HD DVD Review: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

THE MOVIE: 2 3/4 stars out of 5

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, stars Will Ferrell as the top rated news anchor in San Diego in the 1970’s. The film is essentially a parody of the self absorbed talking heads news anchors that began in the 1970’s which continue to this day. This film has a twist in that it also deals with the rise of women in the workplace when Ron and the rest of the team are confronted with the threat of a female news anchor. The film co-stars Christina Applegate, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd and Fred Willard and also features Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn as rival anchors and cameos by Jack Black and Seth Rogen.

As one would expect from a Will Ferrell film, it features totally low brow humor. While it does have its moments, I did not find the film all that funny and would only rate it as a rental.

THE VIDEO: 3 7/8 stars out of 5

Encoded with AVC and presented in its original aspect ratio of 1:85:1, the video, like Bad Santa, is a mixed bag. While the colors are lush and accurate, the overall look of the film is rather soft, presenting a more soft image than even that of Bad Santa. The black levels are below what one would expect from the new major releases on either HD format robbing the film of the three dimensional “looking through the window” look that we have come to expect from the best HD transfers. Overall, the film looks good but not great and is a noticeable improvement over the prior DVD release. However, not by as much as one would have hoped.

THE AUDIO: 3 7/8 stars out of 5

The audio on this film is presented in Dolby Digital Plus. However, there is simply nothing special about the audio presentation on this disc. As one would expect, it is a dialogue driven film with little engagement of the surround speakers. On the whole, the dialogue is clear, smooth and distinct and well integrated in the mix. When used, the surrounds are used effectively, enveloping the room with a smooth and dynamic sound with good bass response. However, those instances are few and far between. While there is plenty of period music in the film, it is not presented with great fidelity, sounding rather flat overall unlike the aforementioned Bad Santa.

IN CONCLUSION

I am sure that fans of Will Ferrell will enjoy this presentation of Anchorman- The Legend of Ron Burgundy on HD-DVD as it is certainly an upgrade over the prior DVD release. For the rest of us, a rental will do.

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