Underworld DVD (merged thread) (1 Viewer)

[BrianMagog]

If this movie is even mentioned with those two, I'm sold.

 

[Seth_L]

Got the DVD yesterday, watched it last night. The soundtrack is definitely potent. My Tumult was rumbling even with night mode on. (It was really loud without it and I didn't want to piss off the other people in the house too much.)

 

[Haden]

Funny that there's no mention of the term "werewolf" in that description. Someone who isn't familiar with werewolf lore or wasn't already aware of the basic plot of this movie will have no clue what the hell "lycan" means. It's kind of downplaying the whole werewolf aspect of the film. Makes it sound like vampires vs. common street gangs. How boring

 

[Charlie B. Ch.]

Bought and watched the DVD last night. Pretty entertaining flix. However, I think that there was too much use of LFE in the sound track. Deep and loud bass was output through my SVS sub almost every two minutes and that really tired my ears.

 

[Jeff Adams]

Sounds fine to me.

 

[Jeff Adams]

I thought that when you said overkill, that you were talking about the hd-dvd transfer that it states on the back of the case.

 

[Jeff Adams]

Thats GREAT! A win for widescreen.

 

[Elliott Willschick]

The sound is great but there is way too much LFE in it. If anyone has the soundtrack, you an compare two of the songs from the end credits with the CD. The bass on the DVD, while amazing, really overpowers the songs. I'm not one to complain about bass but this pushes my limits.

 

[John Geelan]

yeah, I just quickly watched it again, this time at reference sound levels and this is a loud movie.

the LFE can be overbearing as you switch chapters. They keep the bass switch on so much, the soundtrack gets a bit redundant.

i've decided this will remain a rental and I will pass on buying it at this point.

(now if the director had been able to get Kate undressed at some point in this film, that may have changed my mind....she looks good but never appears sexy...she always has that grimace on her face...no fun!)

 

[Steve Schaffer]

I tried to watch this last night and had to stop after 20 minutes when stuff started sliding off the shelves in my family room.

I can watch LOTR (the overcooked theatrical edition) at a volume setting of -15 on my receiver resulting in what I consider extrmeley heavy bass. Underworld at -19 made the lamp atop my rptv slide off onto the floor!

I purchased some velcro on the way home from work today and will attempt to watch the rest of the movie tonight.

 

[Stephen Orr]

Well, I just finished watching UNDERWORLD a few minutes ago, and all I can say is WOW! The MATRIX with vampires and werewolves, with Kate as Trinity, and that Micheal Covin guy as Neo. And a nice set-up for a sequel. Cool action, tons of leather, and tricked out vampire and werewolf weaponry! What's not to love?

 

[dpippel]

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale

I didn't have a whole lot invested in her character in Underworld, but she certainly has screen presence and looks. In fact when she was in the frame I couldn't take my eyes off of her. More Kate is in order.

As a genre movie I thought Underworld was better than most with a relatively interesting story, good effects, great production design and cinematography. Certainly better than Blade II. Werewolves and vampires duking it out for supremacy? I'm with you Stephen, what's not to love?

And did I mention Kate Beckinsale?

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale

Kate Beckinsale

 

[RISUG]

Originally posted by Jeremy Anderson
But let's talk about what's really important: the sound. I set my receiver to -10 from reference before hitting play... and then the movie started. BOOM! Right at the beginning, there's a bass hit that made my windows rattle. My SVS produced some deep room-shaking low end countless times during this movie. In fact, this may be the loudest movie I've ever heard on my system. Can anyone tell me what the dialnorm is on this disc, because it sure as hell sounds like it doesn't have any!



Jeremy - agreed!

Seconds after I pressed play I was reaching for the remote to lower the volume. The speakers are capable of extension that far exceed the size of my room - coupled with the VERY "hotly" recorded track and it was a sonic avalanche from the word go. From gunshots to explosions to even the closing of car doors there is no rest till Brooklyn with this disc. We're talking colon cleaning bass frequencies here people.

I had the receiver volume set at my standard listening level of 35 and it was excruciating, (due to the highs) at 30 it was barely tolerable, 25 was just right. Mind you, 25 is a level that I will set the receiver to when I'm watching a movie with an aggressive soundtrack at night!

This disc will pop a systems cherry......peaches....grapes...and more.

It's definitely a dvd that falls in the "caution" category for ALL systems, and for systems less capable a big fat "kiss your ass goodbye" should be applied as an addendum if reference levels are attempted.

