastered Dolby Digital):
    (Remastered DTS Digital Surround):
    (Additional Languages):

    WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    A spiritual wildlife adventure, Alaska tells the story of 13 year-old Jessie (Thora Birch) and 15 year-old Sean (Vincent Kartheiser), as they challenge both nature and themselves on a death-defying mission through the Arctic wilderness. The teenagers, who are saddened by the recent death of their mother find themselves searching a treacherous mountain range for their father, whose plane went down on a mercy air flight. Along the way, they free an orphan polar bear cub from a poacher (Charlton Heston) who pursues them on their search.

    LaserDisc Picture:
    The picture is framed at 2.35:1 and exhibits good color fidelity with beautiful colors and imagery, natural fleshtones and deep solid blacks. Images are sharp and defined, although sometimes exhibiting a soft quality and shadow detail is good. Slight noise and artifacts are apparent throughout.

    LaserDisc Soundtrack:
    The soundtrack is terrific with a wonderful music score that is expansive with excellent imaging and fidelity. Ambiant sound effects are presented in stereo with both a subtle and aggressive surround presence. Dialogue, while natural sounding, leaks slightly into the two stereo channels creating a slight delay effect that is distracting. This is unfortunate and probably a matrix encoding phase error.
    (Surround Bass Below 50Hz):
    (Aggressive System Surround):
    (Intense 25Hz Bass):
    (Deep Bass Challenging):
    (Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
    (Holosonic Soundfield):
    (Aggressive Split Surround):
    (Center Back Surround Imaging):
    (Directionalized Dialogue):
    Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
    Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
    Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
    Superb Color Fidelity:
    Superb Cinematography:
    Reference LaserDisc:
    Collector Edition: