My take: John Adams

HD Goofnut

Title: John Adams
3 BD-50 Dual-Layer Discs
Video: 1080p/VC-1
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Aspect Ratio: 1:78:1
Subtitles: English, French, and Spanish
Run time: 560 minutes
Studio: HBO Home Video
Rating: Unrated
Player used for review: LG BH200

My take: (the breakdown)

Being the amateur historian that I am I try to give shows like this at least a sample viewing to see just how good they are. To be rather blunt I was absolutely blown away by the John Adams miniseries and it is undoubtedly the best series/miniseries I have seen from HBO other than Band of Brothers. Not only did the director and producers follow David McCullough's book of the same name, but they also did their homework for historical accuracy. The costumes, weapons, lighting, architecture, and dialects are all exactly as they should be for the 1770s-1790s. This is a must own for anyone appreciating a well made piece of film work if you ask me.

The video is quite stunning. The dominant hues are reds, whites, browns, and grays and they all are quite bright and vivid. Flesh tones are also extremely accurate. Fine detail is right on the money even on distant shots. There is a thin veil of grain that remains consistent during the entire 560 minute run time as well. My sole complaint is that that are a number of darker scenes that are so dark you can't tell what is going on. Other than that this is an excellent transfer from HBO.

The audio is even better than the video presentation. We are given a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that really shines even though this is predominately a drama. There are indeed a few instances of action that boast musket fire and cannonball shots that really liven the sub up. Dialogue is clearly understood at all times and the music never becomes overbearing. This is definitely a reference audio track from HBO.

While we don't get much in the way of the supplements for this Blu-ray release what we do get is of high quality. We are supplied with a 29 minute making of feature of the miniseries, a 39 minute feature showing the transfer from McCullough's book to the screen, and a couple interactive features that play while watching the series. These interactive features include Facts are Stubborn Things and Who's Who in History. The two aforementioned features are both presented in 1080.


Movie: 9/10
VQ: 9/10
AQ: 10/10
Supplements: 3/10
Final word: A Must Own

As always thanks for reading folks.

__________________

mytime

Ty for the review. I'll have to check this one out.

__________________
Gargle hag gag gargle

HD Goofnut

No problem at all.

__________________

FreddyC

It is excellent and has the feel of watching actual history as it's being made. Very enjoyable mini-series. Nice review. Freddy

__________________
DirecTV HR20
TV: Samsung Plasma T-4254
Sony 5.1/Dolby Receiver
Toshiba HD-DVD Player HD-A2
Playstation 3
ILO DVD Recorder
Wii
76 HD DVD's
72 Blu Rays and growing

clearday

HD, Again I agree with you 100%. I have this on DVD and it was one of the best historical presentations I have seen (even on "lowly" dvd).

All 10 yr olds and up should see this as it gives such a great overview of the beginnings of our government.

Thanks again, for your very good reviews.

HD Goofnut

Thanks very much guys.

__________________

JohnnyTex

Thanks for the review Goofnut, and I agree with everything you said here. It looks great, it's entertaining, the acting was brilliant (thought Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson deserved some sort of nomination), and I even enjoyed the "Making of John Adams" featurette. Some of the green screen/CG techniques they employed for the series reminded me of David Fincher's seemless work in Zodiac. It's an all around great series.

HD Goofnut

You're welcome. Come to think of it I can't recall any scenes that easily revealed CGI effects.

__________________

Stew4HD

I haven't seen the BD version but jumped on the SD version upon release. I must say that I absolutely loved this mini-series. Giamati acted his ass off in this.. IMO, he was John Adams!

__________________
___________________________________

terry740

I recently finished reading the book it was based on and I realized suddenly what day it was ! July 4. Very fitting for this great patriot.

HD Goofnut

I'm going to have to disagree with you here. Most of the scenes look absolutely fantastic.

__________________

bruceames

I just watched most of part 1. How much of this series is courtroom drama and law talk? I'm not a big fan of either.

__________________
Blu-rays: 69
Latest purchases: Lost: seasons 1-5, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

HD Goofnut

Just the first two parts Bruce. Starting with Part 3 things really begin to pick up with Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams.

__________________

bruceames

Thanks Goofnut, it looks very good so far and it'll be nice knowing some of the other bigs are to be checking in soon to spice things up.

__________________
Blu-rays: 69
Latest purchases: Lost: seasons 1-5, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

HD Goofnut

Oh yeah and Tom Wilkinson does a fantastic rendition of Ben Franklin. I was also impressed by David Morse's portrayal of Washington.

__________________