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White Squall
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
"White Squall" may have introduced audiences to a lot of young actors who have gone on to other films; this movie in particular is moderately entertaining, but not as good as it probably could be. The film is directed by ace director Ridley Scott("Thelma and Louise", "G.I. Jane") and offers a good lead performance from Jeff Bridges. The movie is occasionally intense, but the film sometimes could be tighter - at 129 minutes, it begins to have moments that drag out.
The film is based on the true story of the Albatross, a sailing ship who took on a number of troubled young men who learned discipline and hard work from a tough skipper (Jeff Bridges). The film stars Ryan Phillipe, Scott Wolf, Ethan Embry, Jeremy Sisto and many others as the film's crew; they are generally given character details, although with so many of them, the film generally isn't able to make them each fully-written or really interesting characters.
The sequences of sailing and the troubles the boat encounters are entertaining and enjoyable, but it's the conversations between the characters that drag out. The boys fight with one another and have other such incidents; none of them are too interesting. All of it is, of course, leading up to the squall sequence of the title, which is very well-done, and almost a well-done mini-movie of its own.
The problem is that the film then heads into a courtroom sequence that's a slow ending to an already lengthy movie. Possibly had the boys been better written characters, maybe the movie would have been more entertaining. As it is, "White Squall" is an adequate film - well done technically, but the story and dialogue could use some work.
The DVD
VIDEO: This is one of the many titles that Disney has unfortunately done which are non-anamorphic; the beautiful images of the film are certainly still watchable here, but there is certainly a strong sense that the film could be presented with a more detailed, sharper image. Sharpness is usually adequate, although some sequences seem noticably softer in nature than others. Detail is passable, but not great. Clarity is occasionally lacking, but only occasionally and slightly.
As the film moves on, it becomes even more apparent that an anamorphic transfer might have made for a smoother image. The scenery is magnificent in this film, which was shot in Georgia and the surrounding area, as well as the West Indies and Bermuda, among other beautiful places. This makes for some gorgeous colors; deep blues, greens and other colors look stunning at times here, and they are well-saturated and without fault.
There are some faults that are noted here, though. Aliasing and pixelation are occasionally visible, although not hugely distracting, simply noticable. The print used displays a slight mark or two, but this did not prove to be a problem. When "White Squall" looks good, it looks very good but not as good as it could. If this was anamorphic, it would very likely smooth out the flaws that are visible here, and make for a more well-defined image. With a film like this that is visually so great at times, that would be a definite plus. The widescreen edition included here is letterboxed at 2.35:1.
SOUND: Although much of the film isn't quite as amazing in terms of sound as the demo sequence that shares the movie's title, the audio for the film is still a rich, well-done effort. Jeff Rona's score is a dramatic, intense one and it has a powerful, deep presence here. Even in its more subtle moments, it has a smooth, natural clarity that is extremely pleasing.
All speakers work to create a natural sounding environment and a good sense of space, although there are times when even more detail could have been added to the soundfield. The surrounds generally serve up the score as well as subtle sounds like water splashing around the boat. The front speakers also do a fine job at creating the scene. When the sailing ship goes a little faster, the soundfield becomes more engaging, with wind coming at the boat intensely and the waves crashing against and around the boat. Scenes like this are definitely convincingly portrayed, bringing the viewer right into the middle of the action. There is one scene about 39 minutes or so into the movie where the creaking of the boat seems to be coming from all around, and really is an effective although minor touch.
Certainly, the squall sequence (chapter 17) is an audio workout, with waves smashing from all sides, and impressive surround use as the ship begins to fall apart under the beating of the water and wind. This sequence certainly packs a serious punch, and is presented extremely well by the film's audio. Lastly, dialogue is clear, but sometimes slightly thin. I found the film's audio to do a very good job at building the environment, but the Squall squence really is the star of the show as far as sound is concerned.
MENUS:: The usual, just the cover art used once again for the background of the main menu. No animation, no score.
EXTRAS: The trailer (Full Frame/Dolby 2.0) as well as a 5 minute featurette that is actually pretty good. Although most of the short featurettes that are included on Disney titles are nothing more than extended trailers, this provides informative looks at how the squall sequences was done, as well as interviews. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's better than the usual short featurette, and it's somewhat nice to have something beyond just the trailer on a Disney catalog title.
Final Thoughts: "White Squall" is a decent although not terribly remarkable film; the DVD has its pleasures, although the extras section is not one of them. Picture quality is good but could be improved - sound quality is much more successful, taking the viewer into the middle of the scenes. A rental, maybe.
