5.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
A modern retelling of the story, an orphan is adopted by a wealthy politician.
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Quvenzhané Wallis, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, Adewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeFamily | 100% |
Comedy | 87% |
Musical | 36% |
Comic book | 8% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Many movies really don't need the remakes that are made of them. Annie didn't need one. Then again, neither did The Karate Kid, but fortunately, that one worked out pretty well for Sony. 2014's Annie, unfortunately, doesn't follow suit. Director Will Gluck (Easy A, Friends with Benefits) has taken a cherished 80s film and repurposed it for the modern era, but it can't match the original in any way, beyond, perhaps, the raw slickness with which it's been assembled. Where 2010's The Karate Kid managed to maintain the spiritual underpinnings, the core themes of determination and positivity, the unbreakable bond between student and teacher, and general plot dynamics while repurposing a few odds and ends for a new generation and keeping nearly everything relatable and identifiable, the new Annie falls all over the map. It's not so much the updating that holds the movie back -- generally, the new, slick sheen suits the story and the music, even with its mild Hip-Hop, urban flavor, still maintains the basic musical motifs of the original favorite songs, keeping them readily identifiable rather than some garbled mess of modernity for the sake of making them new -- but rather the vapid, soulless flavor and flow. The film is everything a remake shouldn't be but so often is, failing to recapture the core spirit, focusing largely on the superficial and, while not ignoring the heart and soul, leaving behind the core charm and heartfelt dynamics that made 1982's version so memorably honest, spirited, and hopeful.
The reviews are coming in...
Genrerally, Annie looks great on Blu-ray. The digital photography leaves the movie looking lightly inorganic and flat, but there's no mistaking that city textures spring to life and resonate throughout the movie. Complex brick and concrete, not to mention little bits around convenience stores, Annie's foster home bedroom, and the slickly appointed Stacks residence dazzle with attention to detail and precision. Faces can look slightly flat at a distance, but close-ups do yield the expected depth and complexity of natural textures, and ditto clothing. Colors are vibrant and diverse. The transfer brings a beautifully rich palette to life that contrasts brightly colored attire, glowing neon, and colorful accents against a fairly gray urban backdrop. Annie's bright red dress does look a little overly saturated to the point that it almost looks digital, but it appears more a result of the way the shiny fabric catches the light than anything else. The palette does push slightly warm, which is also reflected on lightly rosy skin tones. On the downside, black levels appear a bit too murky than would be ideal, overpowering certain scenes and pushing slightly purple in others, with a sprinkling of noise evident in a couple of instances. Light aliasing is visible in one or two shots (check out the strings on a harp in the Guggenheim Museum sequence) and a hint of banding crosses some bright blue skies. On the whole, however, this transfer's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.
Annie features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is strong but not quite perfect, often fluctuating between aggressively active and mildly reserved. Music occasionally lacks the fullness and richness and vitality it deserves, playing with a hint of reservation or shyness. Still, clarity and attention to detail impress, as does the mostly full stage spacing and immersion. More, the track finds a fairly convincing and pleasing low end support that gives a weighty texture to the music without overpowering it. The track features a fairly enveloping city din ambience that defines many exterior locations and helps pull the listener into the film. Dialogue delivery is crisp and smooth, a touch shallow in a couple of spots but generally firm and fixed in the center. There is a healthy, realistic reverberation in the Guggenheim sequence in chapter 11. Annie doesn't push sound systems to their limits, but it produces a largely satisfying, if not fairly straightforward, listening experience.
Annie contains a nice little array of bonuses that should please adults and children alike. Inside the Blu-ray case, buyers will find a DVD
copy of the film and a voucher for a UV digital copy.
Annie may not be the single worst remake out there, but it's a far cry from the original's charm and grace. The film, even as it carries much the same tune with an updated rhythm, feels perpetually empty and lifeless. The film enjoys few bright spots -- Quvenzhané Wallis being the most obvious -- and feels otherwise off-balance and uncertain in pacing, structure, theme, and surrounding performances beyond Wallis and Byrne. An interesting side note: both this Annie and the 1982 version were nominated for Golden Globes and Razzie awards alike. Sony's Blu-ray release of Annie yields solid video and audio. A healthy allotment of extras are included. Rent it.
30th Anniversary Edition
1982
1984
2011
Movie-Only
2011
2008
2011
2011
1968
2009
2010
2004
2003
Extended Dance Edition
2009
1981
25th Anniversary Edition
1988
50th Anniversary Edition
1964
2009
2016
20th Anniversary Edition
1992
1979