Blu-ray Movie Reviews

James and the Giant Peach (Blu-ray)

David Vaughn  |  Aug 3, 2010

A young boys life is turned upside down when his parents pass away and he's sent to live as a virtual slave with his two witch-like aunts. One evening he risks life and limb in order to save a spider and in the process gains possession of some magic crocodile tongues from a mysterious man. When he spills them in the garden a humongous magical peach grows on a dead tree that turns out to be his ticket to freedom.

Inspired by Roald Dahl's children's book and brought to the screen by producer Tim Burton and director Henry Selick, James and the Giant Peach was a box office bomb but has found a cult-like following on home video. I had caught portions of the movie over the years but this was my first time watching it in full and I'm not that impressed. The stop motion animation is good, but slow pacing and dreary visuals didn't impress me.

Video Highlights

  • AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
  • Dull cinematography
  • Poor contrast
  • Inconsistent black level
  • Fuzzy detail

Audio Highlights

  • DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
  • Clear dialog
  • Musical numbers open up the soundstage
  • Occasional discrete effects
  • Smooth panning across the front speakers

Yuck! That's the only way to describe the look of this film. I expected a visual treat on par with The Nightmare Before Christmas and was wildly disappointed. The audio track fares better but that's not saying much.

Bonus Materials

  • "Spike the Aunts" interactive game
  • "Making-of" featurette
  • "Good News" music video
  • Gallery
  • Theatrical trailer
  • DVD copy of the film

At times the story is captivating and interesting but the characters didn't grab me like other Dahl's film adaptations. The bland video presentation didn't help matters much and I doubt fans of the film will be overly impressed with it either.

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Release Date: August 3, 2010
Studio: Disney

Movie: 6/10
Picture: 6/10
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

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