Badges of Fury Blu-ray Review

"Badges of Fury," presented by Well Go USA, boasts a sophisticated AVC encoded 1080p transfer in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Shot using the Red Epic system, the film features a sharp, precise image with excellently saturated colors and intricate fine details. Facial features, environmental textures, and settings are vividly clear, contributing to a fully realized cinematic experience. However, the film’s visual appeal dims slightly during shoddy special effects scenes, where cartoonish imagery detracts from the otherwise detailed picture. Notably, several dimly lit or nighttime scenes lack shadow detail, caused by aggressive post-production color grading skewed towards blue, resulting in a minor depletion of fine detail.

While the presentation notably avoids compression artifacts, some sequences exhibit poor contrast levels where blacks can appear grayish instead of deep and robust. Fortunately, these issues are confined to low-light conditions; daytime scenes and well-lit sequences maintain high clarity and sharpness, allowing the film to shine. Flesh tones remain natural and balanced throughout, except during poorly rendered VFX, which struggle to blend seamlessly with their real-world counterparts. Despite these occasional setbacks with contrast and sub-par VFX work, "Badges of Fury" on Blu-ray delivers a generally impressive and visually satisfying experience for viewers.

Overall, "Badges of Fury" features an engagingly detailed 1080p transfer that remains pleasing for fans of the film and its leading star, Jet Li. The primary strengths lie in the vivid colors and high-detail imagery that only falter slightly in specific effects-laden or dimly lit scenes. The presentation ensures that the bulk of the film offers a visually compelling experience worthy of Blu-ray format standards.

The audio presentation of "Badges of Fury" on Blu-Ray offers a robust and dynamic experience, featuring both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0 mixes in Mandarin and English. The English 5.1 mix, despite being almost identical in ambiance and foley effects to the Mandarin track, should be avoided due to poor lip-syncing and overall inferior dubbing. The original Mandarin track, however, shines with an immersive sound field, particularly excelling during action sequences. With bone-crunching sounds emanating from the side channels and a broad dynamic range suitable for an action-comedy hybrid, the Mandarin mix delivers clean dialogue, remarkable fidelity, and a high degree of intensity.

The Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 provides a well-balanced mix that enhances the viewing experience through its precise imaging and directionality. The audio follows camera and character movements intricately, creating a fully realized and captivating atmosphere in action scenes. The mix maintains an even distribution between the front/center speakers and rear channels while incorporating substantial LFE that adds rich, deep bass to fight sequences, explosions, and gunfire, elevating the chaotic energy of these scenes.

Highlighted by its rigorous treatment of the LFE channel, "Badges of Fury" features an audio track that provides an exhilarating punch during high-impact moments like characters crashing through concrete walls or being swung around in slow motion. Dialogue remains clean and clear amidst the action, and the surround sound channels effectively manage the plethora of effects thrown at them, ensuring a near-reference quality soundtrack that thoroughly engages the audience and tests the capabilities of any home theater setup.

The Blu-ray release of Badges of Fury comes with a modest but informative selection of extras that fans will find engaging. The supplemental content is split across two primary featurettes and a trailer, providing behind-the-scenes looks at the film's production. Although some footage is repeated between segments and the quality varies from SD to HD, these extras offer a fun glimpse into the filming process. The "Making Of" feature is divided into several parts, showcasing insights from the female and male cast, a specific action scene involving Wen Zhang, and various humorous moments on set. Additionally, the "Behind the Scenes" featurette contains interviews and more candid footage, though Jet Li's presence is minimal.

Extras included in this disc:

• Making Of: Insights on cast experiences, Wen Zhang action scene, and humorous moments.
• Behind the Scenes: Additional interviews and candid footage.
• Trailer: U.S. theatrical trailer.

"Badges of Fury," starring Jet Li and Zhang Wen, diverges from the standard Jet Li action film, embracing a slapstick, almost cartoonish tone that juxtaposes mayhem with humor. The film centers around the "Smile Murders," where victims die with grins on their faces, a bizarre premise that sets the stage for various comedic antics. The narrative follows detectives Wang Bu'er (Zhang Wen), his seasoned partner Huang Feihong (Jet Li), and their superior Angela (Michelle Chen) as they delve into these unconventional murders, linked to actress Liu Jinshui (Shishi Liu). Despite its potential, the film's humor often falls flat, interspersed with chaotic action scenes that lack cohesion.

The chaotic nature of "Badges of Fury" is underscored by its inconsistent plotlines, borrowing elements of parody reminiscent of "The Naked Gun" series. The film's self-aware antics include gags referencing Jet Li's previous films and nods to other franchises like "Men in Black." With its over-the-top physics and exaggerated action, courtesy of choreographer Cory Yuen ("The Transporter"), the film frequently borders on absurdity. Yet, these sequences often miss the mark, failing to deliver substantial humor or plot relevance. The film's hurried pacing detracts from its potential impact, resulting in a disjointed experience.

Despite these shortcomings, "Badges of Fury" offers sporadic delights. Jet Li and Zhang Wen display commendable chemistry in their limited shared scenes. However, the film struggles to balance its comedic and action elements effectively. The movie feels like an incongruent patchwork of gags and fight scenes, where individual moments of brilliance are overshadowed by an overall lack of direction. For those willing to embrace its quirky, live-action cartoon vibe, "Badges of Fury" can be an amusing ride, but it remains far from a cohesive or compelling offering in either the comedy or action genres.

"Badges of Fury" attempts to present a comedic side to Jet Li, diverting from his traditional action-packed roles. Despite this notable venture, the film ultimately struggles with coherence, leaning too heavily into slapstick humor and rapid-fire silliness that feels forced and overwhelming. The narrative is fragmented, leaving even devoted Li fans potentially discontent with its frenetic pacing and uneven tone. While the comedic references to Li’s past work and popular culture are commendable, they are not enough to elevate the overall execution which often falls flat.

From a technical perspective, the Blu-ray edition of "Badges of Fury" delivers impressive audio and visual quality. The picture is crisp, and the sound design effectively enhances the action-comedy elements, making the viewing experience more enjoyable. However, the special features included are somewhat lackluster, with a noticeable absence of high-definition content that could have enriched the offering. Despite these shortcomings, if you approach this film with adjusted expectations—it is, after all, primarily a comedy—you may find moments of genuine amusement.

Maybe the biggest problem with "Badges of Fury" is that it tries too hard. This is a film that just keeps coming at the audience with more and more silliness, which ultimately becomes a case of overload. There's a goofily enjoyable ambience here, to be sure, but it's hampered by a sort of desperate intensity that undercuts the very lightheartedness the film is obviously aiming for. Li fans may want to check this out, but even they may be disappointed by this film's oddly lurching quality. For those who do want to check it out, the Blu-ray's audio and video merits are excellent.