Page 67 - 2022-08-01 Sound & Vision

THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT

THE NORTHMAN OF MASSIVE TALENT

IN THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT, co-wri en and
THE NORTHMAN is a stylish, brutal, and satisfyingly well-made film about directed by Tom Gormican, Nicolas Cage plays “Nick Cage,” a fictional-
a Viking prince named Amleth whose uncle murders his father and ized version of himself. Facing mounting expenses, dried-up roles, and
kidnaps his mother. He swears vengeance against his uncle and a er struggling to take care of his daughter and estranged wife, the aging actor
locating him years later, devises a plan to exact his revenge, even though is forced to take a million-dollar gig in Mallorca, Spain to a end a birthday
all is not as it seems. Writer-director Robert Eggers’ is also the man behind party for superfan Javi (Pedro Pascal). Javi turns out to be a dangerous
the critically acclaimed psychological thriller, The Lighthouse, which can mobster also trying to sell his screenplay and wanting to collaborate with
be challenging to watch at times. Though The Northman is a li le less Cage. All of which leads to the Oscar winner being enlisted by a CIA agent
disturbing and more accessible to squeamish viewers, the film still has its (Tiffany Haddish) to go undercover and spy on Javi to help the govern-
fair share of gory violence and frightening imagery. ment bring down his criminal enterprise.
In addition to an intriguing plot, the performances are excellent as you The filmmakers created the perfect role for Cage who slides effortlessly
might expect from a cast that is stacked with talent. The visual style is into this hyperbolic persona, while channeling his over-the-topness in the
sometimes stark and jarring but, like the content itself, is balanced with pursuit of justice. Massive Talent mixes multiple genres, from indie family
some truly gorgeous shots of Northern Ireland’s landscapes, a substitute drama in the opening scenes to actioner to straight up comedy.
for the story’s Icelandic se ing. Much of the rest of the film is darkly lit, but The film was shot on a variety of Arri Alexa cameras at 4.5K resolution
exhibits good detail, avoiding black crush and having mostly muted colors and uses a 4.5K digital intermediate mastered with Dolby Vision. HDR10
that don’t really pop, even with Dolby Vision HDR. The 1080p version of the metadata shows a MaxLL (Maximum Content Light Level) of 423 nits and a
film included on a standard Blu-ray disc looks almost as good, except for the MaxFALL (Maximum Frame Average Light Level) of 231 nits. Dolby Vision
loss of detail, especially in those very dark scenes. doesn’t raise brightness much but there are some good specular highlights
One of the opening CGI shots of Viking ships looks a li le artificial, that add significant pop to headlights, flashlights, and lamplights. Colors
but once the camera zooms in on a young prince Amleth, the detail in his have more gradients, such as the beautiful azure water on the seaside in
herring-bone-pa erned red tunic and Mallorca or the shimmering pool in Javi’s
slightly freckled complexion look u erly enclave. Though the movie has a pleasing
natural. Shot on 35mm film and mastered in appearance overall with excellent detail, it
4K, the gray atmospheric look of the outdoor lacks that organic, filmic character, tending
shots perfectly captures the unforgiving instead toward the unnuanced look of
conditions of Iceland’s landscape. And comedies that don’t provide the best visual
the film’s unique visual style is superbly on aesthetics.
display when the Berserkers raid a village, a The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
scene captured in one continuous shot (the packs a Dolby Atmos audio mix with a
technical feat is explained in the extras). TrueHD 7.1 core but it is not a soundtrack
The sound design is a stunner with deep that will give your home theater system
bass, a wide, enveloping soundstage, and a real workout. Dialogue is clear and the
a rousing orchestral score by Robin Carolan mix is subtle, with low-level foley effects in
ULTRA HD BLU-RAY ULTRA HD BLU-RAY
and Sebastian Gainsborough. At times, the the surrounds and some stagnant effects
STUDIO: Universal, 2022 STUDIO: Lionsgate, 2022
soundtrack is subdued but then springs to ASPECT RATIO: 2.00 ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1 in the height channels. And while the
life with pounding drums and the sound of HDR FORMAT: Dolby Vision, HDR10 HDR FORMAT: Dolby Vision, HDR10 bass certainly isn’t bombastic, there are
ba le emanating from all of the speakers AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos with AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos with a few scenes that offer a chance for your
TrueHD 7.1 core TrueHD 7.1 core
in every direction as in the Berserker raid subwoofer to ra le things a bit.
LENGTH: 137 mins LENGTH: 107 mins.
scene. DIRECTOR: Robert Eggers DIRECTOR: Tom Gormican Lionsgate has provided an audio
The extras are presented in standard STARRING: Alexander Skarsgård, STARRING: Tom Gormican, commentary by Gormican and co-writer
HD on both discs and include deleted and Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Kevin E en, a must-watch Q&A from the
Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Tiffany Haddish, Sharon Horgan,
extended scenes plus six feature es and SXSW Film Festival featuring both writers
Willem Dafoe Paco León, Neil Patrick Harris
audio commentary by Eggers. The standard and the cast, and several “making of”
Blu-ray version includes the fantastic Dolby feature es. An HD Blu-ray of the movie with
Atmos soundtrack and a digital code for Universal Lionsgate bonus features is included along with a
downloading or streaming. O ROGER KANNO Digital Copy code. O BRANDON A. DUHAMEL

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