HD DVD Review: White Noise

THE MOVIE: 3 stars out of 5

White Noise stars Michael Keaton as Jonathan Rivers whose wife dies in a tragic accident. Before he learns of her death, he is approached by a mysterious man who tells him that she is in fact dead and tells him of a way he can contact her via EVP or electronic voice phenomena. Essentially, EVP involves the dead being able to communicate with us through static on TV’s. He gets hooked on the whole EVP experience buts learns, too late, of the fact that there are others on the other side who intend to do him and others physical harm in the here and now.

THE VIDEO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

Encoded with VC-1 and presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:35:1, this is a very good looking encode. Not surprising given that it is a ghost film, the film has a very stylized look, taking its cue from the color balance in the image of static on an empty TV channel. Accordingly, the film has a cool look white a hot while balance. However, the film has a razor sharp image with excellent depth. Daylight scenes look particularly impressive with excellent flesh tones and detail. The only problem with this release is a bit of noise in the dark scenes. However, that will only be an issue for those with very large screens. This noise should not really be an issue for those with screen sizes under 50 inches provided you are sitting 10 feet or more from the screen. Even for those with larger screens, I doubt that you will find this noise levels to be too distracting.

THE AUDIO: 4 stars out of 5

Encoded with Dolby True HD, this sound of this film is surprisingly kind of flat. Accordingly, it does not have the type of eerie sound field that pulls you into the film greatly adding to the tension and suspense of the visuals. This film cries out for more aural suspense, of the kind that makes you jump out of your seat when the surrounds are engaged suddenly. That type of sound field is not used which is a shame as it would have greatly added to the film’s video presentation. All is not lost however, as the overall sound of the film is fairly smooth with good albeit not stellar bass. Dialogue is well recorded and well presented in the mix. I just wish that a more immersive sound field would have been used to give the film a more eerie and suspenseful overall sound which would have helped pull you into the story better.

IN CONCLUSION

While enjoyed the film, I did not enjoy it enough to rate it any better than a rental. If you are looking for a nice ghost story to watch on a weekend, given this film a look.

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