4.3 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis

Watery Venice, Italy, provides the setting as Johnny Depp, playing an American tourist seeking solace for his shattered heart, instead finds it in danger again after encountering a beautiful Interpol agent (Angelina Jolie). Little does the Yank know that the artful lady has gone to great lengths to arrange their "chance" meeting and is using him to trap a thief who happens to be her ex-lover. The film earned Golden Globe nods for Depp and Jolie.

Starring:

Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton, Steven Berkoff

Director:

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Blu-ray Release Date:

Mar 22, 2011

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:

Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 4.4 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

Subwoofer - 4.0 Stars

Dialog - 4.5 Stars

Surround Effects - 4.0 Stars

Dynamic Range - 5.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Considering this is a major studio action thriller, this movie does not have impressive audio performance. Surround effects aren't used very often and low frequencies are heard but not pushed to impress. Overall this DTS-HD Master Audio mix very subtle and subdued, much like most of the film. However, I was impressed by the dynamic range. Every computer makes weird unrealistic high frequency ticking noises which can be annoying, but it does sound fun. The soundtrack has forgettable melodies but it does deliver some much needed bass and lots of high pitched percussion that sounds terrific.

Video 4.7 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

Color Accuracy - 4.5 Stars

Shadow detail - 4.5 Stars

Clarity - 5.0 Stars

Skin tones - 5.0 Stars

Compression - 4.5 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

The Tourist looks impressive on Blu-ray. The colors are true to life and remain vibrant. Dark scenes do not show any signs of compression error or shadow issues. There are several close-ups on the pretty actors faces, and their flawless skin tones make me realize I need to moisturize more often. Bricks, tiles on rooftops, clothing fabrics, and rippling water all show with superior clarity and are truly striking. Sony usually has good video presentations on their Blu-rays and this movie is no exception.

Bonus Features 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Audio Commentary - With director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Bringing Glamour Back (HD, 9 min) - Interviews of cast and crew about making the film.

A Gala Affair (HD, 7 min) - Details about filming the ball sequence.

Alternate Animated Title Sequence (HD, 2 min)

Outtake Reel (HD, 1 min)

Trailers (HD)

Canal Chats (HD, 6 min) - Cast and crew discuss about filming in Venice.

Action in Venice (HD, 6 min) - A segment discussing an important action scene.

Tourist Destination: Travel the Canals of Venice (HD, 3 min)

movieIQ - Sony's Internet-based utility provides instant up-to-date access to cast and crew biographies, production details, trivia, and more.

BD-Live

Movie - 3.0 Stars (out of 5)

This film has a beautiful Venice setting, two of the most sought out actors in Hollywood in a big budget romantic action thriller. Every thing should add up to a great movie, but it doesn't. After it was over I felt like I should have liked it more than I did. It's hard to put my finger on what went wrong, but I'll try. I never really cared about the plot or connected with the characters. This film is completely void of comedy or wit, I never chuckled once. I think the biggest issue was Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie have no chemistry together. They both had good performances, but I never rooted for them to "get together".

The trailer for this movie has most of the major plot points in it. No new information or plot twists are given until the last 20 minutes. This left me bored for most of the movie. Even though they tried to hook me with a clever ending, I still didn't really care. The Tourist isn't a bad movie, but I don't think it's as good as Hollywood thinks it is. I definitely don't think it's good enough to receive 3 Golden Globe Nominations.