HKDVD review: JACKIE CHAN'S THE ACCIDENTAL SPY (1 Viewer)

[YANG]

Title: THE ACCIDENTAL SPY
Stars: JACKIE CHAN,ERIC TSIANG,VIVIAN HSU,WU SING KUO and KIN MIN JEONG from korea.
Director: TEDDY CHEN
Widescreen: 2.35:1
Running time: 108mins
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Reviewed edition: INTERNATIONAL EDITION
DVD releasing studio: UNIVERSE LASER HONGKONG ( Link Removed )
Catalogue number: DTS5575
DVD type: DVD9
Region coding: 0
Language: CHINESE MANDARIN,CHINESE CANTONESE,ENGLISH,KOREAN
Subtitles: ENGLISH,SIMLIFIED CHINESE,TRADITIONAL CHINESE
Surround format: DD5.1 + DTS*
(pls note that the cover mislabeled that there is a DTS 5.1 surround sound,but in fact it is not...once you have selected DTS,you will be brought to DPL 2.0 surround sound)
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Synopsis:
BUCK,intinct driven and well trained in fighting,is on his way of adventure to korea to look for his long lost parent.With the help of a female reporter he travels to excotic TURKEY where he finds a huge amount of money and meets a mysterious girl.Against an assortment of characters fighting him along the way,he finally realizes that he has become the key to locating a lung cancer virus...
Video score: 7/10
The visual quality of this release is acceptable,better than any other hongkong DVD releases.Fidelity is good,but not as impressive as most hollywood releases.The film is more film like.As with colors,like lots of hongkong chinese movies releases,looks faded and unatural in some scenes,but not too over violent.
Audio score: 4/5
Note that there is no DTS DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND 5.1 track in this release,not as stated on the jacket.The only way to listen to 5.1 surround track is by selecting the DD presentation of this film.Dialogue is clear,effects are good with good use of the discrete surround channels.Lots of actions in this film that you will not want to miss any of it with 5.1 presentation.
Value: 3/5
There are numbers of laughs but not excessive in this movie,as the original intention of this movie is to bring out thrills and actions.The features are not that much,only with star files and making of documentaries and UNIVERSE DVD attractions.The biggest mistake of this release is that the disc is being mislabled as a DTS release.Yeah,yeah,once you have selected the DTS presentation what you see is a DTS trailer presented in DPL surround,then the rest of the show is in DPL.As mentioned above,to get a true 5.1 surround sound you will have to select DD.
Don't be fooled by the cover,don't pay too much for this release...this is the best advice that i can give you.
Anyway this disc is well collectible,that you should not miss.
"Are u interested in a spy game?"

 

[Matt_Stevens]

2 corrections.
#1. The DTS trailer can be played in DTS by simply pressing the audio button.
#2. There IS a DTS track on this release. I compared it to the DD5.1 and it is pretty much the same quality.
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www.deceptions.net/superman

 

[YANG]

MATT,
I am curious that how did you,or how you able to know if the DTS track is indeed a DTS 5.1 surround sound track?
My DVDplayer have on board DTS surround sound decoding,and it is auto detect.Once i have selected the DTS option,the sound came out is in 2 channel stereo surround,with sounds comes out from all my channels.That is definately not DTS...otherwise i would have seen the display on my player that shows that it is playing a DTS 5.1 track.

 

[Matt_Stevens]

My receiver detected 5.1 channels and identified it as a DTS 5.1 track. However, this disc is badly mastered and many are having problems with it, so your player may just be porting the sound to 2.0.
I also could hear stereo surrounds, so my ears backed up what my receiver showed me.
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