The Film
After surviving the Napoleonic Wars, ranker turned officer Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean) could have settled down, but he's pressed back into service to go on yet another mission for the Duke of Wellington. This time the action takes him to colonial India, where he must rescue an old friend, track down a treacherous turncoat, deal with incompetent commanders, and romance a lady or two along the way. In other words, it is business as usual for Bernard Cornwell's most famous character in this TV movie.
As a note, while the book series pretty much concluded with the Battle of Waterloo, the author continued the series by focusing on Sharpe's pre-officer days in India. But as Bean had gotten older, the producers of Sharpe's Challenge instead took the story forward, setting it after his exploits in Spain and France, and combing three books into one. This makes for a rousing good story that is full of adventure and plot twists where Sharpe once again must save the day.
The Picture
Originally released on DVD, this one unfortunately only looks marginally better. The 1.77:1 1080i presentation has noticeable graininess throughout much of the film, noticeably so in the nighttime scenes. It is almost distracting at some points. However, other sequences really pop, as the Blu-ray is filled of British Army and Honorable East India Company soldiers in their signature red uniforms, while the various native volunteer and Raj garb feature a rainbow of colors. Likewise, the blue skies contrast the tan bricks of the Raj's palace and dusty countryside.
The Sound
The 5.1 channel DTS soundtrack is quite clear with dialog, which comes through without any problems via the center channel. There isn't a whole lot in the way of discrete channel separation, and while the battle sequences have some ambient sounds from the rear channels this one doesn't have the pounding soundtrack you'd likely expect from a battle-ridden tale.
The Extras
For the hardcore Sharpe fan this Blu-ray is probably worth the upgrade from DVD as it includes a few extras. There is a nice bonus featurette that shows how this was brought up to HD quality, along with audio commentaries, a behind the scenes featurette, outtakes and a photo gallery.
Final Thoughts
Sharpe is a hard man to kill, and through the previous 14 made-for-TV movies that has been pretty much solidly established. Sharpe's Challenge brings back the character for a new round of adventures - likely because Sean Bean's film career never really took off - and it is nice to see him back for another round. Too bad it doesn't look and sound as good as it could on Blu-ray.
Product Details
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