If you are searching for ‘Merantau’ on Blu-Ray then you are at the right place.
Well, it depends on what is your definition of a ‘right place’, of course.
Mine is pretty straightforward – a place in which you can find not just a Blu-Ray and his price but a detailed description of the movie in question as well as everything you’d want to know about the Blu-Ray itself – technical specifications, customer reviews, etc.
In that way, you will have a clearer idea whether it is worth it or not and believe me, in this case, there is a lot to say about Gareth Evans’ ‘Merantau’.
Let’s start by mentioning…
Contents
A Few Words About The Movie
‘Merantau’ (2009) is an Indonesian martial arts action movie by the creators of the utterly successful ‘The Raid: Redemption’ (2011) and ‘The Raid 2: Berandal’ (2014) starring the young sensation Iko Uwais.
‘Merantau’ is the debut motion picture of the highly-skilled Silat practitioner Iko Uwais and has as a goal to introduce this spectacular martial arts form to the world.
It was the movie that skyrocketed Uwais’ career and marked the beginning of a gainful collaboration between the Welsh-born director Gareth Evans and the Indonesian martial arts star who was 26 years old at the time of the shooting of the movie.
The plot revolves around Merantau – the journey every young man must take on after he leaves his family behind and face the many challenges in life. It is the ultimate test of the physical and the spiritual requiring a deep understanding of the world.
After leaving the quiet life in a small village, the young Yuda goes to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia in order to start his Merantau, his desire being to teach the local martial art form known as Pencak Silat.
When Yuda attempts to save a dancer from being kidnapped and human trafficked, he unleashes a series of violent events as he must face the powerful thugs who want to possess her.
Without going into many details, it is worth mentioning that even though ‘Merantau’ didn’t achieve the popularity of both ‘Raid’ and ‘Raid 2’, it is nearly as good as they are.
‘Merantau’ has everything a keen martial arts movie maniac would want and even more.
It is a heroic, yet a bit naive story with convincing characters, fueled by spectacular martial arts choreography and an emotionally explosive finale.
Iko Uwais showcases a stunning martial art prowess that is painfully realistic in its violence and complicity.
The villains are very well-portrayed and all the actors do a remarkable job, especially for an action movie.
The action itself goes with a lightning speed and often it is so intense that it is breathtaking in its brutality.
Just as in ‘The Raid 2’, the creators have included an arresting fight scene between Iko Uwais and the respected martial arts guru Yayan Ruhian for whom ‘Merantau’ was also a debut as an actor.
Pay attention to their fight in the elevator as it is truly exhilarating and memorable.
Without too much spoiling the experience for those who haven’t seen the flick, I’ll just mention that ‘Merantau’ has also its dramatic moments and Yuda is not shown as a one-man superhero but rather as an ordinary man who has his failures and shortcomings.
In the end, that works very well for the story.
In a nutshell, ‘Merantau’ is a heart-pounding martial arts actioner that is not perfect but it definitely delivers spectacular fun and shows the birth of a new breed of action hero.
Being a nearly flawless achievement in the martial arts action cinema, it is a must-see violence extravaganza for every action fan, that’s for sure.
Let’s now quickly examine the Blu-Ray and its most important characteristics as found at Amazon.
Technical Specifications of the Blu-Ray
Here is what you need to know before purchasing ‘Merantau’ on Blu-Ray:
- This is a cut version that runs for 112min.
- The language is Indonesian.
- There are English and Spanish subtitles available as well as a dubbed English version.
- It is a region A/1 DVD format meaning that the disc is compatible with players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Read more about the DVD formats here.
- It is a widescreen, close-captioned HD format and the image is AVC encoded (1.78:1 aspect ratio).
- The sound is 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix which only enhances the viewing experience.
Let’s continue because I am impatient to explain…
What I like About the Blu-Ray
You should know that I personally like the following things related to the Blu-Ray containing ‘Merantau’ and I am sure that you’re going to like them too:
- The quality of the picture and the sound is perfect. It is crystal.
- There are many extras included so big kudos to ‘Magnolia Home Entertainment’. It is always curious to find out more details about a favorite movie and the special features included in this Blu-Ray are: deleted scenes; bloopers (showing some goofs during the shooting); ‘making of’ part; video production journal (showcasing the particularities surrounding the filming of the movie); information about the crazy ‘Bamboo Pole Stunt’; a ‘storyboard to screen’ part which gives an insight into the development of a few key stunt scenes. All good fun!
- This Blu-Ray is labeled as ‘Amazon’s choice’ item as Amazon recommends highly-rated, well-priced products available to ship immediately.
- There is a gift wrap available which makes it perfect for a present.
- Based on my research, the cheapest place to buy this item is on Amazon.
- The overall customer reviews are strongly positive.
Now, let’s see the cons.
What I Don’t Like About the Blu-Ray
I have to admit that based on my opinion, there is nothing much to mention here, especially when it comes to the quality of the disc. Except for one thing:
- The ending is a bit overacted and there are several moments throughout the movie which are way too melodramatic.
Let’s jump to the reviews of the verified buyers and see what they have to say about this Blu-Ray.
Verified Buyers Reviews About the Blu-Ray
It is not a surprise that the average customer reviews regarding ‘Merantau’ on Blu-Ray are positive and as of this writing the product received almost 5 out of 5 stars.
Here are some of the reviews which can be found on Amazon:
Let’s see the target audience of ‘Merantau’.
Who Will Appreciate This Flick?
‘Merantau’ on a high-quality Blu-Ray disc is destined for:
- All the Iko Uwais fans who want to enjoy his explosive motion picture debut.
- Every martial arts movie fan.
- Every action fan who is also a collector of quality Blu-Ray gems.
- Every martial arts practitioner.
‘Merantau’ on Blu-Ray – The Final Verdict
To sum it all up, all I have to say is that this is a great deal on Amazon.
‘Merantau’ is a spectacular martial arts action flick coming on a Blu-Ray with a high-quality picture and sound including many extras and at a fair price.
Moreover, Amazon is definitely the cheapest place to buy this item, so that is why my final verdict is strictly positive.
You can’t go wrong with it, so my advice would be to go ahead and buy it!
I hope that I’ve been helpful in describing everything you’d want to know about this Blu-Ray before making a decision.
Thank you for reading.
What do you think about Iko Uwais’ film debut on Blu-Ray? Leave a comment below!