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The Book of Life (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

3K views 29 replies 19 participants last post by  Gooddoc 
#1 · (Edited)


Check out our review of this charming animated adventure about Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart.



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

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )

98



Details:

Studio and Year: 20th Century Fox - 2014
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 95 minutes
Genre: Family

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 2.39:1
Resolution: 1080p/24

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio, English/Spanish/French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Christina Applegate, Diego Luna, Channing tatum, Zoe Saldana, Kate Del Castillo, Hector Elizondo, Ron Perlman, Ice Cube
Directed by: Jorge R. Gutierrez
Music by: Gustavo Santaolalla
Written by: Jorge R. Gutierrez & Doug Langdale
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: January 27, 2015


"A spirited family adventure"


My Take:

The Book of Life, tells the legend of Manolo, a conflicted hero and dreamer who sets off on an epic quest through magical, mythical and wondrous worlds in order to reunite with his one true love and defend his village. But Manolo and his equally courageous best friend Joaquin are not your typical Prince Charmings. The object of their affections, Maria, is far from being your average princess in this coming of age fairytale that blends wondrous visuals with a rousing mix of adventure, action, comedy, romance and music.

I am admittedly a fan of animated adventures and while I hadn’t heard of The Book of Life prior to receiving the Blu-ray press announcement I was all in after reading its synopsis. As expected it’s a splashy and beautifully crafted family film with a culturally rich theme that compliments the proceedings. Narratively speaking there isn’t anything especially original in the story however the concept has an imaginative appeal that feels fresh. There’s a little bit of something for everyone as the story incorporates elements family, mythology, romance, action/adventure and comedy as well as a mix of contemporary music numbers set to the film’s thematic tone. It gets a little syrupy sweet at times but its purposeful execution is spot on and lots of fun. Hats off to co-writer/director Jorge R. Gutierrez and the wonderful voice cast for bringing his vision to life. I thoroughly enjoyed The Book of Life and found it to be pitch perfect family entertainment.


Parental Guide:

The rating is for mild action, rude humor, some thematic elements and brief scary images.


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.**



Audio: 96
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


  • Dynamics:
  • Low frequency effects:
  • Surround Sound presentation:
  • Clarity/Detail:
  • Dialogue Reproduction:
  • Low frequency extension * (non-rated element):
  • DSU Rating * (non-rated element):

Video: 100
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


  • Resolution/Clarity:
  • Black Level/Shadow Detail:
  • Color Reproduction:
  • Fleshtones:
  • Compression:


The Book of Life comes to Blu-ray Disc from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 28 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 5.3 Mbps.

This is a beautifully crafted digital film that looks amazing in high definition. From start to finish this presentation is nothing short of mesmerizing in its depiction of the film’s animated images. The video is exquisitely detailed, incredibly three dimensional and never left me wanting for fine degrees of subtle delineation and texture. The attention to detail in the construction of the animated characters physical features as well as objects within each frame is superb. The chromatic palette is rich with succulent primaries and vibrant secondary colors that exhibit subtle degrees of separation and eye pleasing depth. Contrast is exemplary and blacks are inky with extended dynamic range and deep gradational highlights. Those with high contrast displays will fully appreciate how superlative this high definition rendering looks. The film’s low level sequences look stunning as the dark and shadow filled backgrounds exhibit a near infinite level of dimension, with superb contrast and visible shading that draws out lots of detail. This is a terrific video presentation that makes for a great way to show off the capabilities of your video display.

This is an engaging DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio mix that utilizes the entire system to create a theater like experience. Sound staging is excellent as both the front and rear channels are seamlessly integrated so that sound effects seem to traverse the room. Surround activity is frequent as both directional and spatial information mixed to the rear channels weaves an enveloping pattern of sound. Dynamics are energetic and forceful which lends weight to the plethora of impact felt moments during the movie.

This isn’t an especially aggressive LFE mix however it makes regular use of the subwoofer to accentuate its dynamic range. In the early parts of the film bass response is respectable but not attention getting. In the third act that changes beginning with Manolo facing off against the giant bull. That sequence and later on during the battle in the village bass response has authoritative depth and palpably rich impact that can be room shaking. Dialogue is rendered with aplomb. The film’s music is an essential component to this soundtrack as it helps embolden the story with energetic instrumentation and high level detail that maintains a prominent but non dominating aural presence. This is an engaging audio presentation that mates perfectly with the video and source material. The combination makes for a terrific home theater experience that is best described as marvelous.



