The Movie
Taken as a fun-yet-gritty modern mystery, The Big Bang is a smart, entertaining yarn. It follows a philosophical private detective (Antonio Banderas), hired by a 300-pound Russian boxer desperate to find a stripper, the love of his life, although they have never met or spoken. The boxer ran afoul of the Vegas mob after forgetting to throw a fight, and now his payoff--$30M in blood diamonds--has gone missing, too.
The trail soon leads from Los Angeles to New Mexico where an eccentric multibillionaire is building a machine that will recreate the conditions of The Big Bang, the creation of the universe. It could unlock the very secrets of the existence, or it might destroy the entire planet. One thing's for sure: The impending event is attracting a whole lot of freaks.
Every once in a while the filmmakers show symptoms of D.o.T. or "Delusions of Tarantino," a fine line to walk and one not always achieved by Quentin himself (anyone see Death Proof?), with bits and pieces from Pulp Fiction, Sin City and even The Good, the Bad and the Ugly thrown in. But don't take it too seriously (porno! midgets! white-hot waitresses!) and just let the mystery unravel.
The Picture
Director Tony Krantz and his team have boldly manipulated the color throughout the movie with intriguing results that are well-represented in HD. With some exceptions, blacks are deep and natural, although the 2.40:1 image does go a little soft at times. I also noticed slight edge enhancement and minor ringing in glowing light. There might also be a bit too much atmospheric smoke and mist wafting through scenes, which can lead to video noise, but all of these flaws combined only knock one star off my assessment.
The Sound
The Dolby TrueHD audio is surprisingly good, graced with a subtle resonance as when people speak in a small room, and with a pleasing touch of bass to underscore the action. The moody, upbeat musical score has been thoughtfully mixed for 5.1 channels, while flying sparks and whizzing debris flaunt strong directionality. Voices and other sounds might phase between speakers, a bird might caw discretely, and some surreal effects might play around us in the 360-degree soundfield, for a thoroughly engaging track.
The Extras
Producer/director Krantz and co-producer Reece Pearson team up for their audio commentary, and those viewers wanting to know still more can tune into "Lex Parsimoniae: The Making of The Big Bang," a serious examination of the creative process built largely of crew interviews and film clips (20 minutes). This, like the pair of extended scenes (four minutes) is presented in HD.
Final Thoughts
I was honestly on the fence about The Big Bang until Act III, when a major twist sealed the deal: Sufficiently fresh, funny and exciting, it's a case worth investigating, and a solid Blu-ray effort as well.
Product Details
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