Empire DVD Review

Presented anamorphically at approximately
2.35:1 Empire certainly looks
the business on DVD. Full of smoky
interiors with thin beams of light
streaming between window blinds, rich
warm colours and deep, true blacks,
the film looks simply incredible.
Couple this with the fact that there is
no colour bleed, edge-enhancement,
artefacting or excessive grain to spoil
the image and everyone's happy.

This rather aggressive sounding film
benefits immensely from the inclusion
of well-encoded Dolby Digital 5.1 and
DTS audio mixes. All of the speakers
are used to good effect, with plenty of
clearly defined spatial movement
occurring across the mix. Bass levels
also impress, ensuring that whichever
mix you choose, you'll get plenty of
bang for your buck.

Empire comes packed with a very
strong selection of goodies. First up
is The Making of Empire, a decent
21-minute featurette. Director Franc
Reyes and DoP Kramer Morgenthau
team up for an interesting full-length
audio commentary track. You will also
find a reel of deleted scenes, a short
four-minute collection of soundbites
taken from the film's LA premiére, the
theatrical trailer and a sampler for the
movie's CD soundtrack.An interesting and visually arresting new
spin on old material makes for another fine
disc from Universal Picture Video.