Skyfall

In Skyfall, Bond's (Craig) loyalty to M (Dench) is tested as her past returns to haunt her. With M16 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows—aided only by field agent, Eve (Harris)—following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurette Shooting Bond (HD 59:24), the Skyfall Premiere (HD 04:28), commentary by Director Sam Mendes, commentary by Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and Production Designer Dennis Gassner, the theatrical trailer, a soundtrack promotional spot, sneak peeks, and upfront previews. Included is a Blu-ray Disc™, a DVD + digital copy, and an Ultraviolet digital copy.

As expected, the 2.40:1, 1080p AVC picture quality is outstanding! Fleshtones are perfectly natural throughout. The color palette exhibits natural hues that are well saturated and warm in appearance, often vibrantly vivid. Contrast is excellent with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation, with fine textures seen in the darkest shadows. Resolution is superb, revealing fine facial expressions and textures on clothes and buildings, even during the dramatic night city scenes. Some scenes are absolutely striking in contrast, black level, and lighting effect. Roger Deakins' cinematography is wonderful on the wide screen and effectively stimulates the viewing experience. Deakins won the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) award for feature film. This is a wonderful engaging visual treat and is reference quality throughout. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is fantastic, with an extremely deep bass presence at times that extends to below 25 Hz in the LFE .1 channel. The immersive sonics permeate the soundfield, providing a real exciting system workout. Holosonic® surround envelopment is provided by the music score and directionalized atmospherics and sound effects. Dialogue is derived from production sound and ADR, and at times, is nicely integrated spatially with the visuals. Thomas Newman's orchestral score is extremely dynamic and fully envelops the soundfield. Instrument timbre is nicely delineated, and the soundstage is wide and deep. Fidelity is excellent. Sound-pressure levels (SPL) often extend to full throttle, for an exciting sonic experience, with plenty of loud, impactful transient effects, aggressively directionalized. Fidelity is impeccable throughout. This is an exciting panoramic sonic experience, with adrenaline-pumping music and sound effects that perfectly complement the nonstop action. Skyfall won an Oscar® for Original Song and Sound Editing. (Gary Reber)