Redline Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "Redline" features a stellar 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. However, viewers should note the slight letterboxing and pillarboxing with small black bars on all sides. Despite this, the presentation impressively handles the film’s relentless barrage of high-energy visuals. The animation is rendered with remarkable precision, maintaining excellent clarity and showing a clean and pristine source. The 1.85:1 framed image captures an abundance of vibrant and accurate colors, from vivid reds and greens to more muted earthen tones, all while balancing bright whites and deep, inky blacks.

The Blu-ray excellently conveys the film’s intricate hand-drawn animation cels, allowing both simple and complex designs to pop off the screen. The fine details are well-preserved, with specific scenes like JP's hospital room highlighting subtle textural nuances. The action sequences, characterized by swift movements and substantial crowd scenes rich in detail, such as cascading confetti, are delivered crisply and cleanly. However, it’s worth noting that background banding—both subtle and pronounced—interferes occasionally but does not significantly detract from the overall visual experience.

Overall, while not entirely flawless due to minor banding issues, "Redline" delivers an arresting visual spectacle on Blu-ray. Colors are bold and practically burst from the screen, particularly when the film reaches its most frenetic moments on the racing track. The juxtaposition of bright whites against deep blacks enhances contrast and adds depth. The transfer aptly captures the unbridled creativity and frenzy of "Redline," making it a true high-definition feast for the eyes.

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack for "Redline" is a masterclass in immersive audio engineering. It delivers an energetic, immersive experience characterized by uptempo Techno refrains that circulate robustly throughout the entire soundstage, enveloping listeners with a satisfying and intoxicating musical environment. The clarity of both music and sound effects is commendable, ensuring that even the most frenetic racing scenes are articulate rather than jumbled. Action sequences featuring speeding vehicles, gunfire, and explosions are clear, accurate, and wholly immersive. Ambient effects are exquisitely crafted, from the realistic PA system announcements in the opening scene to the subdued sound of running water in more serene settings. Dialogue is consistently smooth, ensuring that it stands out even amidst the raucous background score.

The dual-language presentation includes Japanese and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks, offering thrilling auditory fidelity in both languages. Dialogue remains crisp and full-bodied across the board, while the expansive soundscape thrusts the listener into a whirlwind of dynamic effects—engine roars, laser blasts, and rocket thrusters resonate with sharp fidelity and precise directionality. The vehicles' seamless swooshes across the soundstage provide a natural and clean sonic experience. Even quieter moments benefit from meticulously designed ambiance that adds depth to character interactions and locational nuances. The dynamic range is impressively wide with distortion-free output, and bass frequencies are powerful, delivering deep and shaking low-end thumps that enhance the film’s overall auditory impact. The balance among effects, music, and speech is exceptional, ensuring a cohesive auditory experience that remains thrilling yet controlled.

Overall, "Redline's" audio presentation is an exhilarating auditory ride that balances creative flair with technical precision, guaranteeing an experience that audiophiles and casual viewers alike will find profoundly captivating.

The extras on the "Redline" Blu-ray offer a concise yet thorough overview of the film’s making process and an early trailer. Anchored by the "Perfect Guide to Redline," this comprehensive documentary provides in-depth insights, featuring interviews with the director and writer, discussions on vehicle design, storyboards, raw animation processes, visual styling, soundtrack composition, voice acting work, and the film's premiere. Though slightly lacking in cohesion, it offers valuable behind-the-scenes footage of animators and performers. The "Quick Guide to Redline," while shorter, effectively profiles the film's diverse characters and elaborates on its stylistic choices, ADR process, and music, resembling a traditional promo piece. All extras are presented in 1080p with Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and English subtitles, maintaining high technical standards.

Extras included in this disc:

• Redline 2006 Trailer: An early trailer serving as a sizzle reel.
• Perfect Guide to Redline: Comprehensive making-of documentary.
• Quick Guide to Redline: Concise look into character profiles and film production insights.

Redline is an exhilarating visual spectacle, blending the intense speed and stylization of Cannonball Run, Speed Racer, and Death Race with a touch of intergalactic chaos. Directed by Takeshi Koike, the 2009 anime delivers a relentless barrage of colors, techno beats, and high-octane racing action. The story revolves around JP (voiced by Takuya Kimura) and Sonoshee (Yū Aoi), two determined racers caught in the throes of a dangerous tournament held on the militarized planet Roboworld. With governments plotting to sabotage the race and complex relationships brewing, Redline is a film overflowing with dynamic elements that often drift into the realm of the absurd.

The narrative of Redline is unapologetically chaotic and sometimes incoherent, but its emphasis on sheer entertainment value outweighs its narrative shortcomings. The characters, while somewhat flat, are imbued with enough charm to keep viewers engaged. We witness fast cars morphing into robots, magical interventions, and bizarre antagonists that add to the film's relentless pace and animated wildness. The movie's strength lies in its ability to maintain a fluid, kinetic animation style that offers an overwhelming visual and auditory experience, drawing audiences into its trippy, adrenaline-fueled world.

Despite its lackluster character development and a plot that often feels like an overstuffed hodgepodge of ideas, Redline succeeds through its captivating artwork and relentless drive. With hyper-stylized character designs, intricate background details, and action sequences that never fail to amaze, it stands as a testament to high-energy animation. While it may fall short in narrative substance, Redline compensates with its unapologetic embrace of madness and an exhilarating sense of fun that ensures viewers remain riveted from start to finish.

'Redline' is an explosive showcase of high-energy animation that immerses viewers in its frenetic, visually stunning world. The film's hand-drawn animation stands out for its bold, vivid colors and intricate details, making every race sequence a jaw-dropping visual spectacle. While the narrative might be thin and occasionally baffling, the sheer entertainment value and adrenaline-pumping action keep audiences on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The Blu-ray transfer does complete justice to this vivid animation, reaffirming 'Redline' as an audiovisual marvel.

Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release excels in delivering a pristine video presentation and a robust audio mix. The insane action sequences are rendered with sharp clarity, ensuring the fast-paced races and vibrant color palette are presented flawlessly. The thunderous audio mix complements the visual frenzy, enhancing the overall immersive experience. Though the supplements are somewhat sparse and uneven in quality, the included documentary offers intriguing insights into the film's production process, making it a noteworthy addition.

There's definitely an appeal to 'Redline,' a movie that's visually catchy and that attacks the senses like few other films, at least during its high octane action/racing sequences. Unfortunately, it's also devoid of substance, though certainly not for a lack of throwing as many ancillary elements at the audience as humanly (otherworldly?) possible. This is fun in a mindless sort of way, though audiences looking for something with a little more thematic oomph are encouraged to search elsewhere. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of 'Redline' features strong video, superb audio, and a trio of extras. Fans can buy with confidence, though others are encouraged to rent.