Colombiana: Unrated Blu-ray Review

Posted December 14th, 2011 by Brandon A. DuHamel

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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English Descriptive Video Service, French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Portuguese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Region: A (Region-Locked)
Rating: NR
Run Time: 733 Mins
Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Blu-ray Release Date: January 10, 2012
List Price: $35.99

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Overall

The Film

Video Quality

Audio Quality

Supplemental Materials

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Film

Luc Besson (Leon the Professional; The Fifth Element) co-wrote the screenplay for this mashup of his early-nineties action thrillers La Femme Nikita and Leon, Colombiana. Olivier Megaton directs and the sultry Zoey Saldana stars in the off-kilter and derivative actioner that is lacking both originality and Besson behind the lens to twist its hole-riddled screenplay into something resembling Bessonian genius. Yet, with Colombiana, we get a slickly produced spectacle with one dimensional characters,and nonsensical dialogue that runs through a paint-by-numbers script that is somehow still reasonably enjoyable. We have the now requisite parkour chase scene to open the action, Saldana in a sexy bodysuit, Saldana in sexy shower scene, Saldana in a sexy swimsuit swimming with sharks – see a pattern here?

Somewhere in all of this there is a story – yes, there is one — about a young girl named Cataleya (Saldana) in Colombia who witnesses her parents’ murder and grows up in America to become an international assassin bent on revenge. The villains in Colombiana are so outrageous, dumb, and so typical of Luc Besson that one can’t help but find them somewhat interesting and humorous, even if the story on the whole lacks the emotional depth and tension of the films this one seeks to emulate.

Still, Colombiana may not rise to the heights of great action films, but it is hardly the worst. I’d be lying if I didn’t find it a satisfying and beautifully captured film even if it is an ultimately forgettable time killer.

Video Quality

Now this is what high definition on Blu-ray is all about and Sony continues to prove their mettle in giving it to us. Colombiana’s AVC/MPEG-4 1080p/24 encodement looks absolutely gorgeous. Granted, there are some artistic choices in this film that lead to some really blown out white levels, purposely clipped and sort of flat looking in some of the brightest scenes. It works here however, in this clean, sharply detailed transfer with its wide contrast, inky blacks, nuanced shadow details and thin layer of grain adding a beautiful film-like and textured quality.

Audio Quality

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is almost as strong as the video transfer. It is atmospheric with lots of discrete panning through the surrounds. There are deeply extended low frequencies and natural highs, clean dialogue and good directional panning across the front.

Supplemental Materials

Colombiana comes with an admirable set of high definition featurettes that offer interviews with the actors and filmmakers.

The supplements:

Colombiana: The Making Of (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:25:12) – Go behind-the-scenes and on location with the filmmakers and actors in his typical “making of” featurette.
Cataleya’s Journey (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:09:33) – A brief look into the character of Cataleya in the film.
Assassins (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:11:54) – Zoe Saldana discusses what its like to play an assassin in the film and working with Luc Besson.
Training a Killer (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:06:03) – Saldana discusses what it was like to train for the fight scenes in the film.
Take the Ride (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:07:46) – A look at filming around the world and working with an international crew.
BD-Live
Ultraviolet Digital Copy

The Definitive Word

Overall:

Olivier Megaton seems lost with this screenplay. Perhaps Luc Besson should stick to directing his own work because only he seems to be able to craft sense out of his broadly brushed characters and amorphous plots. Still, Colombiana may make for a decent rental.