Point Break (Blu-ray) Pure Adrenaline Edition - Official AVSForum Review [Text View]

Ralph Potts

06-25-08, 07:48 PM

<img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=112073&d=1212605040"hspace="12"align="left">
The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692">

Extras: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692">

 Audio/Video total rating:
 ( Max score: 100 )
<h2>80</h2>
 
Studio and Year: 20th Century Fox - 1991
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 122 Minutes
Genre: Action

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: MPEG-4 (AVC)
Video Aspect: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
 
Audio Format(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey, Lori Petty, John C. McGinley
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Music by: Mark Isham
Written by: Rick King & W. Peter Iliff
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: July 1, 2008

 
<center><h2>"Lets get the adrenaline pumping!”</h2></center>

<h4>Film Synopsis:</h4>

 In this high flying, adrenaline pumping action hit, a young FBI agent named Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) goes undercover to bust a gang of bank robbing surfers. He soon falls under the spell of their charismatic leader Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), a mystical mastermind who will do anything for a thrill, and expects others to so the same.

<h4>My Take:</h4> When this film was first released in the early nineties I remember thinking how good it was. Conceptually it was really cool and Keanu Reeves was just getting started in his action based roles. 18 or so years later the film has lost some of its luster and feels a bit dated. That is not to say that I don’t like it anymore because that wouldn’t be true. I was just on the phone with my friend David Vaughn and we were discussing this film. Keanu Reeves is not someone that I consider to be a great actor. He does just fine for the roles that he is in and I like him. Watching this has reminded me of just how far he has come as an actor. His attempt at any dramatic acting in this film was less than noteworthy. Luckily Patrick Swayze’s performance and to a lesser degree Lori Petty’s kept things moving along. This story is well written and the pacing is such that it flows really well. There is surfing, football, fistfights, car chases, shoot outs and sky diving. These are the ingredients that keep action junkies happy. As a fan I am glad to see that Fox has decided to release this film on high definition Blu-ray disc.

<h4>Parental Guide:</h4>The rating is for violence, brief nudity, and language. The rating on this one is accurate and parents should bear that in mind with younger viewers.

 AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65 

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

<h4>Audio: 80</h4>
<ul>
<li>Dynamics: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Low frequency extension: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109945&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Surround Sound presentation: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Clarity/Detail: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Dialogue Reproduction: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699">
</li></ul>

<h4>Video: 80</h4>
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

<ul>
<li>Resolution/Clarity: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109945&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Black level/Shadow detail: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Color reproduction: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"></li>
<li>Fleshtones: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109947&d=1210373699"></li>
<li>Compression: <img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109946&d=1210373692"</li></ul>Point Break – pure adrenaline edition comes to Blu-ray Disc from Fox featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 32 mbps and lossless DTS-HD Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 4.3 mbps. The video presentation was a bit inconsistent but overall was satisfying for an 18 year old film. It lacked the vibrancy and definitive clarity that is generally present in the better high definition transfers I have seen. The use of color was interesting. In many shots colors appeared muted and at times de-saturated. Occasionally within the same frame it seemed like there were things in color that really stood out. The scene where Johnny is carrying his surf board around the FBI office is an example. His board is a really hot shade of pink and Angelo’s shirt is a light shade of teal. Pretty much everything else in the shot blends into the background while they draw your attention. I thought that was interesting. The problem is that when there are scenes that don’t have prominent pastel like colors in them the remaining colors look dull by comparison. Coinciding with that is the fact that detail ebbs and flows. Certain shots reveal an above average level of fine detail which offers glimpses of subtle textures and eye catching definition. Then there are times where resolution falls off and the image soften leaving a one dimensional and flat image. Blacks are slightly crushed leaving them with less depth and delineation. Shadow detail is very good at times, like the nighttime surfing scene during Bodhi’s party, and then less revealing at others. Grain was present and appeared well preserved. I detected some mosquito type noise in a few dark backgrounds but it was minimal. There was no problem with bit starvation or blocking type artifacts.The DTS-HD Master Audio was a pleasant surprise. Right off the bat I could tell that the mix had a fairly broad soundstage across the front three channels. As Johnny runs through the simulation sequence at the FBI pistol qualification range the gunshots had a concise and weighty presence that resounded from the front to the center of the room. As he makes his first attempt at surfing and is swallowed by the large waves the sweet spot was engulfed by the sounds of bubbling and forceful water. I was impressed by how good this scene sounded as the subwoofer chimed in to provide just the right amount of palpable low bass rumble that would be associated with crashing waves. This was the case throughout the various sequences in the film. Dialogue was intelligible and easily heard above other sounds present within the sound field. The recording certainly showed its age and didn’t have the dynamic impact and crystalline clarity of the best lossless audio presentations but for an 18 year old movie it sounded pretty damn good. I commend Fox for their strict use of DTS-HD Master Audio on their Blu-ray Disc title releases. 

<h4>Bonus Features:</h4>

Fox has ported over the bonus package included on the 2006 Pure Adrenaline DVD release. These are offered in high definition and were recorded in 2006. The four features contain the heart of the info with the best and longest (23 minutes) being the Make or Break piece. There are interviews with Patrick Swayze, Lori Petty, Gary Busey, John Philbin and Bojesse Christopher from the cast. The films writers and several producers offer their insights as well. There is extensive discussion about the production, reflections on making the film as well as what it was like working with one another. I think that Lori Petty is an attractive woman but for the life of me I can’t figure out why she shaves her head! Gary Busey is as strange as ever and Patrick Swayze looked a little thin but still in good shape. The remaining three features totaled about 21 minutes and were shot at the same time. They offered similar perspectives on the aspects of the film and offered an up to date look at one of the shooting locations in Malibu. The still gallery contained some very shots taken during the shooting of Point Break. Overall this is great stuff for fans. 

<ul>
<li>8 Deleted Scenes </li>
<li> (HD)Its make or break: Featurette</li>
<li>(HD)Ride the wave: Featurette </li>
<li>(HD)Adrenaline junkies: Featurette </li>
<li> (HD)On location in Malibu: Featurette</li>
<li> (HD) 3 Trailers</li>
<li>Still photo gallery</li></ul>

<h4>Final Thoughts:</h4>

Point Break seems to have a pretty large fan base. By today’s standards it may seem a bit passe within its genre but after this re-visit on Blu-ray Disc I think that it had a fresh feel. Fox has brought it to Blu-ray featuring video and audio quality that is definitely an improvement over any previous video release. The 2006 bonus package offers some up to date and attractive features that fans are sure to appreciate. 

<img src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=109949&d=1210373731" align=left>
 
 Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews

 Reference Review System:


Sony VPL-VW50 SXRD 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen
Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player
Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor
Outlaw Audio Model 7700 seven channel amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 seven Channel amplifier
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package