- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit), LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: English HOH
- Region: B (Region-Locked)
- Certification: 18
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: StudioCanal
- Run Time: 95 Mins.
- Blu-ray Release Date: February 6, 2012
- RRP: £22.99
[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B00695A6RW[/amazon-product]
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.co.uk
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
–
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Writer/director Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur is at first a deceptively slight story, but in reality is a gripping and emotional human drama driven by nearly perfect dual performances by lead actors Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman.
Mullan plays Joseph, a man whose violent tendencies are tearing away at his soul. We first meet Joseph after a night of heavy drinking down at the pub, as he is wont to do, when he flies into a rage and kicks his dog, thereby injuring the defenseless animal irreparably leading to its death the next day. Eventually, Joseph’s rages lead him into an altercation with some young toughs in a pub that sends him running, not out of fear of repercussions, but, rather, running because he is at struggle with the beast within him. He finds himself cowering inside the Christian charity shop of Hannah (Colman). Hannah, oddly enough, doesn’t react negatively or call the police as some might, instead, Hannah prays for Joseph, sending him into tears. Soon these two individuals are developing an unlikely kinship that leads to their growth and comfort as people, but Hannah has her own personal demons that begin to threaten the solace of their friendship together.
Every frame of Tyrannosaur is like a painful window on the gutter of human existence. The film meanders much the way real life does, but always keeps your attention, owing much to the natural dialogue and the intense performance from Mullan who plays off the revelatory acting of Colman. Their uncanny chemistry goes a long way to making this challenging film well worth sitting through.
Tyrannosaur has been nominated for and won many coveted awards including Best Actress/Olivia Colman – British Independent Film Award and the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival (2011).
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
What looks to be an often solid transfer as far as closeup detail is just as often marred by color banding, which can most often be seen in the walls behind the characters when they are indoors. There is often some black crush here and there that hampers the overall nuance of the shadow details. In all, it is a watchable, but obviously imperfect AVC transfer from StudioCanal.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The audio, provided in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) and LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit) isn’t exciting, but it surely gets the job done for this dialogue-heavy affair. The voices are all full and clear without a hint of clipping and there are the occasional mild atmospherics to liven things up a bit, particularly in the scene where Joseph throws a wobbler over the dogs barking in the distance while sitting in his house with Hannah. I swore I’d left a window open somewhere and those sounds were coming from somewhere down the street.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
There isn’t a whole lot on offer here, but of particular interest will be the Dog Altogether short, which forms the basis for this feature film, and the numerous commentaries by writer/director Paddy Considine who adds a very informed and personal touch.
The supplements:
- Commentary with writer/director Paddy Considine and producer Diarmid Scrimshaw
- Dog Altogether short film(1.85:1; PAL; 00:16:34)
- Deleted Scenes with Optional commentary by writer/director Paddy Considine (2.35:1; 1080p/24; 00:11:40)
- Stills Gallery (1080p/24)
- Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
Tyrannosaur makes a good case for being the best British independent film of 2011, bar none. If you haven’t yet seen it, then this Blu-ray release from StudioCanal offers a great opportunity to. Highly recommended.
Additional Screen Captures
–
[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B00695A6RW[/amazon-product]
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.co.uk
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
–
