gearboxs

This film arrives on a Blu-Ray in a standard Blu keepcase with a slipcover that repeats the cover art. The disc includes options to watch the film, select scenes, adjust the languages and check out the extras. There are no audio options, but subtitles are available in English SDH and Spanish. The movie is also available in a combo pack with a DVD and digital copy.

The 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer looks great, capturing the details inside the arena and around the area crisply. The level of fine detail is very high, letting all the cuts and scrapes on Doug show clearly (to a disgusting degree at points), and making the scenes with snow falling gorgeous, though the clarity can make some of the CGI pop more than it positively should. The color is pretty spot-on (surprisingly, the rinks are pretty well-lit, skipping more dramatic shadows) while the black levels are nice and deep, though there is a spot of excessive noise during the darker night scenes.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is up to the task of recreating a high-energy sports film, delivering the sounds of the on-ice action strongly, filling the surrounds with the crowd and atmospere, while offering up some nice directional effects in-game. When not in the arena, the dialogue is clean and clear, and the score and soundtrack gets back-up from the side and rear speakers. The final thrust of the film, starting with a blast of bagpipe music, is a soundstravaganza, from the dramatic score and soundtrack to the graphic sound effects.

The first big extra is Power Play Mode, which, when activated, puts icons on the screen throughout the film, with an accompanying slapshot sound. Press enter when the icon is on-screen and you'll access a related bit of behind-the-scenes footage, including interviews, alternate takes and behind-the-camera clips. There are 40 entries in all, totaling about 45 minutes in all. Anyone interested in how the sausage is made will want to see the unpolished footage, including the production effort (like building a fake crowd and filming choreographed hockey action) and the faking on the part of the actors, while there are some interesting notes in the interviews (the alternate takes are a bit weaker, as is their nature.) The only annoying thing is some of the clips are extremely short, making it hardly worth the effort to interrupt the film. Fortunately, you can choose to just watch these clips on their own in a big pile.Carol Channing Larger Than Life DVD