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I Am Bruce Lee Blu-ray Review

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
  • Resolution: 1080i/60 (29.970Hz)
  • Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit), English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit)
  • Subtitles: N/A
  • Subtitles Color: N/A
  • Region: A (Region-Locked)
  • Rating: Not Rated
  • Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
  • Digital Copies: N/A
  • Run Time: 94
  • Studio: Shout! Factory
  • Blu-ray Release Date: January 15, 2013
  • List Price: $26.97

Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

The Film

[Rating:4/5]

Director Pete McCormack’s I Am Bruce Lee forgoes all the usual expectations of a documentary in the life of the late martial arts legend Bruce Lee that we’ve come to expect by now. Instead, McCormack has gone in a different direction. More than just another telling of the legend, the myths, and the impact Lee had on the world of kung fu and, moreover, Hong Kong cinema and Hollywood, I Am Bruce Lee brings together numerous stars from all walks of life to paint a picture of how Bruce Lee – martial artist, athlete, actor, and philosopher – has had a lasting impact on many different aspects of our culture, in both the East and West.

The lineup of individuals interviewed here ranges from Lee’s widow Linda Lee Cadwell and daughter Shannon Lee, his god daughter, Diana Lee Inosanto, daughter of his first apprentice in the United States, Dan Inosanto, who also appears, to NBA star Kobe Bryant and MMA star Gina Carano. They offer a range of insightful tidbits about not only the life of Bruce Lee, but how his martial arts and philosophy has helped to shape their lives.

The film blends the interview segments with numerous film clips, rare and never-before-seen photographs, and plenty of old interviews with Lee himself. I Am Bruce Lee is, in fact, a powerful journey through the life of an icon for fans and anyone new to the world of Bruce Lee.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The widescreen (1.78:1) 1080i/60 AVC/MPEG-4 encodement of I Am Bruce Lee from Shout! Factory is more than adequate for this documentary material. The various high definition interview segments look lively while the numerous film clips and photos are actually quite organic in appearance and offer up a good amount of detail given their vintages and sources.

Audio Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

Audio is supplied in both stereo and 5.1 in DTS-HD Master Audio (48kHz/24-bit). Either soundtrack will suffice under these circumstances considering the 5.1 mix doesn’t add much at all besides some very slight ambience in the surround channels and only a hint of boosted low frequencies for the musical accompaniment. The dialogue is all clear with no clipping.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2.5/5]

The supplements offer up more looks at Bruce Lee’s home movies and interview segments, plus the rare Hollywood audition for a series that was never produced.

The supplements:

  • Backyard Training – Bruce Lee’s Personal Films (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:11:27)
  • Inspiration – Bruce Lee’s Global Impact (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:03:11)
  • Bruce Lee in Action (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:04:51)
  • Theatrical Trailer (1.78:1; 1080p/24)
  • Bruce Lee’s Hollywood Audition (1.33:1; 1080p/24; 00:09:03)

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

The story of Bruce Lee has been told numerous times to various degrees of success. We’ve heard the legends and myths, the tales of the street fights and traditionalists trying to shut him down. Now it seems appropriate to take a different tack, skip all the myth making mumbo jumbo, and get down to the nitty gritty – why is it that Bruce Lee has had such a lasting impact? I Am Bruce Lee does a pretty good job of explaining exactly how he has and why that might be.

Additional Screen Captures

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BestBuy.com:
I Am Bruce Lee - Blu-ray Disc

Purchase I Am Bruce Lee on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

[amazon-product]B009INAGRC[/amazon-product]

BestBuy.com:
I Am Bruce Lee - Blu-ray Disc

Purchase I Am Bruce Lee on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]


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