- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Video Codec: MPEG-2
- Resolution: 108op/24
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English, Cantonese, Korean, Spanish
- Region: A
- Rating: R
- Discs: 1
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Blu-ray Release Date: May 11, 2010
- List Price: $24.99
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BestBuy.com:
Purchase The Edge on Blu-ray at CD Universe
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Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:2.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
The Edge is writer David Mamet’s (Glengary Glen Ross; The Untouchables) 1997 morality play rolled into a survival thriller in the capable hands of director Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day). The pulse-pounding film finds three men (Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Harold Perrineau) stranded in the Alaskan wilderness when their plane goes down and no one knows where they are. In Alaska for photography shoot of billionaire Charles Morse’s (Hopkins) much younger supermodel wife (Elle Macpherson) the city slickers suddenly find themselves in a race against time and a battle against not only nature, but also themselves to survive.
The ongoing flood of revelations between Morse and photographer Robert Green (Baldwin) threaten to derail the men’s chances at survival unless an uneasy truce is met and maintained, but will it hold, and who, if anyone will survive?
Tamahori’s direction, the beautiful Alaskan backdrop and more than a few run-ins with a man-eating bear make The Edge one of the more exciting thrillers one can watch. Hopkins turns in a typically brilliant performance and lifts the level of Baldwin to above average.
Video Quality
[Rating:2.5/5]
Are we seriously still getting MPEG-2 encodings on BD-25 discs at this juncture in Blu-ray’s life? Apparently so, because that is exactly what we get with this release of The Edge from Fox. The 2.35:1 MPEG-2 encoding will take you back to 2006 showing all the signs of a not so great, but not completely awful Blu-ray encoding. Flesh tones are a bit on the pinkish side and there is some film judder evident as well. Detail is quite fine in close up shots, but backgrounds are rather soft and diffuse.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack for The Edge is nicely done. It is spacious and dynamic with clean dialogue and loads of ambience. Jerry Goldmith’s score is beautifully balanced into the mix. Discrete sounds populate the surround channels when appropriate to engulf the listener in a wide soundscape, like during Chapter 12’s thunderstorm that cracks and booms from all around.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
There are no true supplements here, just a few trailers for some other releases from Fox:
Trailers:
- Fox on Blu-ray
- Broken Arrow
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
- Flight of the Phoenix
- The Siege
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
For the thrill of your life and a true man vs. wild adventure, The Edge is a must see film. What makes it special, however, is it goes beyond simple survival thriller and blends in elements of mystery and intrigue that make it a true edge of the seat drama — if only the transfer from Fox was up to the task.
Additional Screen Captures:
BestBuy.com:
Purchase The Edge on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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