Blu-ray Movie Reviews

The filmmaker who launched a UFO invasion in Independence Day and unleashed the forces of global warming in The Day After Tomorrow now unveils a new day of adventure a time when mammoths shake the earth and mystical spirits shape human fates. Roland Emmerich directs 10000 BC the eye-filling tale of the first hero. That hero is young hunter D Leh set out on a bold trek to rescue his kidnapped beloved and fulfill his prophetic destiny. He’ll face an awesome saber-toothed tiger. Cross uncharted realms. Form an army. And uncover an advanced but corrupt Lost Civilization. There he will lead a fight for liberation and become the champion of the time when legend began.

Emmerich has a knack for popcorn special effects bonanzas but this one fell a bit short. The premise is strong but it’s plagued down a bit with its limited special effects and storyline. Both teeter a bit with strong points but low lows. Ultimately I didn’t think it was a bad movie, but it isn’t the type I will be likely to revisit again anytime soon.

Warner has been a bit hit or miss lately on video but this one wasn’t too bad. Dimension overall was good and fine object detail is tighter shots was solid. The CG backdrops were a bit too obvious and didn’t blend with the live action nearly as well as I would have liked and this made the visual experience a bit distracting at times. Banding was quite obvious in the latter parts of the film and is worse than most HD films I’ve seen to date. Skyscapes looked horrible with obvious gradiation in the night skies. Banding like this is rare in newer transfers and I’m really surprised that Warner let this level slip by.

Thankfully Warner has included a Dolby TrueHD lossless mix for this release and overall it was what I would expect from a popcorn action film like this. Bass response is incredible at times and the hunting of the Mammoths had some intense infrasonics. Dynamic range is excellent throughout the track and the heavy use of the surround soundstage makes for some fun in the action sequences. Dialogue is balanced pretty well with the rest of the mix and the score does a good job in keeping with the tone and emotion of the film.

Extras are geared mostly toward the production aspects of the film including the story and special effects. You also get some alternate scenes and an alternate ending.

This one would make a decent rental but that’s about as far as I would go. The video presentation could definitely use some work, especially for such a new film but I was overjoyed to see lossless audio support from Warner again. This is one of Emmerich’s weaker offerings, but it wasn’t a total disappointment.