I thought the August Rush blu-ray had slightly above average PQ. It's not going to blow you away, but it shouldn't disappoint either. The lossless audio track is good, but considering how much of the movie centers around music, it's not as demanding of your sound system as it should be. Overall, it's worth picking up if you're a fan of the film, because it's clearly the best option available.
Video 3.5/5
Presented in 1080p high definition and framed at 2.40:1, August Rush doesn't quite live up to the expectations for the visual quality I envisioned for this film. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this image are the (at times) dreadful black levels. Some scenes looks so bad and phony, others average, and a few good, that I wonder if some of the worst offending shots are not intentional. The "you're a freak" scene at the beginning of the movie exhibits questionable blacks, the darker background looking far too bright and unnatural, the result a washed-out look that doesn't do the scene justice. The problems is even more noticeable in a following scene when Louis is sitting on the roof of a building, the night sky behind him. He appears almost ghostly, an aura around him that, combined with the poor blacks, makes him look like a cheap visual effect from twenty years ago, not just as a man in a basic shoot of a modern film. The quality of black levels fluctuates the rest of the way, but this scene is definitely the worst offender in the entire movie. Having a cinematographer or director commentary might have answered the question as to whether this odd look was intentional.
The remainder of the image is also hit or miss, but thankfully more of a hit than a miss. Some scenes scattered here and there are downright beautiful and of excellent overall quality. A medium wide city shot of Chicago, for example, features robust color, notably in the blue of Lake Michigan, and the image is crystal clear and vibrant, looking strikingly real. Another wonderful example is at the beginning of the film when Evan is in a wheat field. Simply brilliant. At times, we can see wonderful detail, such as scuffs and markings on the guitars, but at other times the image is mostly flat and lifeless, with dull colors, and many bright shots retain that washed out look seen in many of the dark scenes. Flesh tones are generally natural in well-lit scenes, and most off-color flesh tones appear to be more a result of environments oddly lighting characters than anything else. The print is of course pristine, never marred by any nagging speckles or other annoyances. Overall, this is a good image, not great, but certainly passable and watchable, one that looks fine when it wants to, and one that looks paltry at best at other times.
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Audio 4/5
Presented in Dolby True HD 5.1 lossless surround sound, August Rush is movie material that screams for a perfect soundtrack, something that should be trend and standard setting, reference material through-and-through. What we get here is most certainly good, but like the video, left me wanting and somewhat let down by the final product. The soundtrack itself is wondrous, and what makes it work is the way music is integrated into absolutely everything. The scene where Evan first arrives in New York City left me amazed at what was done with the sound mix. A veritable cacophony of city sounds -- from a jackhammer being used on a construction site to revolving doors being spun at an office building to fire engine whistles blaring as the truck rolls past to steam rising from the underground to roller skates on pavement to several birds flapping their wings to a plastic bag blowing in the breeze -- all come together in a crescendo of superbly blended sounds, a perfect means of letting us hear the world as Evan does, perhaps the finest moment in a film jam-packed with memorable moments.
As for the TrueHD mix -- I was pleased but not overjoyed. There are several great moments, however. Even as the studio logo is still on the screen, ambience emanates from all around us, building to a harmony of sound, focused in nature and scored to bring the entire orchestra to a rousing crescendo. Nevertheless, there were several spots where I couldn't help but think that the sound could have been a bit more robust. For example, a scene where Evan is taken to the old concert hall where Wizard's "children" stay features several instances of yelling and laughter. One would expect such noises to reverberate with quite a bit of authority and noticeable echo. There is indeed a hint of an echo, but its so underplayed that is just doesn't feel all that natural, almost like our brains are asking where a sound we expect to hear is, but is nowhere to be heard, at least not as clearly as we would expect it. Dialogue is oftentimes low in volume and had me fiddling with the remote quite often. Like the video, there seem to be spikes in the quality of this sound mix. It'll go from average to "wow" and back to average. A scene where Evan plays the organ in a church is one such "wow" moment; a scene near the New York subway rumbles the subwoofer and I felt the reverberations in my seat (who needs D-Box?). Sadly, such truly amazing moments are only to be found here and there, and while this is definitely a good track, I was hoping for (and expecting) 5-star material.
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August Rush question??
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