Sony once again taps their animated Blu-ray vault for 3D repurposing with Open Season and like Monster House and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs before it, serves up another winning three-dimensional showcase for the youthful Blu-ray 3D format.
Martin Lawrence as a pampered domesticated bear, Boog, and Ashton Kutcher as his unfortunate and unwelcome deer comic sidekick, Elliot, are the anchors for this nature’s version of leaving the safety of one’s roost the first time. Each is recognizable in their roles and gives some pretty stale dialogue a little extra oomph with an admirable energetic effort. The one-dimensional story is never really compelling or all that interesting and this duo’s jokes, of which there are many, are fairly low brow and often struggle to hit the mark with the exception of a clever Austin Powers-inspired curtain silhouette debacle.
Open Season connected with enough kids to spawn a pair of direct-to-video sequels. A big part of this success is attributable to the zany collection of wild forest animals including an army of Scottish squirrels, destructive beavers, overly masculine deer and bunny fodder. These guys leave the only lasting impression which is admirable considering they are not introduced until open hunting season begins roughly halfway through the film.
3D Presentation
Directors Roger Allers, Jill Culton and Anthony Stacchi must understand that 3D effects are a dish best served bold. Open Season is a boldly animated film with strong, contrasting colors accentuated by mostly snowy terrain and unusually “brushed” backgrounds. It’s also a remarkably still film in that even the most energetic action sequences are framed in a way that the camera is always focused on an object or individual. Blu-ray 3D is most effective when movement is minimized and this is the case throughout much of the film. Only a couple “blink and you’ll miss them” crosstalk instances mar an impeccable 1080p picture.
Another constant in Open Season is the use of 3D and continuous image multi-layered depth. Not once did a scene or even moment appear flat and disrupt the 3D experience. The only variance comes from how impacting the 3D is based on a scene’s design. Some of the more memorable scenes include anytime Boog sticks his huge nose at the camera, looking through the scope of a hunter’s rifle, the layers of grass when Boog wakes up in the woods for the first time, a 360-degree camera pan around a car and a white water rapid ride that ends abruptly into a waterfall. There are many more worth replaying, a testament to Open Season’s near perfect 3D presentation.
When Open Season was first released on Blu-ray Sony was still utilizing PCM to deliver 5.1 channels of lossless audio. This new Blu-ray 3D release jumps to 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio but still delivers a similar mostly front-loaded mix that only springs to life when there’s action on-screen.
Beyond the Feature
There are no newly produced 3D bonus features here but 3D does worm its way into a few of the supplements. You’ll get the most 3D from a single Clip each for Monster House and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Also in 3D is the previously released Teaser Trailer for Sony’s upcoming live-action/animation hybrid Smurfs movie.
Additionally Sony has retrofitted two activities, Wheel of Fortune Forest Edition and VOice-A-Rama, with a sprinkle of 3D by applying the effect to buttons with nearly unnoticeable results.
The remaining supplements are ported directly from the previously released Blu-ray and include the animated short Boog and Elliotts Midnight Bun Run (4:31, HD); a pair of Deleted Scenes (2:03, HD) in storyboard format; Behind the Trees and Voices Behind the Stars making-of featurettes (22:49); silly little cartoons in the form of Ringtales; a Filmmakers Commentary for the adults; Galleries with artwork; Deathray’s “I Wanna Lose Control” music video; and Inside the Animals Studio with Mr Weenie, Porcupine and Maria the Skunk.
As unforgettable a film Open Season is, especially for adults, the Blu-ray 3D presentation trumps creative shortcomings and demands an encore performance. Early Blu-ray 3D adopters with children will definitely want to give Boog and his pals a spin.
– Dan Bradley
Buy Open Season on Blu-ray 3D for a discounted price at Amazon.com (November 16, 2011 release date).
