Sacrifice (2010/Gaiam Vivendi DVD)/White Vengeance (2011/Well Go USA Blu-ray)

 

Picture: C/B-     Sound: C+/B-     Extras: C-/C     Films: C/C+

 

 

Two new Asian epic set centuries ago are arrived on home video, but this time, I had mixed responses to these Chinese tales.

 

 

Kaige Chen’s Sacrifice (2010) is the tale of a doctor who allows his own baby son to die so the future of the powerful Zhao family can stay in tact, but seeks revenge later when the young man grows up as his son and starts to take on his real legacy.  Daniel Lee’s White Vengeance (2012) tells of two brothers fighting each other for power as the Qin Dynasty starts to decline, even unbeknownst to them.

 

In both cases, these productions have big budgets, spectacular battle scenes, some martial arts and great extensive costuming, all the hallmarks of these films since the latest cycle began over a decade ago.  Unfortunately, both also have more clichés then they should have (the financers playing it safe), too much talking, too much melodrama and too much predictability.  I even liked the actors in both cases, but these films are now starting to become a blur and indistinguishable from each other, which is a sign of the decline of the cycle, though a recent set of such films set against Japanese Imperialist occupation from China and Korea are on the rise.

Fortunately for the makers of both, these are very popular productions right now and they are doing business, but both are for fans only.  At least the money is on the screen in both cases and they are ambitious on a production level.

 

 

The anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image on Sacrifice was shot in the Super 35mm film format, but this transfers makes what looks like a nice shoot too soft, whether we include any digital effects or not.  The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on White looks better, but was shot with 4K RED HD cameras with limited color, some motion blur and minor detail issues.  There are also digital visual effects which are mixed.

 

The lossy Chinese Dolby Digital 5.1 on Sacrifice has some good surround moments, but this is a quiet film often, though a lossless presentation would likely sound better as it does with the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Chinese 5.1 lossless mix on White which also has plenty of talking and silence, but is warmer, cleaner, clearer and more consistent in the semi-consistent soundfield it has overall.

 

Extras on both include trailers, but White adds on camera cast/crew interviews and a Behind The Scenes featurette.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo