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Host (The)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Entertainment In Video Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (16th February 2015). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and Extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Choose to believe. Choose to fight. Choose to love. What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? The Host is the next epic love story from the creator of "Twilight Saga", worldwide bestselling author Stephenie Meyer. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about Jared (Max Irons), Ian (Jake Abel), her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt), proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.
Video
Entertainment in Video have released the science fiction film "The Host" on to Blu-ray in the United Kingdom, using the original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The transfer is 1080p and receives an AVC MPEG-4 encode. To be frank, it is an excellent presentation. Cinematographer Roberto Schaefer has opted to give the film a sunkissed tint which suits the locations perfectly. Although intentionally warm, colours are still natural, especially skin tones. Blacks are perfect, very deep and inky and with no signs of crush at any point. The vivid imagery in longer shots adds a lot of depth to the picture, and the bright silvers of the vehicles reflects light naturally, and never causes any sort of blooming. Details are about as good as I have seen on the format. Starting with the close-ups, every little facial blemish and wrinkle is perfectly visible, and the small intricacies in clothing show crystal clear clarity and are absolutely outstanding. Mid-distance shots show off background items beautifully, whilst long-range shots, such as in the desert at 73:28, are mesmerising, with every little rock and pebble visible from afar. Often with high definition, special effects can look more fake than on DVD, but in this instance, it all feels seamless, with the effect of the eyes in the inhabited humans of particular note. The authoring of the disc is also much better than EiV's usual standard with no errors or noteworthy compression issues. There is no damage to the print, and I noticed no signs of aliasing or edge enhancement. Reference quality. The feature is uncut and runs 125:03.
Audio
Entertainment in Video have provided us with a single English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, and although it isn't reference material like the transfer, it is still a high end and immersive experience. For the genre, the track can be surprisingly low-key and centrally focused at times, but the surrounds jump into action when the occasion requires. The engines of vehicles receive a low end rumble through the LFE and slight echoes and environmental effects utilise the surrounds, along with Antonio Pinto's rather formulaic but suitable score. Dialogue is clear at all times, and channel separation and direction is perfect. There are no issues to report such as drop outs, pops, scratches, or background hiss. Optional English subtitles have been included for the hard-of-hearing.
Extras
We start off the extras package with an audio commentary with author/producer Stephenie Meyer, director/screenwriter Andrew Niccol and producer Nick Weschler. Unfortunately, this is quite a dragged out and boring commentary which fails to ignite any interest. The tidbits of information released are quite standard, though Niccol is probably the best participant as he has the most to say about particular shots and some of the departures from Meyer's original novel. Fans of the book and the film will probably find enough to enjoy here, but I found it to be woefully monotonous. Next, we have a small selection of deleted scenes: - "I Found Him" (0:39) - "What Am I Dying For" (0:44) - "Danger from Us" (0:25) - "Goodbye to a Body" (0:42) All four of these scenes are very short, and feel as though they were correctly edited out for pacing. The first is an extension of when Saiorse Ronan/Wanda is lost in the desert looking for Uncle Jeb, the second is a longer discussion between Ronan/'Wanda' when they are dehydrated under the tree, the third is extended dialogue from Jeb after they find Ronan/'Wanda', and the fourth is additional footage of Ronan/'Wanda' in the water. The final extra of note is the "Bringing the Host to Life" featurette (7:42). This is your standard backslapping self-congratulatory affair in which various members of the cast and crew pine about how great everyone was to work with without actually giving much tangible information. This is the sort of special you would expect to see as random filler on MTV. There are also some start-up trailers (11:59): - "Beautiful Creatures" (2:26) - "Silver Linings Playbook" (2:28) - "Stand Up Guys" (2:25) - "Chasing Mavericks" (2:28) - "Scary Movie 5" (2:10)
Overall
Could have been a good film, but the whole teenage love angle needed removed completely. They needed to concentrate more on the souls, and Diane Kruger's character was in desperate need of more screen time. It has to be said though, the A/V is excellent.
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