Why So Blu?

Solomon Kane (Blu-ray Review UK Import)

In what we hope will be our first of many blu-ray import reviews, Why So Blu is proud to present Solomon Kane.  Solomon Kane was completely financed out of the U.S. by European interests to the tune of 40 million dollars.  Not a bad chunk of change for a fantasy flick which received minimal play in the U.S., if any.  This review copy of Solomon Kane was obtained from Amazon.co.uk and is region B locked.  That means that for those that don’t have a region free blu-ray player, you will not be able to watch the film. At this time, there is no word of a domestic release.  Before we get started, I offer a disclaimer-if Solomon Kane’s visage looks familiar, it’s because the makers of that atrocious “other” film, Van Helsing, pretty much ripped off Kane’s look.  Make no mistake, Solomon Kane is what Van Helsing wishes it could have been.  End of rant.

Film 

Solomon Kane (James Purefoy) is a 16th century privateer who leads a life of pillage and plunder.  It’s not until he faces off with true demonic evil that he starts to question all of his past deeds and sets off on his quest for  redemption.  On his journey, Kane will encounter demons, raiders, masked riders, witches, wraiths, mystics, ghouls, and everything else a growing boy needs.  I had seen the trailer for this film almost a year ago and just fell in love with how badass it looked.  The trailer literally took no prisoners  I was sort of bummed when I found out it would never hit stateside but was happy when I saw the listing on Amazon UK.

James Purefoy was born to play Solomon Kane.  In my honest opinion, if Marvel ever decides to reboot X-Men or Wolverine, Purefoy is the man to replace Hugh Jackman.  Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though.  Purefoy has his franchise right here.  Another pleasant surprise was the casting of veteran actors like Pete Postlehwaite, Max von Sydow and Jason Flemyng. All of these actors make appearances and are pivotal to the story as well.

Solomon Kane can be considered run of the mill, but the acting, pacing, special effects, production, etc., all make up for it.  It’s an ultra violent and very stylish romp.  It was like being a kid at the candy store.  Solomon Kane is going on my top 10 list of the year and has a chance of making it to the top five.

Video 

Solomon Kane is presented in a 1080p 16X9 1:85.1 aspect ratio. In this format, the image fills the entire screen. The world of Solomon Kane is of gloom and doom, so the foggy, dreary and dismal tone of the environment come through nicely in this presentation.  Skin tones appear natural and so do the elements like fire, smoke, etc… The image is relatively sharp without having any edge enhancement.  The blacks do not crush, and colors are bold, beautiful and do not bleed.  Solomon Kane’s picture quality is near reference.

Audio  

Solomon Kane is presented in a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.  Again, just like the video quality, the audio quality on this disc is amazing!  Explosions are loud and realistic, as are the swords that are being wielded.  The LFE is strong, rumbles, and is not distorted; bass effects come in nice and tight.  Dialogue is crisp, clear and easily understood.  Being a sword and sorcery flick, the evil demonic voices also come through in a clear fashion.  Turn off the lights and crank it up!

Special Features 

This blu-ray contains a nice helping of special features.  Please remember that you will also need a region free blu-ray to access these features.

• Video Introduction by Director Michael J. Bassett – A video introduction to Solomon Kane by director Michael J. Bassett specifically for this blu-ray release.

• Commentary by Michael J. Bassett and James Purefoy – Director and star commentary.  This is a very entertaining track with the chaps.

• Commentary by Michael J. Bassett – This is a solo affair with the director.  He talks about the humble beginnings of the project, where they’re at, and we’re they’re going.  Educational indeed.

• Storyboard Comparison in Picture in Picture Mode – See the storyboards and how they turned out in the finished product.

• The Making of Solomon Kane – A behind the scenes look at the making of Solomon Kane.
  

• Montage Clip – A montage clip of scenes from the film.

• Interviews with the Producers, Director, Actors, and Composer – A great featurette with interviews from the principles on the inception of the project. These interviews can be watched one at a time or played all at once.

• Deleted Scene: Cave Fight – Great little fight scene cut out for pacing purposes.

• Special Effects: the creation of the Fire Demon – Pre-visualization schematics and scene by scene comparisons on how they brought this creature to life.

• Artworks by Greg Staples – Awesome conceptual artwork by this talented artist.

• Trailer – Here’s the trailer that started it all.

Final Thoughts 

If my review reads of bias, then so be it.  Solomon Kane works on just about every level.  Considering this is a typical fantasy genre film, it’s the acting and competent directing that make it all work.  In the hands of lesser talent, it could have been a disaster.  James Purefoy has a franchise that he can now call his own.  Here’s hoping that the makers of Solomon Kane get busy and start work on the next film.  I’m so there!

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