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Directed by |
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Starring |
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Specs |
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- 16:9 Enhanced
- Dual Layer ( )
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Languages |
- English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
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Subtitles |
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Extras |
- 2 Audio commentary
- 2 Featurette
- Animated menus
- Web access
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Pitch Black: SE |
Universal/Universal .
R4 . COLOR . 104 mins .
M15+ . PAL |
Feature |
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Contract |
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It's still hip in Hollywood to shoot movies outside the US to save on production costs. Perhaps somebody within Universal is seriously keen on sci-fi (see their decision to buy the Firefly rights from Fox), perhaps it's purely a business decision, but Pitch Black evidently made enough return on Universal's initial investment for them to consider it a safe franchise prospect with two sequels and a computer game released to date under a new series title of 'The Chronicles of Riddick'. Hence this re-release which frankly doesn't add much besides modified cover art and menu titles. I reviewed the original release some time ago and found it to be a pretty decent B-movie and an above-average DVD; not much has changed. My previous review can be found here and there's little I can say to expand upon it.
Video |
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Contract |
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The same transfer created for the original disc is reused here and still holds up very nicely. The state of the art in film-to-digital mastering might have improved slightly in the last couple of years but not so much that a heavily processed stock such as this would benefit, in my opinion. The image is impeccably sharp and free of artefacts. As I mentioned last time, the exterior shots are deliberately unnatural, with harsh exposure and blue/orange colour tints to represent the three suns that play such a large part in the story.
Audio |
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Contract |
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This is still a good mix, although not quite reference quality. It's in 5.1 Dolby Digital once more; the DTS track from the US disc didn't make it. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, although non-directional. The sound effects make up for this, though, with full use made of the split rear speakers and the subwoofer.
Extras |
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Contract |
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Overall |
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Contract |
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Overall this is still a solid release but there's no point replacing the first DVD if you already own it. I'm actually surprised Universal bothered to recreate the disc, but I guess the opportunity to plug their other products was too much to pass up.
LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=4362
Send to a friend.
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And I quote... |
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Review Equipment |
- TV:
Mitsubishi Diva 33
- Amplifier:
Yamaha DSP-A1
- Speakers:
Richter Excalibur
- Centre Speaker:
Richter Unicorn
- Surrounds:
Richter Hydras
- Audio Cables:
Monster RCA
- Video Cables:
Monster s-video
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