Jarhead
+ The Kingdom (Universal Blu-rays)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C+/D Film: B/D
Universal
continues to issue Blu-ray versions of their former, defunct and discontinued
HD-DVD and previous DVD versions of Key titles in their catalog with two very
different types of War and Action genre films.
You have a dark, comic, underrated drama in Jarhead (2005) and a shallow exercise in bad filmmaking failing to
deal with the terrorism issue in The
Kingdom (2007), both of which we have previously reviewed in both formats:
Jarhead
HD-DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3718/Jarhead+(HD-DVD)
DVD Set
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/3450/Jarhead+-+Collector's+Edition
The Kingdom
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6412/The+Kingdom+(HD-DVD/DVD+Combo
Not
surprisingly, Jarhead has only
appreciated in value, while The Kingdom
has dated very quickly, very badly and its reactionary nature is courser than
ever. To see Jamie Foxx used so well in
one and wasted in another speaks of the uneven course his career has taken as
he has tried to vie between taking more acting risks and do commercial work
that keeps the larger paychecks rolling in.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and Chris Cooper (who is also in The Kingdom) have continued their
winning ways as well, meaning (we hope) people will watch Jarhead even more closely to appreciate how good it really is. The kingdom plays more like a glorified cable
TV movie.
The 1080p
digital High Definition image on both Blu-rays are the same exact, overstylized
transfers the HD-DVDs had, though Jarhead
stylizing is in context to the narrative, while The Kingdom looks like a bad Music Video or even sloppy low-budget
Horror film at times in the worst way. Both
have DTS HD Master Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 mixes replacing the standard Dolby
Digital Plus 5.1 mixes, bringing out new details, but emphasizing the flaws all
the more. I hoped Jarhead would be fixed a bit, but we guess it’s trouble is in the
mixing, while The Kingdom has a bad
mix that cannot be saved. Sadly, Jarhead is missing the featurettes and
deleted scenes of the previous editions, but as the two great audio
commentaries from the previous editions.
The Kingdom has all the same
extras and they are nothing to write home about.
- Nicholas Sheffo
