Rampage appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a largely strong image.
While most of the movie presented nice clarity, some wider shots looked a bit tentative. Still, the majority of the flick appeared solid, and no signs of moiré effects or jaggies occurred. The movie also lacked edge haloes or print flaws.
In terms of palette, Rampage favored a combination of teal and orange. Those choices came as no surprise, and the Blu-ray reproduced them in a satisfactory manner.
Blacks showed strong depth, and shadows were good, with nice opacity and clarity. All of this was enough for a “B+” that lost points solely due to the occasional slightly soft shots.
I felt more consistently pleased with the excellent Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Rampage. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the soundscape offered frequent room for information to emanate from the various speakers.
The mix used those chances well. The soundtrack delivered wall-to-wall auditory material that spread out across the speakers in a satisfying manner and that blended together nicely.
This meant a tremendously active track in which the surrounds worked as nearly equal partners and kept the mix humming. Plenty of action/disaster moments made this a consistently impressive soundfield.
Audio quality also satisfied, as speech was natural and concise, while music sounded peppy and full. Effects turned into the primary factor, and those elements appeared accurate and vivid.
Bass response added real depth and rocked my subwoofer. If you own a fancy-pants home theater, you spent that money for soundtracks like this.
This package includes both 2D and 3D versions of Rampage. The picture comments above reflect the 2D edition – how does the 3D compare?
In terms of visuals, the 3D looked largely comparable. It seemed slightly darker and slightly softer, but those became minor concerns, as the two were 95 percent alike, I felt.
Audio came at a disadvantage for the 3D rendition, though, as it lacked the 2D’s Dolby Atmos. Instead, the 3D presentation solely opted for DTS-HD MA 5.1. This was also a very good track, but it’s a shame 3D viewers can’t get the full Atmos mix.
A post-converted affair, the 3D Rampage provided a pretty involving affair. At times, the visuals could feel a little like they entered “pop-up book” territory, but they added a nice sense of depth to the proceedings.
In addition, more than a few scenes boasted strong dimensionality. With a lot of flying/airborne elements, material could pop out of the screen. This wasn’t a great 3D presentation, but it gave the movie more pizzazz, so I regard it as the most enjoyable way to view the film – and that includes the 4K UHD.
Five featurettes show up here, and these start with Not Just a Game Anymore, a six-minute, 15-second reel with producers John Rickard and Beau Flynn, director Brad Peyton, video game animator/designer Brian Colin, writer Brad Engle, executive producer Jeff Fierson, and actors Dwayne Johnson, Joe Manganiello, and Malin Akerman.
“Anymore” looks at the source video game and its adaptation on the big screen. It gives us a quick but enjoyable overview.
With Actors in Action, we find a 10-minute, 45-second piece with notes from Peyton, Johnson, Manganiello, Flynn, Rickard, stunt coordinator Allan Poppleton, producer Hiram Garcia, military advisor Patrick Brown, armorer Larry Zanoff, and actors Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matt Gerald, Urijah Faber and Marley Shelton.
As implied by the title, this show focuses on the cast, with an emphasis on their involvement in the movie’s action beats. It leans toward a lot of praise but it throws out a few decent nuggets along the way.
During the 10-minute, eight-second Trio of Destruction, we hear from Johnson, Peyton, Flynn, Rickard, VFX onset supervisor Stephen Unterfranz, production designer Barry Chusid, VFX supervisors Erik Winquist and Colin Strause, executive producer Marcus Viscidi, and animation supervisors Aidan Martin and David Clayton.
“Trio” examines creature design and execution. It turns into a tight little overview.
Attack on Chicago goes for 10 minutes, 23 seconds and delivers remarks from Johnson, Flynn, Peyton, Chusid, Unterfranz, Winquist, Viscidi, Strause, Rickard, Winquist, Garcia, VFX supervisor Jonathan Nixon, construction coordinator Jonas Kirk, and actor Jake Lacy.
“Attack” looks at aspects of location shooting and the Windy City’s integration into the movie’s often CG world. Too much praise results but we still learn a decent number of insights.
Finally, Bringing George to Life fills 11 minutes, 53 seconds with comments from Flynn, Johnson, Peyton, Garcia, movement coordinator Terry Notary, Morgan, Harris, Martin, and actors Jason Liles, Skye Notary and Willow Notary. “Life” looks at elements involved in the presentation of George, with an emphasis on the performance capture work. It offers some useful info.
Seven Deleted Scenes take up a total of 10 minutes, 12 seconds. Most focus on additional info about supporting characters, and we also see minor alternates for a sequence that show George’s fate.
Of the bunch, the most intriguing comes from a teaser that would’ve pointed toward a second Rampage film. It also includes a cameo from Alexandra Daddario, Johnson’s San Andreas co-star. It’s the most fun of the snippets.
A Gag Reel runs two minutes, 43 seconds and provides a standard mix of silliness and mistakes. It’s forgettable.
The disc opens with ads for The Meg and Tomb Raider. No trailer for Rampage appears here.
Despite a ton of action and the potential for excitement, Rampage seems oddly flat. It feels like it should dazzle and delight but instead it just ends up as minor entertainment at best. The Blu-ray delivers largely positive picture along with excellent audio and a decent array of supplements. Rampage should’ve been better, though at least the 3D version brings some extra pizzazz to the proceedings.
To rate this film, visit the original review of RAMPAGE
