The Film
At first glance, The Eagle appears to be a history lesson for the MTV generation. Featuring the chiseled good looks of Channing Tatum (G.I. Joe) and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), this one seems ripe for an MTV Movie Award -- if anyone actually bothered to see the movie.
Centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila (Tatum) is a promising young leader. He's desperately trying to redeem his father, who disappeared while leading the Ninth Legion years before. However, getting clocked during battle puts his smashing, crashing and killing on hold, until he finds the approximate whereabouts of the missing Eagle standard. He soon teams up with British slave Esca (Bell), who despises him, but owes him a solid. Soon, the two are on a trek to retrieve the prized possession as well as a little family honor.
It's admirable that director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) managed to make cringe-worthy battle scenes without an R rating or a big budget. Those battle scenes are certainly cool, but the rest of The Eagle is sort of confusing. Tatum is fine in the lead; Bell is even better. However, there are a variety of accents, subtitles, chaotic battle scenes, and a bromance that never quite blossoms.
Want to do battle with a real champion? Check out Mark Grady's theatrical review of The Eagle.
The Picture
A lot of The Eagle is choreographed like a rock video. It's dark, with some grain and a ton of shaky cam. The film also has a few softer moments, but overall, the 2.35:1 transfer is actually a real treat. There's a of detail here, most notably on the elaborate costumes as well as each actor's face. Also, the colors, although pretty muted, are spot-on and add real ambience to the film.
The Sound
The film's dialogue adds to some of the confusion in The Eagle. Besides the accents, a lot of what's being said is low. Other than that, the film doesn't offer a lot of ambient sounds or immersive sound effects. Thankfully, the battle scenes are really where the action is -- literally. The DTS-HD Master Audio makes each of those moments quite thunderous, with swords, shields and screams. Also, expect to hear plenty of horses galloping through the surrounds, alongside the film's mighty score.
The Extras
Universal offers up both the theatrical and unrated versions of The Eagle. Otherwise, there's a fairly skimpy selection of extras. Besides commentary with director Kevin Macdonald, this set includes an awful alternate ending and deleted scenes. The one saving grace is the making-of short. This is a pure promo piece, complete with a dramatic voiceover. However, it does provide a Cliffs Notes version of the film, for those needing an additional lesson in just what the heck was going on for the past 114 minutes.
Final Thoughts
Despite two hunky leads, The Eagle is more of a guy thing. It's also a surprisingly good movie -- good, but not great. Still, the Blu-ray's image and audio make this one a worthy pick if you're into this sort of thing.
Product Details
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