Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Based on the bestselling novel from Nicholas Sparks ("The Notebook"), Dear John is the story of two young lovers, John (Channing Tatum) and Savannah (Amanda Seyfried), who are separated from each other two weeks after falling in love. They pass their time apart by writing a series of love letters until they can finally be together again. Complications arise after 9/11, when John reenlists in the military despite promising Savannah he would get out to be with her.

What starts as a decent premise and promising love story turns into a contrived train wreck as the film enters the third act. The chemistry between the leads is decent enough but when the two lovers are apart the story becomes uninteresting and any goodwill built-up in the beginning is quickly lost.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Strong detail and clarity
• Accurate colors
• Inky blacks
• A couple of instances of some minor banding

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Front-loaded soundtrack
• Occasional surround envelopment
• Intelligible dialog

Sony delivers another solid video encode with a very film-like presentation. The audio track is serviceable, but rarely tests the prowess of your audio system.

Bonus Materials (All in HD)

• Alternate Ending
• Outtakes
• Deleted and alternate scenes
• A conversation with Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, and Lasse Halstrom
• Transforming Charleston
• Military in Movies: Dear John's Military Adivsors
• Mr. Tyree, The Mile, and Bennie Dietz
• The Story of Braedon Reed
• Trailers
• movieIQ+sync
• BD Live Enabled

The trailers sold this as a touching love story and it started off on the right path. Unfortunately the screenplay fizzles-out towards the end of the second act and I didn't feel a thing for the main characters once they were separated. The video presentation is solid but without a compelling story does it really matter?

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Release Date: May 25, 2010
Studio: Sony

Movie: 4/10
Picture: 9/10
Sound: 8/10

Review System

Source
Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Onkyo Pro PR-SC885 pre/pro
Anthem PVA-7 power amplifier
Panamax M5400PM power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector

Acoustical treatments from GIK Acoustics