- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (24Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit), DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (48kHz/16-bit)
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Region: B (Region-Locked)
- Certification: 15
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: Artificial Eye
- Run Time: 112 Mins.
- Blu-ray Release Date: January 27, 2012
- RRP: £19.99
[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B005XK82BG[/amazon-product]
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
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)
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The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Based on the novel by Lionel Shriver and directed by Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a competently directed drama that confronts the question of how much responsibility a parent bears when their child does something terribly wrong.
Driven by an incredible performance by lead Tilda Swinton, the story tells of Eva (Swinton), a woman with a promising career whose life is put on hold when she has a surprise pregnancy. Selflessly putting life and career on hold, Eva pushes forward with her pregnancy and marriage, but when Kevin (Ezra Miller as a teenager, Jasper Newell, 6 – 8, Rock Duer as a toddler) finally comes along, it is clear that the relationship between mother and son is confrontational at best, and one of hatred at worst. Growing troubles with Kevin lead to him, finally, committing a gruesome crime at his high school that leaves the entire community in shock and the family warding off the derision of the community. Eva, feeling horror and guilt, shrinks away from her family, leaving husband (John C. Reilly; Carnage; Cedar Rapids) and daughter behind to contemplate whether it was all her fault to begin with.
Ramsay seamlessly weaves the past with the present in a pattern of contemplative interludes using light, shadows, music, and, mostly, the powerful acting of Ms. Swinton to convey the story from beginning to end, jumping from the past to Eva’s confused present with ease. We Need to Talk About Kevin, in this post-Columbine and post-Virginia Tech. world is a film that will linger on your thoughts long after the closing credits have scrolled.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The 35mm source in its 2.35:1 framing shows up in a clean and rather detailed AVC/MPEG-4 encodement on this Blu-ray release from Artificial Eye. The image overall has a bit of a soft, diffuse look, but detail is more than acceptable and there is a thinly layered grain structure that looks natural and consistent throughout. Details in shadows are nuanced, colors are nicely balanced, and flesh tones look reasonably realistic.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
A quiet and subtle yet very effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit) soundtrack that offers a balanced amount of atmospherics in the surrounds, direct sounds from the front and clean dialogue straight through the mix.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
The disc is light on extras, coming with only an HD trailer, which shouldn’t even be considered an extra at this point, and a brief interview featurette in standard definition.
The supplements:
- Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
- Cast and Crew Interviews (1.78:1; SD/PAL; 00:15:20) – The cast and crew give their interpretation of the film and its characters.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
It is important to consider these sorts of ideas in the increasingly complicated world we live in and We Need to Talk About Kevin does it intelligently. This beautiful drama, propped up by a stupendous performance by Tilda Swinton is A+ material. Highly recommended.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B005XK82BG[/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:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
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