Limitless - Blu-ray Review

4.5 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis

Bradley Cooper (The A-Team) and two-time Academy-Award® winner Robert De Niro, star in this provocative and action packed-thriller with unlimited surprising twists. Eddie Morra (Cooper), a burnt-out writer, discovers a top-secret pill that unlocks 100% of his brain’s capacity. He instantly acquires mind-bending talents and mesmerizing visions that bring him big money, beautiful women and limitless success. But his dream life soon becomes a waking nightmare, as the drug’s brutal side effects take their toll and Eddie finds himself entangled with a cunning Wall Street power broker (De Niro) who wants everything Eddie has…and more. (Buy Now $22.99)    

Starring:

Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Andrew Howard, Anna Friel, Johnny Whitworth, Tomas Arana, Robert John Burke, Darren Goldstein

Director:

Neil Burger

Blu-ray Release Date:           

July 19, 2011

Subtitles:

English, 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 4.8 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison
●        Subwoofer – 4.5 Stars
●        Dialog - 5.0 Stars
●        Surround Effects – 4.5 Stars
●        Dynamic Range – 5.0 Stars

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

Limitless’ audio performance is perfect for this film and helps blend this thriller movie with it’s action elements. Subtle sounds like people talking in the distance in a crowed restaurant utilize the rear speakers and help envelope you into the movie. When the drug is used, sometimes a clean high pitched squeal can be heard, and shows off the dynamic range of the DTS-HD Master mix. There is a scene in the club where heavy bass dance music is played, and it vibrates the couch. The audio is so clean, that when the police heavily knocked on the door, for a split second I thought they were at my door telling me to turn the volume down.

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

This film uses different styles to remind you what mode the character is in. When he isn’t on the drug, colors are pale and the film grain is low. However, when he is “using” film grain is a bit higher and colors are so saturated they almost drip from the screen. The film has constant high levels of contrast, and dark colors are so dark that at times detail is lost in the shadows. The clarity of this film is nothing less that stellar, beard whiskers, suit pinstripes, strands of hair, even every pore on Bradley Cooper’s face is clearly visible.

Bonus Features 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

• A Man Without Limits (HD; 4:29) Interviews with actors and crew.
• Taking it to the Limit: The Making of Limitless (HD; 11:38) More interviews with the cast and director.
• Alternate Ending (HD; 5:14)
• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:25)
• Two Versions of the Film, Extended/Unrated (1:45:33) and Theatrical (1:44:46)
• Audio Commentary by Director Neil Burger.

Movie - 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Review

Limitless is a subdued drug related thriller, that is interesting to watch but never crosses the line to be a great movie. The movie is ambiguous and dapples in different film genres to tell the story, but at times it seems a little disjointed. At first, it’s about a writer, then it’s about stock broker, sometimes he’s an action hero, later you realize it’s about being a drug addict. All these changes are sudden and make it hard to keep up with the story’s tone. However, the fast pace of this movie never leaves you bored. There are only 3 action sequences, but because of the films rapid storytelling, it always feels like an action sequence just ended.

I love movies about geniuses.  Even thought they make me feel dumb and lazy, they nudge me to try a little harder. This movie is no exception. However, becoming a genius involves using illegal drugs. Its hard for me to watch this movie without seeing the similarities to real life. There have been reports that college students have been using Ritalin and Adderall to help them focus and study longer to get better grades. The drug in this movie is the same thing but 10 times stronger. I guess you can say this is a case of art imitating life. I am happy to see that at least this film decided to show the pitfalls of drug use, but it does pose a question. Would you take a drug that would make you smart to improve performance?