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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Big Miracle

    Featured In Issue 170, October 2012

    Picture3.5
    Sound4
    WSR Score4
    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):
    61123081
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG
    (Rating Reason):
    Language
    (Retail Price):
    $34.98
    (Disc Type):
    Dual Side (Blu-ray/DVD (HD-59)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    107
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    Not Indicated
    (Theatrical Year):
    2012
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    06/19/12
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Ken Kwapis
    (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):

    Big Miracle is a rescue adventure based on a true story that inspired the world and captured the hearts of millions. When a family of whales is trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle, a small-town reporter (Krasinski) and an animal-loving volunteer (Barrymore) rally an unlikely coalition of Alaskan natives, oil tycoons, and the Russian and American military to set aside their differences and free the whales before it's too late. Based on the book "Freeing The Whales" by Thomas Rose. (Gary Reber)

    Special features include commentary with Direcor Ken Kwapis, four deleted scenes with introductions by Kwapis (HD 06:49), the featurettes A Big Miracle In Alaska (HD 21:06) and Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction (HD 12:08), D-BOX® Motion Code™, and BD-Live functionality.

    The 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture exhibits a rawness imbued in light grain. Colors and fleshtones are warmly rendered and saturated. Contrast is well balanced with a bright presence, deep blacks, and decent shadow delineation. Resolution is revealing of fine detail during close-ups of facial features, hair, clothing, and object texture. Medium and distance shots are far less resolved. What is exceptional is the underwater photography with the whales and Barrymore. Overall, though, this is a mediocre viewing experience but naturally textured and presented. (Gary Reber)

    The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is conventionally produced with a monaural focus, except for the immersive music score and sound effects conveyed in ice-cutting, crunching, and crushing. The whale sounds also permeate the soundfield beautifully. Dialogue sounds natural, though, not well integrated spatially. The orchestral music score projects a wide and deep soundstage and aggressive surround presence. Deep bass in the .1 LFE channel provides limited support for the more dramatic moments. Overall, this is a serviceable soundtrack but not particularly distinguished. (Gary Reber)

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