Admiral - Blu-Ray

Movie: In World War I, Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (Konstantin Khabensky, "Guardians of the Night") makes a name for himself with his clear and strategic mind even in the most dangerous situations. It is with this same military expertise that Kolchak, as commander-in-chief of the White Army, is to put down the Red Guard insurgents and thus save the Russian monarchy. But it is not only this hopeless, bloody battle that takes the admiral to the limits of his endurance. Kolchak is also worn down by his unfulfillable love for the beautiful Anna Timirjowa (Elizaweta Bojarskaja), since Anna is bound to one of his comrades and he himself is married. But in the turmoil of the bloody civil war, Anna and the admiral finally seem to find each other. But can this happiness really last long?

"Admiral - Warrior. Hero. Legend." is one of the most expensive productions in recent Russian film history - and it shows. The war scenery is impressively realized. With more than 24,000 special effects and thousands of extras, the war drama is literally a piece of great cinema. The war scene is captured in breathtaking images and the first half hour in particular is full of extremely exciting moments. When Kolchak maneuvers his ship through a minefield, for example, you can get sweaty palms as a viewer. But unfortunately the film can't show this level in all moments. Pathos and patriotism seem a bit thick at times and some scenes are too clearly based on the films that obviously served as models for the makers.

Even in the last act there are some clear parallels to "Titanic" and it becomes clear that the film would like to be in a league with James Cameron's mega hit. But unfortunately, a comparison with Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor" is more apt. Here as there, the engagingly staged battle sequences worked, but in terms of romance, the audience was slain by unnecessary campiness. Most noticeably, Konstantin Khabenskijal's Admiral delivers a very good acting performance, but comes across as a romantic hero in a totally cramped way. When the scenes between him and Elizaveta Boyarskaya, dominated by stilted dialogue, are then overrun by overly languorous music, it is almost impossible for the viewer to become similarly emotionally attached to this love affair as was the case with Rose and Jack on "Titanic".

This does ensure that "Admiral - Warrior. Hero. Legend." did not become the great war drama for which the film would have had the potential. But for lovers of bombastic historical films, which place more value on the visual realization, than on the dramatic adaptation, this mega production can be called absolutely worth seeing.

Picture + Sound: Technically, the Blu-Ray is on a high level. The sound has a stately multi-channel mix, which is positively noticeable in the very first minutes. In addition to some well-placed surround effects, but also the well-tuned dialogue and music can please. The image is clean and brings with it a high overall sharpness.

Extras: Apart from a couple of trailers and online features, the Blu-ray unfortunately has no bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: "Admiral - Warrior. Hero. Legend." is a visually stunning blend of war film, thriller and romantic drama. Unfortunately, not all aspects of the implementation work, but the great images alone make the film worth watching! The Blu-Ray is technically absolutely convincing, but unfortunately brings no real bonus material with it

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp