First Look DVD Review: Vertical Limit
05-02-01, 03:48 PM
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I was lucky to be able to take an early look at "Vertical Limit" throughout the day today.
For those who aren't familiar with the movie, it stars Chris O'Donnell as a climber who goes up with a rescue party after his sister gets trapped leading a billionaire up K2 on a promotional stunt. The film has some impressive sequences, but could have used a better screenplay - it would have really helped take it from something watchable to something possibly great.
Ah, but the DVD is another matter altogether. Tristar's effort on this DVD is nothing short of phenomenal. Image quality on the 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is shockingly good; many scenes look jaw-droppingly wonderful with spectacular detail (individual hairs on the actors can be clearly seen in many scenes). To be picky, I noticed literally one or two very tiny flaws, but overall this is literally an inch away from perfection - easily standing out in terms of image quality as the best I've seen in several months. Definitely an easy A+.
Audio quality is similarly terrific. Some scenes are dialogue-driven, but when it gets intense, it really gets agressive. Surround use is highly effective and often thrilling. Several scenes are demo-worthy and shook the room with terrific force, especially a couple of massive explosions.
The studio also went to town on the extra features. First-up, there's a very informative commentary from director Martin Campbell (Mask Of Zorro, Goldeneye) and producer Lloyd Phillips. Also included is a very good 24 minute making of documentary and an additional section that contains 7 very well-produced featurettes that run anywhere from 3-5 minutes or so each and are actually in Dolby Digital 5.1.
A short National Geographic special, trailers and cast/crew bios & production notes round out the package.
My feelings on the movie are mixed, but Tristar has done such a top-notch job on the DVD that I think it's still definitely worth at least a rental look.
Vertical Limit: Full Film/DVD Review
My site: A Guide To Current DVD
[Edited by DVDRules1 on 05-02-01 at 01:51 PM]
I was lucky to be able to take an early look at "Vertical Limit" throughout the day today.
For those who aren't familiar with the movie, it stars Chris O'Donnell as a climber who goes up with a rescue party after his sister gets trapped leading a billionaire up K2 on a promotional stunt. The film has some impressive sequences, but could have used a better screenplay - it would have really helped take it from something watchable to something possibly great.
Ah, but the DVD is another matter altogether. Tristar's effort on this DVD is nothing short of phenomenal. Image quality on the 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is shockingly good; many scenes look jaw-droppingly wonderful with spectacular detail (individual hairs on the actors can be clearly seen in many scenes). To be picky, I noticed literally one or two very tiny flaws, but overall this is literally an inch away from perfection - easily standing out in terms of image quality as the best I've seen in several months. Definitely an easy A+.
Audio quality is similarly terrific. Some scenes are dialogue-driven, but when it gets intense, it really gets agressive. Surround use is highly effective and often thrilling. Several scenes are demo-worthy and shook the room with terrific force, especially a couple of massive explosions.
The studio also went to town on the extra features. First-up, there's a very informative commentary from director Martin Campbell (Mask Of Zorro, Goldeneye) and producer Lloyd Phillips. Also included is a very good 24 minute making of documentary and an additional section that contains 7 very well-produced featurettes that run anywhere from 3-5 minutes or so each and are actually in Dolby Digital 5.1.
A short National Geographic special, trailers and cast/crew bios & production notes round out the package.
My feelings on the movie are mixed, but Tristar has done such a top-notch job on the DVD that I think it's still definitely worth at least a rental look.
Vertical Limit: Full Film/DVD Review
My site: A Guide To Current DVD
[Edited by DVDRules1 on 05-02-01 at 01:51 PM]
