Blu-ray Movie Reviews

"Jarhead" (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows Swoff from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, where he sports a sniper rifle through Middle East deserts that provide no cover from the heat or Iraqi soldiers. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully grasp.

Sam Mendes gives an interesting look at the Gulf War with this one. Rather than making a traditional high action war film, Mendes provides insight into the frustration the troops faced as they waited for months in the hot desert for a war that never really materialized. This drove the troops to the brink and had many questioning their role in the war.

This was one of the first HD DVD presentations from Universal and it was a strong one on that format. This Blu-ray edition isn’t too much different but it looks slightly more detailed here and there. I love the strong contrast ratios and the bleak color palette on display. It really adds to the mood of the film and creates a very dimensional image. Fine object detail is impressive but some of the longer shots are slightly soft. The film’s enhanced grain structure is preserved for the most part but there are some indications of very light filtering.

The lossless soundtrack packs incredible dynamic range and presence lifting it to the range of truly reference quality mixes. Deep bass extension is impressive and its underlining presence within the mix really adds to the impact of the more intense sequences of the film. Dialogue is never drowned out and even the narration of the film is natural in presence with no signs of strain. A very solid audio presentation.

Extras are a bit limited for a Universal release. You can bookmark scenes throughout the movie or indulge in one of two feature audio commentaries.

I’ve seen this film a few times now and it continues to be one of the better Gulf War efforts. I love the dark humor and production values and the cast is tremendous. The A/V presentation is a bit of a step up from the HD DVD so fans should pick this one up.