HD DVD Review: The Kingdom

THE MOVIE: 4 7/8 stars out of 5

The Kingdom stars Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as a team of elite FBI agents sent to Saudi Arabia to uncover who was behind a terror attack on a compound of US oil workers enjoying an afternoon softball game on the compound. The terror group was able to infiltrate the security service provided for the compound by the Saudi government. While only sent there as observers, the FBI team was able to secure enough cooperation with the Saudi government to investigate the attack themselves to become targets of the terrorists themselves. I found the movie to be well written and to present a thought provoking action thriller delving into the complexities of Saudi society, Middle East politics and terrorism. Throw in some intense action and some fine performances by the entire cast and you have an excellent film. Highly recommended.

THE VIDEO: 5 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this is an excellent looking transfer. The film has a rather stylized look in regards to color reproduction and this transfer presents it beautifully. While the color skews to the green, this release presents those colors exactly as they appeared in the theater. Black levels are deep giving the film a nice three dimensional image. Detail is outstanding as is shadow detail. You can see every pour in the actors’ faces as well as well as figures and textures lurking in the shadows. Both close-ups and far shots are clear and detailed. The overall picture is as sharp as a tack with no evidence of edge enhancement that I could see. Film grain is also well preserved also and never intrusive. There is little it anything to nitpick about this release on the video side. Very well done.

THE AUDIO: 4 2/3 out of 5

To the surprise of many (including the press release that accompanied the film which noted a Dolby True HD track), this film is presented in Dolby Digital Plus rather than Dolby True HD. I am sure that this will cause a stir and inflame the old debate over lossless vs. lossy. Since I am not an insider, I have no idea as to why this choice was made. I can only guess that the sound mix didn’t warrant a True HD track to those who made the decision. Don’t get me wrong, this is a fine sounding film. However, the mix is a mixed bag. Part of the film, especially the very beginning and the last 15 to 20 minutes rate a 5 out of 5, being reference in every way. The rest of the film is rather flat with the mix dominated by the front three channels. I have therefore chosen a score halfway between those two points. I would have preferred the whole film to be as immersive and dynamic as the beginning and end of the film. While the surrounds are engaged during the whole film, the sound is rather weak and drowned out by the front channels, with the exception noted above. Dialogue however, is excellent throughout the film and was well recorded, full and distinct and well placed in the mix. Dynamics at the beginning and end of the film is exceptional, with robust explosions and gunshots that rattle the room. The dynamics fall a little short during the rest of the film as noted. I really believe this to be the fault of the mix rather than the choice of audio codecs. When this film rocks, it really rocks. It just does not rock as long as I would have expected, given the nature of the film. Overall though, the film presents a very enjoyable audio experience.

EXTRAS

This release is chock full of extras with the U-Control feature providing Picture in Picture and Mission Dossier Surveillance. Also included are deleted scenes and web enabled features. All are well worth checking out.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, this is one excellent film and well worth a look. The video is outstanding as is the audio as noted above. The film features great action, a well written and thought provoking script, excellent acting and interesting insight into the dilemma presented by Saudi society, Middle East politics and terrorism. Highly recommended.

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