BLU-RAY REVIEW

Hanna

Featured In Issue 160, October 2011

Picture5
Sound5
WSR Score5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
62115441
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual material and language
(Retail Price):
$34.98
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
111
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
2011
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
09/06/11
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Joe Wright
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1, DTS 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Hanna (Ronan) is a 16-year-old girl raised in the desolate, icy wilds of Finland by her ex-CIA agent father Erik (Bana), and trained to become the perfect assassin. Every moment of Hanna's childhood and adolescence has been spent building up the strength, stamina, and survival instincts she needs to prepare for the day she must strike out on her own. That day has now come; armed with the skills her father has imparted to her and the mantra "adapt or die" Hanna must cross Europe and face her family's longtime enemy, lethal intelligence operative Marissa Wiegler (Blanchett). (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director Joe Wright; five featurettes: Adapt Or Die (HD 13:15), Central Intelligence Allegory (HD 08:54), Chemical Reaction (HD 06:06), Anatomy Of A Scene: The Escape From Camp G (HD 03:10), and The Wide World Of Hanna (HD 02:12); an alternate ending (HD 01:28); deleted scenes (HD 03:46); a Hanna promo (HD 01:28); My Scenes; D-BOX® Motion Code™; BD-Live functionality; and a digital copy download.

The 1080p AVC picture is terrific! Alwin Kuchler's cinematography and Director Joe Wright's imagery are eclectically styled, while at all times appearing perfectly natural. Filmed in forestry locations in icy Finland, and subsequently in scorching and ethnic Morocco and dusty-orange deserts, ending in post-punk urban Berlin, the imagery is wonderfully engaging. The color palette is varied, with nicely balanced saturated hues. Contrast is excellent with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Resolution is varied, to support the filmmakers' vision, with mostly sharply detailed imagery punctuated with softer focused passages. Fleshtones are perfectly natural and accurately hued, exhibiting a range of ethnic flavors. This is an absolutely compelling visual experience that is reference quality throughout. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is stunning, with an engaging holosonic® soundfield that presents varied soundscapes, depending on the varied locations and scenes. The soundfield aggressively expands with directionalized atmospherics and sound effects across the soundfield and within the surround field and then contracts to quieter moments, while still maintaining spatial integrity. The electrified music score by The Chemical Brothers is, at times, powerfully evocative and recorded with an aggressive surround presence. Dialogue is nicely integrated spatially and always intelligible. Deep bass energy is often prevalent, especially during action scenes, with sub-25 Hz .1 LFE response that really jolts. The overall balance among the various sound elements is superb, with a dynamic presence prowess that works its way through the diverse soundscapes. The D-BOX Motion Code effects effectively energize the action sequences, to provide a thrilling experience. This is an extremely well-crafted soundtrack that is exciting and engaging throughout, with reference-quality delivery. (Gary Reber)