PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
The Game (Remastered) (1997)

The Game (Remastered) (1997)

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Released 1-Oct-2002

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Thriller Theatrical Trailer
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 1997
Running Time 123:15
RSDL / Flipper RSDL (64:13) Cast & Crew
Start Up Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding 2,4 Directed By David Fincher
Studio
Distributor

Universal Pictures Home Video
Starring Michael Douglas
Sean Penn
James Rebhorn
Deborah Kara Unger
Peter Donat
Carroll Baker
Armin Mueller-Stahl
Case Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI $19.95 Music Howard Shore


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
German Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
French Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 2.40:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired
German
French
Spanish
Dutch
Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    The Game is a bold and rewarding thriller, impeccably directed by David Fincher.

    As Michael D wrote in his review of the original DVD release, "The Game is an excellent thriller starring Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orten, a very rich man who receives a very unusual birthday present from his brother, Conrad (Sean Penn). He is invited to take part in a "game", especially tailored for him. Pretty soon, some very unusual things start happening to Nicholas, and the line between reality and fiction progressively becomes more and more blurred. "The Game" does not appear to be entirely benign. But what is part of "the game", and what is reality? Does "the game" exist at all, or is it all a scam? Who is in on "the game" and who is not involved?"

    Rather than re-review the same movie, or describe the same plot, I thought what readers would most be interested in, in regards to this re-mastered version, is "what's new?" It is clear that the same print has been used, as the same film artefacts appear during the same points in the movie. Initially, comparing a few scenes, they both looked and sounded much the same. However, with much closer inspection, this new version has less grain and is a far better transfer as far as contrast goes. Many of the brighter scenes in the original version are overexposed to the point of being totally washed out. This has been corrected with this re-mastered version. The new release also has a very high data rate and would not fit onto the single layered disc released previously.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    Like some of Fincher's other work, the movie is intentionally very dark, and while there are a few minor flaws, the transfer captures this well.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which is very close to its original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced. Unlike the original DVD release, the Pan & Scan version of this movie is not present on the flip side of the disc.

    The sharpness is pretty good throughout, but the image in some scenes seems a little soft and grainy, such as inside the car at 83:55. This new version is a tad sharper than the original DVD. The transfer struggled with shadow detail during the darker scenes, such as in the hotel at 52:51.

    The colour palette is purposely muted for artistic effect, and this adds greatly to the impact of the movie. Occasionally there would be bursts of colour which were used well for effect.

    MPEG artefacts were never a major problem, but some of the backgrounds seemed to suffer from very slight macro blocking, such as the background walls at 64:23.

    Film-to-video artefacts were also not a major problem, as there was no telecine wobble, and aliasing only appeared very infrequently as a very slight shimmer on a few objects, such as on the background wall at 12:58.

    Film artefacts, in the form of tiny white or black flecks, also appeared very infrequently. As they were tiny, I never found them distracting.

    All the subtitles promised on the packaging are present, and the English subtitles are accurate.

    This is a RSDL disc, with the layer change placed at 64:13. It is very obvious, clumsy, and disruptive.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Apart from the default English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, there are also three other Dolby Dolby Digital 5.1 audio options: French, German, and Spanish.

    The dialogue quality and audio sync are fine on the English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.

    The introspective musical score is credited to Howard Shore, and it is suitably moody, reflective, and dramatic.

    The surround presence and activity is a bit of a mixed bag. The surround sound mix is quite front-heavy throughout most of the movie, but the rear speakers are used effectively to help carry the score, and for effects, or to provide ambience on occasion, for example, the traffic at 71:13. However, during the break-in scene, when burglar alarms are blaring, at 45:02, the rear speakers were noticeably silent.

    The subwoofer is also utilized very effectively to support both the score and the effects, such as the car crash at 71:31.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    The original extra, cast and filmmaker biographies, has been replaced by a theatrical trailer.

Menu

    A very simple menu, presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced. It is static and silent.

Theatrical Trailer (1:34)

    Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, with Dolby Digital stereo audio.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    The Game was originally released on DVD in Region 1 in 1998.

The Region 4 DVD misses out on:

The Region 1 DVD misses out on:

    I would favour the local release for its affordability, and most importantly, its superior PAL image.

Summary

    The Game is an absorbing and entertaining thriller, and once again Fincher has worked his directorial magic. If you already own The Game, you might want to rent/borrow this version first before buying it. While there is an improvement, it is only marginal.

    The video quality is slightly disappointing but still very watchable.

    The audio quality is very good albeit a little front-heavy.

    The extras are really not worth mentioning.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Brandon Robert Vogt (warning: bio hazard)
Sunday, December 29, 2002
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DV-535, using S-Video output
DisplayGrundig Elegance 82-2101 (82cm, 16x9). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
AmplificationSony STR DE-545
SpeakersSony SS-V315 x5; Sony SA-WMS315 subwoofer

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