Gone Baby Gone Blu-ray Review

by AVForums
Movies & TV Shows Review

2

Gone Baby Gone Blu-ray Review
MSRP: £34.98

Picture

Gone Baby Gone is a very difficult transfer to review - this is mainly down to the way it's shot. However, it is brought to Blu ray in a theatrically correct ratio of 1.85 : 1 and with a 1080P transfer.


The film is shot with a very naturalistic style, and is diffused with different shades of blues and silvers. The colours are beautifully rendered, and you really do feel that you are involved in the environment - but the colour palette is not the most challenging or vibrant that has ever been used. Blacks are certainly deep and dense, and contrast is excellent.


The true HD experience is visible through the level of detail and depth present in the transfer which is exemplary. In the outdoor scenes, the picture seems almost three dimensional with the streets of Boston brought to life and the detail on buildings and cars immersing the viewer into the world that Affleck is presenting.


As should be expected from such a recent film, the transfer is completely free of any blemish and is in tip top condition. If I had to pick out some minor faults it would be that sometimes detail is lost in shadowy scenes but you really do need to be looking hard to notice this.

Gone Baby Gone

Sound

Considering that it is not a rip roaring action film, it is quite surprised to see this disc blessed with a PCM 5.1 track with 24 Bit resolution - but once you sit down and watch the film it is clear why.


The audio mix here is fantastic and although it is quite a quiet film, the ambience that is presented is something special. From beginning to end all five speakers are used extensively to present a realistic soundscape that truly immerses you in the film. Ambient effects are beautiful presented in the rear, and when required the sub generates the explosive effect of gunfire and shakes the room.


The score is a little anonymous but it is well balanced within the mix - never drowning out the dialogue which is clear and anchored well.

Gone Baby Gone

Extras

All the extras from the SD release have made it across, but we get no exclusive Blu ray material. Things are kickstarted with a Director and Writer commentary . Rabid film fans will get a lot out of this very technical commentary which certainly goes into a lot of detail, but I am afraid that I found it all rather dry and boring with Affleck talking at great length about every aspect of the production.


We then get Deleted Scenes and alternate ending with and without commentaries. These are very similar to the included material and really do not merit inclusion here. They are even worse with the commentaries as Affleck sounds totally bored.


Finally, we get two very brief behind the scenes featurettes each lasting less than 10 minutes. Whereas these are certainly far from being promotional fluff material, they are also far too short to go into too much detail. As far as they do go, however, they are certainly interesting.

Gone Baby Gone
Gone Baby Gone is a strange film. Technically it is an extremely accomplished film, but ultimately it is hampered by the source material and an ending which is quite frankly stretching credibility just a little too far. It is an easy film to admire, but for this reviewer at least, it was not so easy to actually like it.


On Blu ray, Affleck's directorial debut is well presented with excellent AV quality although sadly the extras are a little too patchy and the really interesting stuff is over before it is really begun.


It is certainly a disc that a film buff who missed it at the cinema will want to check out but it seems to just miss the mark on an emotional level - which is a great shame.

Scores

Movie

.
.
.
7

Picture Quality

.
.
8

Sound Quality

.
9

Extras

.
.
.
.
6

Overall

.
.
.
7
7
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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