"White Squall" may have introduced audiences to a lot of young actors who have gone on to other films; this movie in particular is moderately entertaining, but not as good as it probably could be. The film is directed by ace director Ridley Scott("Thelma and Louise", "G.I. Jane") and offers a good lead performance from Jeff Bridges. The movie is occasionally intense, but the film sometimes could be tighter - at 129 minutes, it begins to have moments that drag out.
The film is based on the true story of the Albatross, a sailing ship who took on a number of troubled young men who learned discipline and hard work from a tough skipper (Jeff Bridges). The film stars Ryan Phillipe, Scott Wolf, Ethan Embry, Jeremy Sisto and many others as the film's crew; they are generally given character details, although with so many of them, the film generally isn't able to make them each fully-written or really interesting characters.
The sequences of sailing and the troubles the boat encounters are entertaining and enjoyable, but it's the conversations between the characters that drag out. The boys fight with one another and have other such incidents; none of them are too interesting. All of it is, of course, leading up to the squall sequence of the title, which is very well-done, and almost a well-done mini-movie of its own.
The problem is that the film then heads into a courtroom sequence that's a slow ending to an already lengthy movie. Possibly had the boys been better written characters, maybe the movie would have been more entertaining. As it is, "White Squall" is an adequate film - well done technically, but the story and dialogue could use some work.
The DVD
VIDEO: This is one of the many titles that Disney has unfortunately done which are non-anamorphic; the beautiful images of the film are certainly still watchable here, but there is certainly a strong sense that the film could be presented with a more detailed, sharper image. Sharpness is usually adequate, although some sequences seem noticably softer in nature than others. Detail is passable, but not great. Clarity is occasionally lacking, but only occasionally and slightly.
As the film moves on, it becomes even more apparent that an anamorphic transfer might have made for a smoother image. The scenery is magnificent in this film, which was shot in Georgia and the surrounding area, as well as the West Indies and Bermuda, among other beautiful places. This makes for some gorgeous colors; deep blues, greens and other colors look stunning at times here, and they are well-saturated and without fault.
There are some faults that are noted here, though. Aliasing and pixelation are occasionally visible, although not hugely distracting, simply noticable. The print used displays a slight mark or two, but this did not prove to be a problem. When "White Squall" looks good, it looks very good but not as good as it could. If this was anamorphic, it would very likely smooth out the flaws that are visible here, and make for a more well-defined image. With a film like this that is visually so great at times, that would be a definite plus. The widescreen edition included here is letterboxed at 2.35:1.
SOUND: Although much of the film isn't quite as amazing in terms of sound as the demo sequence that shares the movie's title, the audio for the film is still a rich, well-done effort. Jeff Rona's score is a dramatic, intense one and it has a powerful, deep presence here. Even in its more subtle moments, it has a smooth, natural clarity that is extremely pleasing.
All speakers work to create a natural sounding environment and a good sense of space, although there are times when even more detail could have been added to the soundfield. The surrounds generally serve up the score as well as subtle sounds like water splashing around the boat. The front speakers also do a fine job at creating the scene. When the sailing ship goes a little faster, the soundfield becomes more engaging, with wind coming at the boat intensely and the waves crashing against and around the boat. Scenes like this are definitely convincingly portrayed, bringing the viewer right into the middle of the action. There is one scene about 39 minutes or so into the movie where the creaking of the boat seems to be coming from all around, and really is an effective although minor touch.
Certainly, the squall sequence (chapter 17) is an audio workout, with waves smashing from all sides, and impressive surround use as the ship begins to fall apart under the beating of the water and wind. This sequence certainly packs a serious punch, and is presented extremely well by the film's audio. Lastly, dialogue is clear, but sometimes slightly thin. I found the film's audio to do a very good job at building the environment, but the Squall squence really is the star of the show as far as sound is concerned.
MENUS:: The usual, just the cover art used once again for the background of the main menu. No animation, no score.
EXTRAS: The trailer (Full Frame/Dolby 2.0) as well as a 5 minute featurette that is actually pretty good. Although most of the short featurettes that are included on Disney titles are nothing more than extended trailers, this provides informative looks at how the squall sequences was done, as well as interviews. Nothing earth-shattering, but it's better than the usual short featurette, and it's somewhat nice to have something beyond just the trailer on a Disney catalog title.
Final Thoughts: "White Squall" is a decent although not terribly remarkable film; the DVD has its pleasures, although the extras section is not one of them. Picture quality is good but could be improved - sound quality is much more successful, taking the viewer into the middle of the scenes. A rental, maybe.
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