DVD Review: Shaft 2000

Based on the novel by Ernest Tidyman and the 1971 classic of "Shaft" stars Samuel L. Jackson as the no-nonsense detective and bad mutha...(shut your mouth!) who delivers ten times out of ten. With his Uncle Shaft (Roundtree) as his mentor, Shaft...New Shaft must track down the only witness (Collette) to the crimes of a dangerous racist killer (Bale) so he can put the scum bag behind bars. I can dig it. (Laurie Sevano)
DVD Picture: The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD begins with dark scenes exhibiting excellent shadow delineation. Colors are bold and vibrant, with superb contrast to the deep blacks. Images are sharp, with nicely rendered fine detail and background definition. Color fidelity is well balanced throughout, with accurate flesthones and rich hues. Edge enhancement is noticed on occasion, but is not too much of a distraction. There are a few artifacts detected, but overall the picture should surely delight with excellent image quality. (Suzanne Hodges)

DVD Soundtrack: The Dolby Digital 5.1-channel discrete soundtrack's dominant multichannel element is the music, which usually has a bias toward the screen channels with gentle to moderate surround envelopment. The music's distribution throughout the soundstage effectively results in a sense of being engrossed. Otherwise, the stereophonic sonic presentation of sound effects is generally rather typical, being predominantly oriented from the screen with some spread into the surrounds. Fidelity is very good and the tonality seems neutral. Dialogue is well recorded, and voices sound natural in their spatial integration. There is ample low-end extension that is predominated by the music, with the .1 LFE engaged sparingly. Overall, this isn't one of the standout action film soundtracks with sophisticated dimensional utilization and intense low frequencies, but nonetheless will deliver a surround sound listening experience that is quite well-paced with the story's dramatic momentum. (Perry Sun)

Picture: 5
Dolby Digital Sound: 4
Critics' Composite Score: 3

Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Christian Bale, Busta Rhymes, Dan Hedaya, Toni Collette & Richard Roundtree

This review courtesy of widescreenreview.com