Valkyrie still holds together, and is thoroughly enjoyable depending on how familiar you are with this period of history. But it seems like a squandered opportunity, to have all of these things going for it, and then to leave out whole chunks of the back story, character introductions, and motivation.
Video / Audio
Valkyrie receives a nice, if imperfect, transfer to high-def. In general, detail is very crisp and contrast is handled well. The color scheme for the film is somewhere in between a muted vintage look and a more vibrant modern film, although the color that is present - handled especially well with the costumes and period set designs - stands out admirably. Some of the scenes, especially low-light interior and night shots, suffer a bit with grain and black level contrast. It's not terribly distracting, but it does knock it a notch below reference. But the cinematography itself is very well executed, and that carries through nicely to the Blu-ray transfer.
The audio for Valkyrie is strong, if a bit imbalanced. In general, the dialogue is mixed below a balanced level, making either the sound effects (most significantly in the few battle sequences) feel artificially elevated, or the dialogue scaled back on an exaggerated level. However, that aside, this is a lively and clear 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Dialogue is cleanly spaced in the front, and the sound effects and score receive excellent separation throughout the sound field, completely enveloping you in sections.
The Valkyrie Legacy
The definite highlight of the bonus materials - and for some, perhaps the entire disc - is the documentary The Valkyrie Legacy (HD, 114:15). Originally produced for the History Channel, this feature-length look at the real-life events surrounding Project Valkyrie covers everything from Hitler's rise to power to the aftermath of the war on Germany. It is a thorough and intriguing look at this infamous period in history, and a stellar addition to this disc.
Bonus Materials
"The Journey to Valkyrie" (HD, 15:56) chronicles the search for authentic storytelling, through the casting, story, and research, and selection of filming locations. "The Road to Resistance: A Visual Guide" (HD, 9:08) is a historical review of the events and locations portrayed in Valkyrie. Hosted and narrated by Philipp Von Schulthess, grandson of the film's main character, it lends a more thorough legitimacy and glimpse into the careful research of the movie. "The African Front Sequence" (HD, 7:01) is a behind-the-scenes look at filming one of the intense battle sequences. "Taking to the Air" (HD, 7:21) shows everyone being quite giddy about shunning CG effects with the aircraft shots, and using real, vintage planes. "Recreating Berlin" (HD, 6:51) shows some of the real-life locations from the historical period that they were able to shoot in. All of the above material contains some overlap in information, and could have been handled more effectively in fewer and more focused installments.
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