2 Young: 2 Disc Edition DVD Review

Presented with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio anamorphic widescreen transfer, 2 Young looks only average in terms of quality. The detail is generally very good, but there are moments of softness when there really shouldn't be and some scenes exhibit noticeable grain. Occasionally it looks absolutely stunning, but lacks consistency in this regard. The colour scheme is fairly bright but not very luscious - although this only adds to the realistic feel of the drama - and the blacks are solid and deep. Although the transfer is perfectly watchable and does suit the material, it is less than exemplary, even boasting one or two print defects - the first I have come across in some time.

This release of 2 Young has three tracks but the only one really worth bothering with is the original language Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 mix and even that is distinctly limited by the sound design. I can appreciate that the movie does not have anything particularly dynamic in the way of content, but that does not justify a track almost entirely biased to the frontal array. The dialogue comes across clearly but the score seems distinctly muffled through the rears and the tracks behaves little better than its Dolby 2.0 little brother. There is also a dubbed Mandarin track. I should also point out that the subtitles are not fantastic, although considering some of the subtitles I have come across recently (not least on Colour of the Loyalty), I was grateful that these generally made sense and did not require too much deciphering.

We get a whole disc-full of special features with this release of 2 Young but, yet again, the entire effort is wasted on Western audiences because none of the features have subtitles. You can watch some behind the scenes footage but cannot understand the interviews, endure the deleted scenes with no idea what is being said and fail to get the jokes in the gag reel - and it is all basically a waste of time. Still, the photo gallery looks nice.
2 Young manages to get across a 'consequences of your actions' message without ever seeming trite, telling a story of young love and old beliefs and featuring a fantastic cast of now and next generation stars. The video and audio representation let the side down a little and the subtitles are far from perfect and the lovely 2-disc box set boasts a bevy of extras that are pointless without subtitles but none of it detracts from the quality of the drama itself. You should not underestimate this warm little movie, it is well worth your time.