Blu-ray Review #70: Man of Steel

4.8 Stars (out of 5) - Rated PG-13 Synopsis

Clark Kent must keep his alien origins and fantastic powers hidden from the world at large. But when the Kryptonian General Zod plans to destroy Earth, the Man of Steel springs into heroic action.

Starring:

Henry Cavill, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Laurence Fishburne

Director:

Zack Snyder

Blu-ray Release Date:

November 12, 2013

Subtitles:

English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin (Simplified)

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:

Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 5.0 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

● Subwoofer – 5.0 Stars

● Dialog – 4.8 Stars

● Surround Effects – 5.0 Stars

● Dynamic Range – 5.0Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1, Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1

It almost seems like the sound was designed for people who love home theater. The bass booms a little more than normal and the surrounds are always engaged. The subwoofer never gets any rest since it’s always delivering huge countless explosions, rumbles from spaceships, flying helicopters, sonic booms, crumbling buildings, and even random rumbling when nothing is even happening. This film would have gotten a perfect audio score if it weren’t for the dialog. I remember 3 different scenes were I had to rewind the movie or ask someone what an actor just said. The rear speakers get lots of attention and envelop you with sounds of thumping music, flying spaceships, slashing water, crashing cars, whipping helicopter blades, whistling wind, chirping crickets, whizzing bullets, breaking glass, and screams of people.

Video 4.9 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

● Color Accuracy - 4.7 Stars

● Shadow detail – 4.8 Stars

● Clarity – 5.0 Stars

● Skin tones – 5.0 Stars

● Compression – 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect ratio: 2.40:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Man of Steel has a unique look, the colors are a tad cold, but really helps to show off blue tones. Like strikingly blue skies, Lois Lane’s blue eyes, Superman’s pajamas are deep royal blue, also the sunset on Krypton is breathtaking. Blacks are dark and inky but a small about of details are lost in the shadows. The film has a good amount of film grain, but it doesn’t effect the clarity. It’s clean enough to see beard hairs, wrinkles on skin, clothing textures, blemishes on faces, and the million of tiny pieces of flying debris.

Bonus Features 4.5 Stars (out of 5)

● Strong Characters, Legendary Roles (1080p; 25:59) Takes a look at the history of the character, and also focuses on this film's reimagined version.

● All Out Action (1080p; 26:02) Behind the scene with actors detailing physical training and stunt coordination.

● Krypton Decoded (1080p; 6:42) A look at the visual effects sequence of the destruction of Krypton.

● Superman 75th Anniversary Animated Short (1080p; 2:03)

● New Zealand: Home to Middle Earth (1080p; 6:35). For some unknown reason the video is about the Hobbit.

● Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel (1080p; 2:54:05) The feature film is presented again on a second disc with interviews and background featurettes.

● Planet Krypton (1080p; 17:18). Believe it or not this supplement about Krypton was created by the History Channel.

Movie – 3.8 Stars (out of 5) Review

This is the Superman movie I’ve been waiting for. It’s pensive, epic, and full of giant action, however it does have problems. The weakest link in movie is Clark Kent’s Earth parents, in particular his father. Not only does he tell Superman never to use his powers, but he also tells him not to help anyone. This version of Superman takes the subject matter very serious. So much so, that it is an action drama. It’s so somber that I only laughed twice while watching it. Director Zack Snyder is known for creating good action sequences, and the battles are huge, full of weight, and amazingly fun to watch. So many buildings in Metropolis crumble it’s hard not to see this film as a disaster movie but shows how powerful Superman is. It was casted so perfectly and the performances are so strong it makes this film my favorite Superman movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY