The 2012 western picture “Django Unchained” arrives on a two-disc set featuring its Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes digital, and UV digital copies, along with a handful of supplements.
This critically acclaimed film by Quentin Tarantino stars Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, and Don Johnson. It won the Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. It also garnered three other nominations, including the much-coveted award for Best Picture.
Set two years before the Civil War, the story revolves around the adventures of a slave named Django who teams up with a German bounty hunter to track down three criminal brothers. After the successful operation that leads to his freedom, they agree on a mutual partnership in locating bounties. This encourages Django to find his wife and free her from the bondage of slavery from a vile plantation owner. The two bounty hunters try to infiltrate the impenetrable plantation under false pretenses for the sake of her rescue. However, the plan turns out to be not very easy to pull off because of the involvement of various people and circumstances.
Visuals
A sumptuous treat despite its gritty subject matter, the film boasts a visually arresting, Oscar-nominated cinematography, wonderfully evocative production design, and gorgeous sceneries. Even with the intentional shifts in colors and grain, the overall quality of the material remains easy on the eyes from start to end. There are no major compression artifacts and other digital distractions to note in the transfer.
Easily one of Tarantino’s most scenic enterprises, this rustic-looking picture’s many beautiful vistas and well-constructed frames are divided into different palettes, depending on their locations. At times, the scenes favor a slightly diffused, soft, or gauzy look. But as a whole, image details look bold and accurate in the presentation.
Audio
The package features a lossless five-channel track with alternative five-channel mixes dubbed in Spanish and French. Like most Tarantino offerings, the mix provides an extremely wide dynamic range full of stylized and discrete audio effects. The film’s Oscar-nominated sound editing gives way for many punchy aural moments awash in robust, in-your-face surround activity and consistent LFE.
The highly active soundfield rightfully crafts the film’s faithful rendition of a spaghetti western. The dialogue effectively finds its way into the mix without having to compete with any obtrusive element around. The musical score turns out as a style-and-era hybrid, which contains western cues, soul, modern hip-hop, and everything else in between. There are no major qualms to note anywhere in the track.
Supplements
The package hosts a few extras with highlights on the production featurettes “Remembering J. Michael Riva: The Production Design of Django Unchained,” “Reimagining the Spaghetti Western: The Horses and Stunts of Django Unchained,” and “The Costume Designs of Sharen Davis.” It also houses the promo materials “Tarantino XX Blu-ray Collection Promo” and “Django Unchained Soundtrack Promo.” Subtitle options are available in English SDH and Spanish.
Final Thoughts
“Django Unchained” is an undeniably entertaining and occasionally disturbing piece of cinema. Quite impressively, Tarantino allows the entire the film to fly by even with its three-hour length. He is able to translate both the technical and thematic values of his vision into an unabashedly post-modern tale of love and revenge. Everything flows so seamlessly together, even with the many ways this high-energy storyteller defies filmic tropes for his willing audience’s entertainment. It is good to note that this cinematic fare shows extreme violence, profanity, and nudity, making it unsuitable for very young and conservative viewers.