Not an iota of exaggeration exists in Jeremy's or anyone elses account of this discs aural presentation. Not one. If anything it's been understated.

It seems that there is a new "holy moly" dvd track every other week, but mark my words (at your average listening volume) within five seconds of pressing the play button you just might fear for the well being of your speakers. Even if you know they are capable of handling the abuse, you would not be blamed for being at least a bit nervous. Then again I have very large speakers in a very small space and therefore makes it all the more intimidating.


One thing is for sure, this is a disc that many will not WANT to listen to at reference level unless they have a HUGE room. I can imagine most fearing more for the tweeters than the sub(s) because of the piercing sustained highs. Not because the tweeters will blow or because of any distortion but because of the visceral nature of the high frequencies. Be careful with this one.

P.S. - Jeremy the dial norm reads +4 on my receiver.

 

[John Geelan]

yes, i tried listening to this dvd at reference levels on my denon reciever (-18) but it was too painful. Pushed back to (-21) and that was still hot but bearable.

the movie has alot of gunshot scenes and they always seem to sound very hot.

my only quibble when it comes to Kate Beckinsale was that the camera never has a moment to just step back from the action and adore her. No panning of her great outfit and her body. No nudity or anything remotely sexual in this film. Yet vampires are supposed to be sexual beings. This movie made her character just another action figure. And that sucks!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

John,

I agree with you.

My thoughts are that the filmmakers went for
an "R" rating, but knew if it was just based
on gore and violence they might better have a
chance of reaching the teen audience because
the film lacked nudity.

 

[T r o y]

Wow! Man you guys have certainly sparked my interest and , not to mention, my attention for the soundtrack on this DVD.
I have Klipsch KLF-20's and A vELO 18. Even though these are pretty descent bass handlers, I will definately be keeping my remote close at hand.
I've read about many soundtracks on this forum being LOUD, or HOT or the next reference DVD, but this one tops it all for what's being discussed on this thread.

Can't wait to check it out this weekend!!

I'll too post my thoughts on this one as well.

Cheers!
Troy

 

[Jeff Adams]

Yes it most certainly does. I knoe reference is thrown around an awful lot but this reall is reference. I don't care how cooked or hot this soundtrack is,it is simply amazing. I watched it again last night and I usuall have my receiver set to -10 to -7, last night I had it at -18! And as others have said, not only will this movie give your sub a serious workout,it gives every speaker in your system a serious workout. I loved how detailed and clear everything sounded. The dialogue was crisp and very clear and even the small details in the movie were brought out with this soundrack. I hope more and more companies start mastering dvd's like this. I do not mind having to turn my receiver down.

I do have a question though, I was trying to play the music video and could not find it, did I just overlook something?

All the technical stuff set aside, this is one good movie. Not only does it have some great action sequences but it also has a very good plot line and well told story.
Bring on the sequel!

 

[Jordan_E]

Good sound.
My eyes seemed to grow tired of the color scheme after awhile.
Hot Kate.
But after awhile it turned into a "fast forward" movie for me. Maybe it was the fact I had to have a finger on the remote to turn down the sound when the gunfire came (the wife isn't as open to loud movies as before after the baby). I'm going to give it another spin this weekend as I have a free rental coming and think it's worth checking out alone when the speakers and sub can really bark!

 

[Mark Zimmer]

The sound rocks, but it's a pretty awful excuse for a movie. Beckinsale's okay to look at but she can't act her way out of a paper bag. Hopefully she and Keanu Reeves will never breed. This seems to be another Lost in Space DVD--everyone raves about the sound but a year from now everyone will be asking "why do I have this terrible movie in my collection."

 

[Will_B]

I'm going to get both the proper widescreen AND the fullscreen just so I can see the acting nuances of Kate better. Ok, maybe so I can see her shiny butt better. But in any case, Underworld is an excellent film.

It's "La Femme Nikita meets Masterpiece Theater," with vampires. The lead actress besides being beautiful truly does make the film work; if she wasn't able to portray the black-sheep of the family role so well, it would not be as great as it is (because it is a really simple story after all, so details count!).

I loved the references to Alien3, Blade Runner, Highlander, on and on. A real winner in terms of being fan friendly.

(I liked it better than Blade, but that's because I can't stand Wesley Snipes, and because Underworld was full of surprises - Blade was meant to be predictable, whereas Underworld meant to make people wonder about motivations much more). It also had an interesting take on the vampire society, the alternating leadership (was that unique? It was new to me). Sequel???