HD DVD: Atonement (1 Viewer)

[Yumbo]

Hi,

Just finished watching this.

A very bright picture, with wonderful colours and detail.
Great sound, and interesting sound design/score. Just listen to the Dunkirk chorus.
Another fantastic VISUAL shot was the shadow into light in the library - amazing.

James McAvoy continues to build his impressive resume.
Keira is looking skinnier than ever.
Little Saoirse is making a name for herself.
I'm quite partial to Romola, who I believe centres the movie.

The subtitles were unusual with a black background. Was it like that theatrically? Made it easier to read, and actually less intrusive (so to speak).
The accents were quite spot-on.

Sound was good, with effective bass.

The story was quite unusual, and may require repeat viewings to appreciate more. A lot of innuendo (NVC).

As a last Universal title - recommended!

 

[John H Ross]

Oomph! The theatrical subtitles (in the UK at least) were lovely. Alas they were replaced by craptastic player-generated ones here in R2 DVD land. It sounds like they've been buggered up in R1 too - which at least saves me a double dip I guess (assuming the R1 DVD is the same as this R1 HD-DVD)

 

[Sam Posten]

I'm still in ohio, I expect this is waiting for me on my kitchen table when I get home!

 

[Yumbo]

Translucent black they are. Also on DVD.

 

[Aragorn the Elfstone]

That's how the subtitles looked on the theatrical print I saw. Thought that looked a little odd, but still better than player generated ones IMO.

 

[Sam Posten]

I was NOT sent this =(

 

[Southpaw]

Just got around to seeing this one. Good movie...wouldn't say it was great. I'm really not sure what the big deal is about the ending. I read comments about what a shock the ending was and it was "out of left field". I didn't think so at all. It seemed to me like a perfect ending to the story and one I would expect from a movie like this.

 

[TonyD]

i didnt think the ending was off from the tone of this very sad movie.

who said it was a shock and out of left field?

also while i think this was GREAT movie i don't think i would ever want to watch it again.
too depressing.

 

[Paul_Scott]

Some friends who go to the movies more often than any people I've ever known, absolutely hated it, but for me it was probably the one film from last year I appreciated the most . My copy just came in a few days ago and I'm very much looking forward to sitting down with it at some point soon and seeing how it plays in light of...
I briefly checked the transfer and it looked lovely- better than I can recall it looking in the theater, while at the same time not looking un-film-like.
It was a disappointment to see Universal abandon the format so abruptly, but I'm very thankful they got this one out before the lights went dark.

 

[Southpaw]

There were a couple of "professional" HD DVD reviews who noted that the ending was a shock to them.
In addition, a thread over at AVS discussing the movie had many posters state they thought the ending was out of left field and used many similar analogies.
I personally thought it didn't surprise me in the least...maybe because I was expecting something huge after reading these reviews? (note: I didn't know what the "shock" was; just that there was one)
I wouldn't say the ending was a letdown. I thought the ending was perfect for the type of movie that it was.
I do have to say this - what a score. Best movie score I've heard in some time.

 

[Paul_Scott]

The ending is what elevated this for me from merely good to honestly great. And that is because I don't see it as a gimmicky 'twist' thrown in for an easy effect but rather something that is supported thematically throughout the film. what I especially liked, besides the finely crafted and immersive period detail, is that the film is about storytelling- both from the standpoint of the needs of a particular audience (whether its the police, family, a dying soldier, or us the viewer) to the effects on the storyteller. It seems that truth gets you into trouble while fiction atones. Cynical but fascinating to me...and sadly I see a lot of truth to it. Especially in a media drenched culture.
I also agree about the score and was very happy to see it win the AA.