Blu-ray Movie Reviews

With one week until retirement the last thing detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) needs is a serial killer on the loose in his city, but life isn't fair. Teamed with a young detective (Brad Pitt), the pair discover the killer is out to murder people he feels are guilty of committing one of the seven deadly sins—gluttony, lust, envy, pride, sloth, greed, and wrath. Can they get their man before Somerset turns in his badge?

David Fincher's resume includes many notable films like Fight Club, Zodiac, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but Se7en may be his best. His villain feels justified to mete out his vengeance as he sees fit given the sad state of society and Freeman's character shares many of his views but doesn't agree with his methods.

Video Highlights

• AVC/1080p encode on a BD-50 disc
• Inky blacks
• Outstanding shadow detail
• Muted color palette
• Outstanding detail, especially in close-ups

Audio Highlights

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack
• Enveloping surround track
• Room-shaking bass
• Dialog sometimes takes a backseat to the atmospheric effects

The video encode boasts mesmerizing detail and the low-light scenes feature exemplary shadow delineation. The soundtrack includes very aggressive sound design which can overwhelm the dialog, but I remember this being the case on the DVD release as well.

Bonus Materials

• 4 different audio commentaries from cast and crew
• Additional/Extended scenes
• Alternate ending
• Multiple "making-of" featurettes
• "Mastering for Home Theater" featurette
• Theatrical trailer
• Digibook packaging with attached book highlighting the production and actors

Se7en is a disturbing film and isn't for the faint at heart, but it's one of the best films of the 1990s and should have received ample Oscar consideration for its stars, cinematography, and director, but only received one nomination for film editing. Regardless, the Blu-ray presentation is outstanding and fans will be overjoyed with the first-rate supplement package. Highly recommended.

Release Date: September 14, 2010
Studio: Warner

Movie: 9/10
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