- Aspect Ratio: 2:40:1
- Video Codec: AVC MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz/24-bit), English Descriptive Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Subtitles Color: White
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Run Time: 124 Mins
- Discs: 3 (1 x Blu-ray + 1 x DVD + 1 x Digital Copy)
- Digital Copies: UltraViolet
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Blu-ray Release Date: October 8th, 2012
- List Price: $39.99
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(The below TheaterByte screen captures are taken directly from the Blu-ray Discs and losslessly compressed in the PNG format. There should be no loss of picture quality with this format. All screen captures should be regarded only as an approximation of the full capabilities of the Blu-ray format.
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Human origins, where we come from, and why are we here are topics discussed in Ridley Scott’s newest film Prometheus. Billed as a prequel to his sci-fi smash movie Alien, this go around begins at an undisclosed time. We meet this odd looking creature we will later learn is an ‘Engineer’. Standing by a huge waterfall, this ‘Engineer’ has a bowl of substances, presumably the little bits and pieces of what will become the first human being. After swallowing this material, he immediately collapses, both literally and figuratively. We then flash forward to the year 2089 and this is where our film begins.
It’s the year 2089, and we’re introduced to a pair of anthropologists in Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), as they discover a 30,000 year-old cave painting depicting a figure pointing to a group of stars….the same exact picture that has been found in places around the globe. Believed to be something that just may answer that fundamental question of ‘who we are’, Shaw is invited onto the vessel Prometheus. Captained by Janek (Idris Elba), but really lead by Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), the crew is also joined by David (Michael Fassbender), a 8th generation android. I won’t go into many more details as that would be just revealing spoilers, but I will just say that Scott has developed a film that defines what filmmaking is all about — that being the art of discussion.
Video Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Prometheus arrives with a 2:40:1 framed, AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer, which looks just as impressive as it did during my theatrical experience in June. Shot in high definition using the Red Epic camera with Zeiss Ultra Prime and Angenieux Optimo lenses, there’s one word to describe this transfer — stunning. Clarity and detail is the best I’ve seen from a day-and-date title in quite sometime. Facial close-ups and flesh tones are accurate, as are texture and detail. We can make out each little fabric on the varying pieces of clothing worn by our characters. Even the film’s different effects impressed me, while the film’s color palette (with its dark, gritty tone and feel) never lost detail, never faltered or ever gave an issue. Truly, this is an exemplary effort by Fox, Scott and his entire crew.
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Equally impressive is the film’s included DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix. From the initial opening, epic score moments by composer Marc Streitenfeld, to the closing action packed sequences, this track hits every note perfectly. Dialogue is well reproduced throughout. Even the quieter, sometimes hard to understand dialogue spoken by Fassbender’s David, is simple and easy to understand (with or without the optional subtitles). Atmosphere is top notch, particularly that of the different areas of Prometheus, all made us feel as if we were right on the ship with the crew themselves. Whooshes of the ship moving, or the rumbling, deep, immersive low-end of the ship taking off are prime examples of just how effective this track is. It hits the quieter scenes with a subtle tone, but then revs up when called upon. Personally, I’d mark this one down as a strong candidate for lossless audio presentation of the year.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
The included supplements are presented in High Definition. While the presented features are solid, do note that a majority of the extra features are only found on the 3D Release:
- Audio Commentary with Director Ridley Scott – In my personally opinion, Scott is one of the finest directors working today. His love for the craft of filmmaking is clearly evident here in this commentary. Scott goes into great depth explaining what he was trying to accomplish by making this film and, even though there are some quiet moments, this is a great listen for fans of the film.
- Audio Commentary with Writer John Spaihts and Writer/Executive Producer Damon Lindelof
- Deleted and Alternate Scenes – We’re given an additional 37 minutes of deleted/extended/alternate sequences. The scenes themselves, of which I won’t go into much depth, are a highly, highly recommended watch for those looking to know more about topics discussed in the film.
- The Peter Weyland Files – This runs 18:57 and is collection of promo videos used before the film’s release.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
Prometheus won’t please everyone, but for those looking to know more about the world and visions Scott had prior to Alien, this is a highly recommended watch. Equally recommended is Fox’s excellent Blu-ray for the film. With a perfect technical presentation on both fronts, and a series of great features, this is a disc you need in your collection.
Additional Screen Captures
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Purchase Prometheus on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack at CD Universe
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Purchase Prometheus on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy Combo Pack at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
This really is a beautiful looking movie, and the screen captures that you have show some of those finer details that make it one of the best Blu-Rays I have ever seen. I completely agree with you about Scott and he shares his passion for the craft in the special features. I loved this movie when I went to see it in theaters, and I was super excited when I heard it was coming out on DVD from a coworker at DISH. I would have loved to buy it, but cash is a little tight right now so I decided to spend the money on a month of Blockbuster @Home and to just rent it through that. I added it to my online queue a few days ago, and it came in the mail today. When I was watching it I was most impressed by the sound. It had my subwoofer shaking the whole house a few times, while at other times the slight scamper of an unknown enemy is featured just as well.