Bonus Features:
  • (HD)The Adventures of Chuy
  • (HD)Closer Look At The Book of Life
  • (HD)The Music of Life
  • (HD)Digital Carpenters: The Art Direction of The Book of Life
  • (HD)Music Machine
  • (HD)“No Matter Where You Are” Music Video by Us The Duo
  • Audio Commentary by Jorge R. Gutierrez
  • (HD)Galleries (interactive feature)
    1. Meet the Cast
    2. Visual Development – Color Keys
    3. Visual Development – Production Art
    4. Background Poster-Paintings
    5. The Final Look
  • Bonus DVD
  • Digital HD Copy


Final Thoughts:

The Book of Life is a splashy and beautifully crafted animated film with a culturally rich theme and sense of adventure that can be enjoyed by the whole family. It comes to Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment featuring superlative high definition video, excellent DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound and a fan friendly assortment of extras that are worth checking out. The Book of Life should be at the top of your Blu-ray rental on family movie night. Enjoy!






Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews



Reference Review System:

JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal)
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV7702 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and In-Ceiling series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SVS PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
SVS PC12-NSD
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
 
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#18 ·
Man, I was going to run over to Target today as they did not have Starred Up at Best Buy when I picked up John Wick. I was going to peek in Target and I would have picked up Book of Life if I would have seen it for $10 bucks.
 
#3 ·
Great review Ralph. We watched this Saturday night with the 5 grandkids from 2 to 10 years old... boy, this captivated us all and we think this is our newest family favorite. The quality, the colors, the music, the artistic images along with an excellent subject matter and story make this a very worthy one to own for us. The Book of Life is a masterpiece in family entertainment.
 
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#8 ·
My wife and I thought it was charming with beautiful artwork. My 11 year old son said..."Meh, too much singing and I hate it when they have to tell me the plot along the way." I agree completely with the over use of voiceover.
 
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#10 · (Edited)
Watched it on the weekend.

Right off the bat I noticed that the dialog and picture were so badly out of sync that my daughters complained about it being unwatchable.

The picture from the Yamaha BD1010 is going to the TV via HDMI and the sound is decoded on the player then sent to the receiver via 7.1 analog out (old Pioneer doesn't have HDMI).

The old Pioneer 49Txi was already maxed out for 200 ms delay and I had to go into the Yamaha BD1010 player to increase the Lip Sync (from 0 to 100 out of 200 max) in order to get the dialog and animated talking to match.

Awesome picture, sound and story - need to find some time to watch in 3D which I feel will be great as well.
 
#11 ·
The Blu-Ray version was sold out at my local Walmart, most likely because the film was a huge hit across the border (I live 3 miles from the US /Mexico border in Southern California). Checked Vons supermarket as suggested by my wife and managed to snatch the last copy.

The picture looks stunning on my Pioneer Kuro 141fd. The character and set designs are charming and very creative. Huge hit with the family.
 
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#12 ·
I love the "Day of the Dead" look, and was planning on renting this title. With Ralph's review and it being on sale at Target for $10 I may blind buy it.
 
#16 ·
I actually saw this in theaters on El Dia de los Muertos. I went to see it mostly because it was produced by Guillermo Del Toro, otherwise I might not have. Really glad I did, it was actually a wonderful movie. I'll be buying this for sure.
Seems this mostly flew under everyones radar, though that may be in part because it was steeped in Mexican culture and most white folks won't even watch a foreign film that hasn't been remade with American actors and lost all of its originality. /rant from a white guy
 
#26 ·
I seen this one in theaters with high expectations and I must say I was dissapointed, as was the family we double dated with. I thought it was overly ambitious in some ways and under in others. The story was the week point to me. I understand this is geared toward childeren but Im a huge animation fan and it left me wanting more. After 15 or 20 minutes the rest was predictable. The visuals were great though and that was enough to keep if from being a total let down. I think this is one I must watch a second time until I make a final decision.
 
#28 ·
Watched this with the family last night in 3D on the PJ and everyone enjoyed it. Great SQ and the PQ was just awesome.

The 3d was nicely done IMO.

There's a part where a sword blade comes out of the screen and you can see the reflection of the characters face in it. Very cool and a nice use of the 3d without over doing it.
 
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