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Blu-ray.com reviews the Dawn Treader

Daniel James

Blu-Ray.com has reviewed The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on both its content and its technical aspects!

Here’s an excerpt of their review of the story itself:

“…Nonetheless, Dawn Treader will probably capture kids’ attentions, which is what matters most for this kind of oversized production. The child-empowering action rarely ceases, there’s a cuddly animal sidekick in Simon Pegg’s furry pint-sized warrior Reepicheep, and there’s just enough of the scary stuff to keep wee ones on the edge of their seats. Presiding over it all is Liam Neeson’s Aslan, the King of the Jungle-slash-Lord of Lords who delivers the film’s parting, proselytizing message: ‘In your world I have another name. You must learn to know me by it. That was the very reason you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.'”

 

There is also a quite lengthy but informative review about the technical aspects of the film. Here are the ratings they gave (for the Blu-ray):

-Video quality: 4/5

-Audio quality: 4.5/5

-Special Features and Extras: 3/5

-Overall Score and Recommendation: 3/5

 

There are some special notes covered in the review, particularly about the changed aspect ratio. Here’s what they had to say about it:

“Ever since fans noticed that Dawn Treader was advertised to have a 1.78:1 framed image on Blu-ray—instead of the “Scope” 2.39:1 ratio with which it was exhibited in theaters—there’s been a lot of heated internet speculation about the film’s 1080p/AVC encode. Some were espousing a worst-case scenario—that the sides of the picture had been unceremoniously lopped off, harkening back to the dark pan ‘n’ scan days of yore. Fortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the situation. I’ve taken several screengrabs from the Scope theatrical trailer included on the disc, and when you compare them to the shots from the 1.78:1 film you can immediately see that no cropping has occurred. Rather, what we have here is another Avatar scenario, where the film was shot in 1.78:1, printed in Scope at 2.39:1 for its 35mm theatrical showings, and then re-opened up for Blu-ray. The key reason for this, from James Cameron’s perspective, was to make the most use of available screen real estate, and I’m assuming this is also the intent of Dawn Treader’s Blu-ray producers. If you take a look at the 19th and 20th screenshots in this review—the first from the film, the second from the trailer—you can make your own comparison.”

Below are the screenshots mentioned in the paragraph above. The first shows what the movie looked like in theaters (2.39:1), and the second shows what it looks like on Blu-ray (and, presumably, on DVD as well) (1.78:1).

 

 

Another special note: Although the film, while released in theaters, had 7.1 surround sound, the Blu-ray/DVD only has 5.1 surround sound.

“Voyage of the Dawn Treader featured a 7.1 surround mix in theaters, but on Blu-ray 20th Century Fox has—for reasons unknown—stuck with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Granted, the percentage of viewers who have 7.1 home theater set-ups is probably a small slice of the film’s potential audience, but if you have a ready-made 7.1 mix, why not use it? Still, I don’t feel too cheated; two missing channels aside, this is a strong and almost constantly active lossless audio track, one that—cranked loud enough—will certainly put your speakers through the paces. From the start we get WWII-era Spitfires roaring through the rear channels, rushing, gurgling water filling the surrounds during the painting-come-to-life scene, and enough windy, oceanic ambience to convince you that you’re at the beach. From here, the sonic insanity only escalates; one-footed Dufflepuds hop around us, their voices circling ominously; storms rage on the open seas, sending rain and spray in every direction; the dragon fight is filled with zipping, cross-channel arrows, leathery fluttering wings, and gut-throbbing LFE undertones. It all sounds wonderful, with rock-solid low-end response, punchy engagement, and clarity throughout the dynamic range. David Arnold’s score has similar presence— and sets an appropriately adventurous tone—and the dialogue crests cleanly over these wild aural waves, always clean and intelligible. Even without the extra surround channels, I’m tempted to give this track full marks.”

 

Below is a list of all the special features and extras that come on the Blu-ray disc.

 

Goldwater Island

Lone Islands

Magician’s Island

Dawn Treader

The Dark Island

Ramandu’s Island

BD-Live Exclusives

 

 

You can read the entire article (which also contains several more details which are worth reading, as well as 19 high quality screenshots from the Blu-ray) HERE.

Also, you can buy any version of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on the Family Christian Stores site HERE.

 

 

 

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