Unfortunately, the Blu-ray release also fails to excel. The black levels are very good, which is necessary in a film that is so dark, and there is plenty of detail, but from time to time there appears to be an issue with the focus. While it is possible that the film was shot with the intent of having only a portion of some shots in focus, it seems wrong upon viewing it. The issue certainly isn't one of depth of field, there are moments when part of someone's uniform will be sharp, but other parts are not. It is also an issue only inconsistently, making it that much more disturbing. The TrueHD 5.1 channel sound however, is quite strong, with good use of bass and the surrounds.
The extras included on the disc are relatively minimal. There is a feature commentary with Henstridge and Carpenter, as well as some behind-the-scenes featurettes. These behind-the-scenes looks are most notable for being mainly just "looks." There is no narrator to take the viewer through the filming in the desert or to deconstruct the special effects, they are just shown and then finished with.
The bonus features seem to suffer from the same issue as the feature itself – a strong sense that they could have, should have, and with a little more effort would have, been stronger.


.jpg?t=20120527181101)




Article comments