Editor’s Note: This is the first of many PSU Blu-ray reviews. Though PSU already covers Blu-ray news, we decided that Blu-ray reviews were the next logical step for the website. For those of you who are interested in Blu-ray coverage – brilliant, expect more of it in the future. For those of you who are not interested in this material, know that game coverage will not suffer whatsoever because of these additional Blu-ray articles. We’ve brought on a talented tech and high definition expert to assess the quality of these Blu-ray movies, and all of our other contributors and editors will continue to perform their regular duties. With that said, enjoy this and future Blu-ray reviews.
The Movie:
Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a young man who has wrestled with his inner demons throughout most of his life. He has very little direction, and even less understanding of what he wants from his own future. Working as a janitor in the halls of MIT in Boston, Will’s genius is discovered by Mathematics Professor Gerald Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård), but there is just one problem: Will himself. Growing up in South Boston was rough on him – Will spent more time skirting the boundaries of the law than on much else. The struggle to deal with his past confronts him head on as he is molded by Professor Lambeau. As Will soldiers on, he discovers that life and love are intrinsically connected, and in order to handle one, he must confront the other.
When Good Will Hunting was released in 1997 it was swept up in a whirlwind of critical acclaim. At the heart of this film is a great story, which is why it still has such an impact twelve years later. The compelling plot was supported by extremely strong performances from Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, while director Gus Van Sant did a wonderful job bringing the script to life. Though the exterior of this film can feel rough at times, this was clearly an intentional move on Van Sant’s part. South Boston is a gritty, blue-collar place, and is portrayed perfectly. The shining star of the movie, however, is the relationship between Will and his psychologist Sean. That relationship spawns heartfelt moments that expose Will’s tender soul and tug deeply at your heartstrings.
Rating: 10/10
Picture Quality:
Good Will Hunting sports a 1.85:1 AVC transfer (that’s 16:9 for those of you who don’t know). The image is generally quite pleasing, and a definite upgrade from the DVD version. Still, the overall picture quality is somewhat of a mixed bag. Now and then there are a few shots that feel soft or slightly out of focus. Skin tones and textures are acceptable for Blu-ray standards, though not quite as good as they could be. A little more time spent laboring over the transfer might have squeezed out a bit more detail.
Another thing to consider is the film style, as older films are often less saturated than Hollywood productions of late. It must be said, however, that the visual difference in terms of accurate color and skin tones compared to the DVD is really amazing – the Blu-ray version comes across as far more life-like and realistic. It just doesn’t give you the overall punch you look for when viewing a Blu-ray disc, however. There is some film grain throughout the majority of the movie, but this is to be expected, and does not truly detract from the film’s overall quality.
Depth is one element where the Blu-ray version clearly stands out against it DVD counterpart. Though it doesn’t feature the 3D look that some movies have where the focal points “pop” out of the screen at you, the depth in the Good Will Hunting Blu-ray adds a sense of realism that the DVD fails to capture.
When scrutinized, some imperfections — like soft areas and a few cases of banding in shadows — become evident. It’s natural to desire more detail in the dark areas of any movie, but Good Will Hunting doesn’t satisfy on that front.
Ultimately, the Good Will Hunting Blu-ray has adequate visuals that lean slightly toward the positive end of the spectrum.
Rating: 6.5/10
Audio Quality:
The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is an upgrade over the Dolby Digital version, but nothing to write home about. Being a heavily character driven movie, one shouldn’t expect much in terms of surround sound impact. Fidelity is better than on the Dolby Digital track, and background audio and dialogue are more detailed and have been lifted out of the mix a bit. The Dolby Digital track feels a little muddy in comparison. It should be no big surprise to anyone that the subwoofer and the surround speakers don’t get much of a workout here. Your front main speakers produce 90% of the audio the movie has to offer, though occasionally the subtle tones of the score will creep into your surrounds. Speaking of the score, composer Danny Elfman did a brilliant job supporting the characters on the screen with his minimal compositions.
You don’t typically buy a film like this to be blown away by its audio performance. In the end, Good Will Hunting offers up a nice track that gives us what we want from this disc. For what it is, it’s good, but It just won’t matter much beyond throwing it on DTS-HD MA and watching the movie. (There is also a 5.1 French Dolby Digital Track)
Rating: 6.0/10
Extras:
There aren’t any, which is a bit of a let down considering several of the DVD versions have special features that aren’t present here. This is definitely a “bare bones” Blu-ray release from Alliance.
Final Thoughts:
Good Will Hunting offers a compelling and masterful story. Though Blu-ray Disc has its flaws, we still recommend it to anyone remotely interested in this film. It clearly trumps the DVD in terms of visual and audio quality. This is a Canadian release (you can order it normally on Amazon.com), but it is available in the U.S. as well, and from what we have been told it is exactly the same disc. If you’re a long time fan of this movie, or just interested in seeing a really great film, go out there and get Good Will Hunting. It’s definitely worth the asking price, which by all means is quite cheap.