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Bug (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Holland - A-Film Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (21st December 2013). |
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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.*** Probing the blurry lines between paranoia and nightmarish reality, BUG is an intense, mind-bending psychological thriller from Academy AwardŽ winning director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, French Connection). A lonely waitress with a tragic past, Agnes (Ashley Judd) rents a room in a run-down motel, living in fear of her abusive, recently paroled ex-husband (Harry Connick, Jr). But when Agnes begins a tentative romance with Peter (Michael Shannon), an eccentric, nervous drifter, she starts to feel hopeful again. But Peter starts to imagine some horrific presence; he believes there is an infestation of bugs but Agnes can't see anything. As Peter's visions of bugs get more intense he starts to believe that they are crawling under his skin. Agnes will either have to convince Peter he is deluded or face up to the possibility that they may be the victims of a twisted government experiment.
Video
A-Film have released William Friedkin's Bug onto Blu-ray in Holland at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer is 1080p and uses an AVC MPEG-4 codec. Unfortunately, this transfer leaves a lot to be desired, and might even just be an up-conversion from a previous HD master that was used for the DVD release. Detail is okay, but never strong enough to show off the capabilities of the format, and shadow detail is barely visible. There is a distinct lack of sharpness in some scenes, and background objects often appear fuzzy and blocky, rather than clear and sharp. Colours look reasonably good, but black levels are a little inconsistent. I also noticed some minor edge enhancement, and a little haloing in the scene that Michael Shannon first meets Ashley Judd. On the plus side, there are no real signs of damage in the print, such as scratches. Overall, the transfer is not really quite as bad as I am making it out to be. If this was a DVD, I would be giving it a very high score - but companies need to make sure they are pooling the available resources to make sure the consumer does not feel as though they are simply getting a reasonable looking transfer done at a low cost and with little effort. It's a bit of a let-down. The disc is region free, and the feature runs 101:43.
Audio
A-Film have provided two audio tracks for this release; English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For obvious reasons, I opted for the original language of English, and just like the transfer, I was left feeling underwhelmed. The track doesn't make enough use of the surrounds, which is a shame, because Bug is a film that relies heavily on atmosphere. Although it is normal for the dialogue to be centrally located, the score also tended to be more enthusiastic in the fronts than in the rears, as did the more subtle effects. Dialogue was clear at all times however, and there were no signs of any damage such as drop outs or scratches. Background hiss was also non-existent. Optional subtitles are available in Dutch and French.
Extras
None.
Overall
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