Colombiana (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

90

Film Synopsis:

From writer/producer Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Leon: The Professional ) comes Colombiana. Zoe Saldana plays a young woman who has grown up to be an assassin after witnessing the murder of her parents as a child. Turning herself into a professional killer, she remains focused on her ultimate goal: to hunt down and get revenge on the mobster responsible for her parents' deaths.

My Take:

I will forego any further breakdown of the plot as Colombiana is a paint by the numbers revenge flick that offers no surprises and features conventional action that proves mildly entertaining. Writer's Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen's signature is easy to spot in this strong female character. There are several scenes that reminded me of Le Femme Nikita and Leon, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The problem is the lack of character development and the overuse of the narrative plot points associated with the girl that becomes a lethal weapon to avenge. There is an extended chase scene, lots of pyrotechnics and weak attempts at intrigue and drama. Colombiana really isn't bad per se, but the ho hum factor makes it less compelling. On the upside Zoe Saldana is fun to watch and does a good job with a mediocre script and phoned in direction. At best this is middling popcorn entertainment. At worse it is a fast food mish mash that genre fans won't find enticing enough to sit through. I would say that I am in the at best category but must admit that most of that is due to my fondness for Zoe.

Parental Guide:

This film contains violence, language and brief sensuality.

Audio: 88

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Video: 92

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Colombiana comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 2.6 Mbps.

This is a reference quality Blu-ray offering from Sony that looks terrific in high definition. The video is razor sharp with a slightly edgy but otherwise pristine quality that is visually pleasing. Detail rendering is nearly flawless with lucid visual acuity and fine articulation that brings forth lots of subtle detail in the images onscreen. Colors are rich and delineated with oversaturated primaries and warm tonality that make them pop nicely. The extensive palette of secondary hues that represent the period colors featured in the story, appear vivid and warm. Flesh tones are natural with varying degrees of complexional separation among the cast. Boldly applied contrast and consistent black levels provide excellent balance during bright scenes containing mixed content. Shadow detail is strong which brings out plenty of discernible texture in low/uneven lighting and dark backgrounds.

The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio surround mix does a nice job rendering the film's soundtrack. Dialogue has excellent intonation and clarity which allows even subtle changes in vocal pitch to be appreciable. This is a well balanced audio presentation that quite often engages the entire system. Dynamic range is excellent and the soundstage has an open expression that allows its elements to extend well into the room. Discrete rear channel activity isn't extensive however the action based elements provide an enriching level of immersion which is generated by a seamless sound field. The action is empowered by near field sound effects, and robust dynamics that energize the room. The LFE channel is frequently active and reproduces the film's extended lower bass frequencies with visceral impact that has palpable extension.

Bonus Features:

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• (HD) Colombiana: The making of - 25 minutes
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• Cataleya's journey - 9 minute featurette
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• (HD) Assassins - 12 minute featurette
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• (HD) Training a killer - 6 minute featurette
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• (HD) Take the ride - 7 minute featurette
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• BD-Live enabled

Final Thoughts:

Colombiana is a middling actioner that brings absolutely nothing new to the genre table. When you're in the mood for a little mindless action it may qualify especially if you like star Zoe Saldana. It comes to Blu-ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in a technically strong offering that features reference quality video and excellent DTS-HD Master Audio sound. The bonus package consists of a series of repetitive production featurettes, one or two of which are worth checking out if you enjoyed the movie. If you're curious give it a rent otherwise wait and catch it on cable.