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Morning Light (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

4K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Ralph Potts 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

79






Studio and Year: Disney - 2009
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 98 Minutes
Genre: Documentary

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: N/A
Written & Directed by: Mark Monroe
Music by: Matter
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: June 16, 2009







"It's about the journey"



Film Synopsis:


Experience a riveting and inspiring true-life adventure aboard the high-tech sloop Morning Light. Fifteen rookie sailors have one goal in mind - to be part of her crew, racing in the most revered sailing competition on Earth, the Transpac Yacht Race. From start to finish, it's a rollercoaster ride of emotions and physical challenges, beginning with six months of intense training. Only eleven will survive to race in the grueling 2,225-mile Transpac. Matching wits and skills against experienced pros and the unforgiving, unpredictable Pacific Ocean, these young men and women develop a powerful bond and prove how dedication, teamwork and an unyielding spirit can overcome the greatest of odds.



My Take:


Morning lightis a true-to life, unscripted account of the selection and training of a crew of young adults for the oldest and most prestigious open sea race in the world, the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, Hawaii. Sometimes called the Indianapolis 500 of blue water ocean racing, the Transpac is a grueling competition that covers nearly 2,500 miles of ocean. First held in1906, the Transpac attracts elite competitors from all over the world, in a renowned ocean-going battle that can last well over a week. Producers Roy Disney and Leslie Demeuse, both passionate sailors, first participated in the Transpac more than 30 years ago. Disney held the mono hull record for the race from 1997 to 2005. Conceived In 2007, this unprecedented project to assemble and film a group of young sailors to crew the Morning Light, a 52-foot racing sloop, in the Transpac was an eager undertaking. They would be among the youngest crews ever to sail this grueling race.
What a phenomenal documentary that captured the team's selection, preparation, emotional journey, and sea-going adventures during the six months prior to the 2007 Transpac. I dont sail and prior to this review had no knowledge of the Transpac or the assemblage of this team. What a remarkable group of young people. I was impressed with their maturity, dedication and focus as they prepared for this exciting and dangerous race. Proper training is essential as help is very far away once you are out in the middle of the ocean. This applies not only to seamanship but care and maintenance of the vessel as well. The team must learn to rely on one another and everyone should be familiar with the other's strengths and weaknesses. The intimate look at the building of these relationships and how this team came together during this race was inspiring. The race itself was thrilling to watch as the team competed with many experienced sailors most of whom have competed in or won this race before. I watched it with my family and my 17 year old daughter was touched and impressed by what she saw. There is no question that this experience is one that can be life changing. I really enjoyed this and thought that it was extremely well done.



Parental Guide:


The rating is for some language.





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)


Audio: 78


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:





Video: 80


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

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

Morning light comes to Blu-ray Disc from Disney featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 29 mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.8 mbps.

This documentary style film boasts vibrant, rich and pleasing colors that stand out well against the outdoor, scenic ocean vistas. Fleshtones generally appear lifelike and quite natural in depiction. Resolution is good but can be a mixed bag depending on the camera angle. Images are resolved well in most cases as detail rendering and depth are appreciable. The use of vessel mounted cameras and night vision optics left many scenes looking typically colorless, flat and lacking in discernible definition however this comes along with their use. Blacks are stable but not noticeably strong but again this has more to do with the visual style of the film. Keeping that in perspective doesn't negate the fact that it is a factor in this presentation. The majority of this film looks great and is exactly what you might expect of a documentary like this that has been shot using high definition video cameras. The DTS-HD soundtrack ran similar patterns but overall sounded quite good. Dialogue during the numerous interview segments was crystal clear and definitively rendered. Dialogue that was recorded aboard ship using camera mounted microphones etc. could sometimes be less articulated and harder to discern. The pounding of the ocean surf against the Morning light's hull added palpable low frequency punch that rumbled nicely and The splashing waves and throbbing music score created an enveloping mix that occasionally blanketed the sound field. I thought that it sounded fine.



Bonus Features:

  • (HD) Stories from the sea: Hosted by Jason Earles - 28 Minute documentary

  • (HD) ESPN Special - Morning light: Making the cut - 41 minutes documentary





Final Thoughts:


Morning light is an invigorating look at the incredible journey of this group of young hopefuls as they prepare for what will be the most challenging experience in their young lives. Each is up to and eager for the challenge and I found all of them to be an inspiration. I salute Roy Disney and Leslie Demeuse for wanting to share this incredible experience with them by making this offer. It is captured and related well by Writer/Director Mark Monroe and is truly worth seeing. Its audio/video presentation conveys the essence and spirit of this undertaking quite naturally. The bonus supplements are limited but play well within the scope of this film and are worth checking out. If the opportunity presents itself give this one a spin.















Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





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Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen

Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)

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APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector

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#2 ·
I never heard of this movie until I read Ralph's review. I thought it was great. I enjoy sports in general and like watching the America's Cup, etc. but this is a film that, while it takes place on a sailboat, is not about sailing. Anyone would enjoy this film and I highly recommend it. The accomplishment of these young people is inspiring.
 
#3 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by cliff841 /forum/post/16758936


I never heard of this movie until I read Ralph's review. I thought it was great. I enjoy sports in general and like watching the America's Cup, etc. but this is a film that, while it takes place on a sailboat, is not about sailing. Anyone would enjoy this film and I highly recommend it. The accomplishment of these young people is inspiring.

Greetings,


I couldn't agree more Cliff. Thanks for sharing your impressions..


Cheers,
 
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