Laura, the main character of "THE ORPHANAGE," is introduced to the viewer as a child in an orphanage, lucky enough to be adopted, within minutes of the film's opening sequence. We feel for those left behind, as does Laura, and she's determined later in life to build an orphanage for disabled children at the same place she originally grew up, having purchased it with her husband, a doctor. They've also adopted a young boy. The boy has imaginary friends, and as suspense grows, we find that these friends might not be imaginary. When tragedy strikes, the film takes on a different, albeit, well-crafted change in its tempo, as Laura refuses to give up on finding her missing son. "THE ORPHANAGE" is a moody, intelligent thriller, and while extremely scary in parts, it's not to be confused with a horror film.  In fact, it's to the master talent of director Juan Antonio Bayona, that "THE ORPHANAGE" becomes a powerfully build tear-jerker by the film's ending. But, it's a good cry, if with a supernatural twist.

NEW LINE has provided the correct 2.35:1 aspect ratio for both dvd(16:9 enhanced) and blu-ray.  The blu-ray with 1080p/VC-1 encoding, is outstanding!  Colors aren't ever lavish, but they're well rendered and perfectly balanced. The contrast, with deep blacks and grays, is flawless, offering exquisite detail in the multitude of darker scenes popping up throughout the film, for atmosphere.  While the dvd offers comparable color, it's notably inferior to blu-ray in terms of depth and contrast. Grain is also more prevalent than on the blu-ray wherein it pops up infrequently.

NEW LINE has provided a great DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 7.1 mix for blu-ray.  It's clearly one of the most immersive mixes we've ever heard on blu-ray. Subtle effects are never overshadowed by the powerful bass, music or elaborate environmental effects. Dialogue is always intelligible. BRAVO!

The Dolby Digital/DTS mixes found on the dvd, offer impressive sound environments, certain to please any audiophile, however the DTS offers better bass than the Dolby, and the blu-ray mix offers better overall fidelity over both.

Both formats offer the same entertaining featurettes and a still gallery(HD on blu-ray).