DVD Corner

Hachi: A Dog’s Tale Blu-ray Review

“Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” is a deeply moving film.

Grades:

Content: A-

Picture: B+

Audio: B

Extras: C+

‘Hachi’ is a very simple story about a music professor named Parker who discovers an Akita pup (that accidentally fell off a luggage rack) at a train station. Not wanting the puppy (Hachi) to be on his own, he takes Hachi home and from there on out the two become inseperable. At first Parker’s wife is against the idea of having a dog, but eventually she sees how much Hachi has effected Parker’s life and how much Parker has effected Hachi’s life. There is more to the story than that, but I do not want to go into spoiler territory. The film is based on true events that occurred in Japan.

When I received ‘Hachi’ for review, I knew nothing about the movie in advance. I had never even heard of it, and to be honest, I’m glad I didn’t. The less you know about this movie, the better. Going into this film knowing nothing is the best way to experience it because the emotional impact of the final act will be that much more powerful. Seriously, if you are a dog person at all, there is no way this movie won’t bring tears to your eyes. It’s an absolutely touching, convincing, and moving story about loyalty, love, and friendship.

As far as the cast and crew goes, director Lasse Hallstrom, actor Richard Gere, and especially the well-trained dogs featured in this film deserve all the credit in the world for their great work here. They turned what could have potentially been an average movie into something special. How this movie never got released in theaters in the U.S. is beyond me. It’s that good.

Summary: Since ‘Hachi’ is making its U.S. premiere on DVD in 2010, I can say (without hesitation) that this is the best film of 2010 so far. A must see.

The 1.85:1 1080p picture quality isn’t the best I have seen. The colors are not very striking, but the transfer is still slightly better than that of a DVD release.

The 5.1 DTS-HD audio track is decent for the most part. The score is nice and clear, but some of the dialogue is a bit low at times which will force the viewer to crank up the volume.

Extras:

* “Open Season 2 and 3,” “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs,” “The Water Horse,” “Facing The Giants,” and “Planet 51” trailers.
* Movie iQ option (a trivia track on BD-Live).
* “A Bond Of Loyalty- The Making Of Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”- A making of that contains interviews with the cast and crew, discussions about the material, etc.

March 9, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 1 | Hachi: A Dog's Tale Blu-ray Review, Richard Gere