State of Play - Blu Ray review
So, some of us liked Pelican Brief. And some of us have new kick ass Atmos or DTS-X 11 channel surround systems. Now how about a movie that meets the same thrill and has that pulsating story, and on top of that, has a soundtrack that ensconces you in surround sound, and adds tension, drama and impact to it?
State of Play is actually adapted from a British production, and the Brits know how to make a terrific plot. Add a whole host of marquee actors, increased the production values and you have a gripping thriller.
You have the likes of a few Academy award winners here, including Helen Mirren, Russel Crowe, backed up by some very solid acting from Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams and Batman Affleck, along with a few more supporting acts that work well together in a political drama that started with a murder under a bridge, an affair, a suicide and the only odd thing that stuck out was that the reporter played by a lion maned Crowe, smelt a rat.
Now you may think that this is no movie for bass heads and yes, I do concede that it won't be a continuous pummelling of your senses, but the bass is used to provide solid tension, and when the sniper fires, there's a solid thump too.
The money is in the surround effects, with all the speakers being involved. Despite being 'only' a DTS-MA 5.1 production, those with the more advanced surround systems can add Neural X to the mix and you definitely feel the helicopter flybys, the rain effects and more coming from on top. Each street scene is filled with sound, and you feel right in the middle of things.
When it does get rough, the bass does come in and there are very precise placement effects and the sound is crisp. When spent rounds drop onto the floor, there's a nice ring, and you will get lots of details.
This is also a good disc to test the noise floor in your system, as you don't really need to turn it up very loudly, especially if you have a really quiet room for your setup.
Plot: 4/5
Action: 3/5
Recommended for a viewing at least, and for those into political thrillers it's a keeper. The disc itself is a beauty of a demo on how to elicit solid ambience.
State of Play is actually adapted from a British production, and the Brits know how to make a terrific plot. Add a whole host of marquee actors, increased the production values and you have a gripping thriller.
You have the likes of a few Academy award winners here, including Helen Mirren, Russel Crowe, backed up by some very solid acting from Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams and Batman Affleck, along with a few more supporting acts that work well together in a political drama that started with a murder under a bridge, an affair, a suicide and the only odd thing that stuck out was that the reporter played by a lion maned Crowe, smelt a rat.
Now you may think that this is no movie for bass heads and yes, I do concede that it won't be a continuous pummelling of your senses, but the bass is used to provide solid tension, and when the sniper fires, there's a solid thump too.
The money is in the surround effects, with all the speakers being involved. Despite being 'only' a DTS-MA 5.1 production, those with the more advanced surround systems can add Neural X to the mix and you definitely feel the helicopter flybys, the rain effects and more coming from on top. Each street scene is filled with sound, and you feel right in the middle of things.
When it does get rough, the bass does come in and there are very precise placement effects and the sound is crisp. When spent rounds drop onto the floor, there's a nice ring, and you will get lots of details.
This is also a good disc to test the noise floor in your system, as you don't really need to turn it up very loudly, especially if you have a really quiet room for your setup.
Plot: 4/5
Action: 3/5
Recommended for a viewing at least, and for those into political thrillers it's a keeper. The disc itself is a beauty of a demo on how to elicit solid ambience.
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