BLU-RAY REVIEW

Beaver, The

Featured In Issue 165, March 2012

Picture4
Sound3.5
WSR Score3.5
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):
Summit Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
66119248
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Mature thematic material, some disturbing cntent, sexuality and language including a drug reference
(Retail Price):
$30.49
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
91
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2011
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
08/23/11
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Jodie Foster
(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):
Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS HD Lossless 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):

In The Beaver, Walter (Gibson), once a successful and happy family man, has hit rock bottom. But, in his darkest hour, he finds a rather unusual savior: a beaver hand-puppet that takes over Walter's life in an attempt to change things for the better. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director/Actress Jodie Foster, two deleted scenes with optional commentary by Foster (HD 04:52), and the featurette Everything Is Going To Be O.K. (HD 12:06).

The 1080p AVC picture is generally engaging but occasionally inconsistent in quality. The color palette is strongly saturated and thus vibrant, with primaries pushed and fleshtones warmly exaggerated. Contrast is good with deep, solid blacks, but saturation detail is veiled. Likewise, shadow delineation is not consistently revealing. Resolution is generally good and revealing of fine detail in facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture. Everything appears sharp and clear, with an overall pristine gritty appearance. Light grain is evident but adds to the stylized filmic quality of the picture. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely produced with a supportive music score, with a primary frontal focus and subtle surround envelopment. Atmospherics and sound effects are limited but natural sounding. Surround envelopment is reserved throughout, with a few sequences of a more aggressive presence. Dialogue is natural sounding throughout and generally integrated spatially. Bass extension is limited. Overall, the sonics support the dramatic storytelling, but the impact is limiting. (Gary Reber)