Andrew reviews the technical aspects and different versions of Noah that were released today. He's got wood.
Darren
Aronofsky’s most expensive and divisive project to date, Noah, hits blu-ray today in several unique offerings. There’s the standard edition which comes with
the blu-ray and DVD copy, Best Buy’s limited Steel-Book edition, Wal-Mart’s
edition which includes an unrelated CD of Christian Rock, and Target’s
“Wooden-Box” edition (really just a paper sleeve) with an additional blu-ray of
extras. The standard blu-ray includes 3
making-of featurettes, while Target’s edition contains 3 more. And for importers, there are several
releases including the international release with the 3D retrofitting. There are two reviews of the film on The
Movie Sleuth site, including one by the editor-in-chief and a rebuttal witness
by yours truly. This blu-ray review,
more or less, attempts to take a gander at the technical specifications of the
transfer.
Beginning with image quality, it
goes without saying Noah has been
transferred flawlessly to blu-ray.
Aronofsky’s frequent collaborator, Matthew Libatique, creates a visual
schema of gritty handheld close-ups and wide-angle symmetrical vistas of
Icelandic landscapes. While The Fountain was largely created on an
elaborate film set, most of Noah was
shot on natural locations, attempting to create a vision of the world untouched
by man. Much like The Fountain, a large portion of Noah is dimly lit, particularly when Noah and his family lock
themselves within the ark. Certain
sequences also make use of Aronofsky’s trademark high-contrast grain, notably
the opening shots of Adam and Eve eating from the fruit of knowledge. Industrial Light and Magic’s visual effects
are preserved beautifully on the high definition format. Overall, it’s perfect and provides newcomers
to blu-ray with a stellar demo disc to show off the benefits of HD television.
Equally strong, if not stronger, is
the DTS-HD 7.1 surround sound mix.
Unlike most 7.1 mixes which are ultimately bumps of 5.1 mixes on DVD, Noah fully utilizes all 7 channels with
a thundering soundtrack. This is one of
the few times where home video comes very close to replicating the theatrical
experience. Aronofsky’s unique sound
design of natural and metaphysical sounds come through crystal clear on the
format, and finally does make the argument that additional 2 sound channels of
7.1 have something to add over 5.1 audio.
Clint Mansell’s epic score, with notes harkening back to The Fountain, sounds as powerful as it
did in the exclusive IMAX presentation (which sadly only lasted a week). Dialogue, as expected, comes through loud and
clear. A perfect scene to demonstrate
the full spectrum of 7.1 involves the birds entering the ark for the first
time. You are literally plunged into the
middle of a massive flock of birds. For
those who currently only have 5.1 surround sound, Noah may persuade you to upgrade.
In terms of extras, the blu-ray release
is a bit fractured in that the standard release contains 3 making-of
featurettes, while the Target release contains 6 in total. Aronofsky fans will be pleased that Noah’s extras don’t take the usual route
of standard Hollywood promotional featurettes.
As with every Aronofsky release, his right-hand documentarian Niko
Tavernise shoots and edits the making-of contents, covering virtually every
aspect of the production. There’s
footage of the first day of production (which was rained out), location scouting,
and the building of the ark set used in the film. Target’s edition contains featurettes on the
creation of ‘The Watchers’, the rock giants used to build the ark that freaked
out ILM technicians and Paramount Pictures, and the creation of the film’s soundtrack
and sound design. There’s a bit more
behind-the-scenes footage of the stoic Russell Crowe clowning around than you
would expect. It’s also interesting to
see Aronofsky regular Mark Margolis on the Iceland locations, roughly
performing his voice work for The Watchers.
Given just how many different
releases of Noah are coming out, I’d
say take your pick based on how interested you are in the extras or your
preference for cover art. As for the
disc itself, it’s absolutely flawless and presents a reason for home video
owners to upgrade their equipment to take full advantage of the disc’s
technical offerings. While Noah might not be Aronofsky’s strongest
film for some, and one that continues to divide the world over (including being
banned in some territories), it’s the first “Hollywood” effort in years to
emerge with a sharp auteur behind it.
Whatever is onscreen wasn’t compromised by the bigwigs that be, and is
totally Aronofsky’s unfettered vision of what it must have been like on Noah’s ark.
-Andrew Kotwicki