5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Irresponsible charmer Arthur Bach faces his biggest challenge -- choosing between an arranged marriage or an uncertain future with the only woman he has ever loved.
Starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Garner, Geraldine JamesComedy | 100% |
Romance | 40% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
This could be the only positive review of Arthur you read. I should know; I read a number of scathing reviews when deciding whether or not to catch director Jason Winer's remake of filmmaker Steve Gordon's 1981 comedy classic of the same name when it arrived in theaters earlier this year. Most critics took aim at leading man Russell Brand, the wiry British comedian stepping into the sloshy shoes of the late Dudley Moore's titular playboy. The general consensus seemed to be that Brand, while amusing in supporting roles, simply doesn't have the chops, charm or charisma to anchor an entire film. Others complained that Winer's remake doesn't hold a candle to the original, that it goes nowhere fast, that it's hindered by an inconsistent tone and a faulty script, and that it never lives up to its potential or delivers on its promises. Sentiments I'm sure will be echoed in other reviews of Arthur's Blu-ray release. But you won't find many of those sentiments here. Comedy, more than any other genre, is a subjective experience, so you'll have to forgive me if any of this sounds like a preemptive apology. It isn't. Arthur is a critically panned box office flop; a critically panned box office flop I just so happen to have enjoyed quite a bit. I'm not blind to its flaws, mind you. I'm sure many viewers will find it to be as sluggish as the majority of critics. But I found it to be a sweetly disarming, inexplicably endearing genre pic with just enough heart to appeal to my sensibilities. And here I was expecting to hate it along with everyone else.
Arthur arrives with a sharp and sober 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer. Oh, it isn't without its issues -- oversaturated faces here, frenzied noise there, and ample crush throughout -- but, for the most part, the presentation is relatively respectable. Uta Briesewitz's extravagant, twice-baked palette is loud, sunburnt and vibrant, and primaries have the sort of distinct punchy power so many colorful comedy do nowadays. Skintones range from bronzed to lifelike to flushed, contrast is decidedly hot and heavy (to the detriment of several scenes), and delineation isn't very forgiving at all. Detail is easily the high point of the presentation, but even it suffers when searing whites and stark blacks stamp out its finer qualities. Even so, textures are nicely resolved and seasonably crisp, object definition and overall clarity is strong, and very little ringing invades the proceedings. Moreover, artifacting and banding are kept to a minimum, aliasing and smearing aren't factors, and the intermittent anomalies that undermine the cleanliness of the image are attributable to the film's original photography. Ultimately, Arthur's transfer is overcooked and overheated, but it's certainly more reliable than Brand's lanky lush.
Like most comedies, Arthur is often a front-heavy affair, and Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track doesn't stray far from its source. However, there's enough flavor, fire and ferocity to keep things exciting and enough activity to make the resulting experience more absorbing than it might have otherwise been. Dialogue is clean, clear and intelligible -- even when Arthur has had thirteen drinks too many -- and dynamics are cheery and affecting. The low-end of the mix doesn't get much of a workout, but Batmobile booster rockets, magnet beds, nail-gun shenanigans and other heftier thooms and booms help the LFE channel earn its keep when called upon. Likewise, the rear speakers are featured fairly sparingly, but still take great pleasure in brandishing convincing directional effects and creating the rather believable, relatively immersive, altogether bustling city Arthur takes hostage. Crowds murmur, traffic whizzes past, drunken parties come alive, and Theodore Shapiro's music finds its way into every corner. The soundfield isn't entirely immersive, at least not in every scene, but it is up to the chatty, center-biased task at hand. All things considered, I doubt Arthur could sound much better than it does here. Fans will have very little to complain about.
Arthur draws the short supplemental stick, rounding up twenty-minutes of woulda-been, coulda-been extras. A strange development, especially since hours and hours of unused Russell Brand improv footage is probably littering director Jason Winer's floor.
There's no way to tell if Arthur will appeal to your particularly comedy tastes. It roped me in, but the majority of critics haven't been kind. Fortunately, Warner's high definition AV presentation isn't quite so problematic. With an above average video transfer and a surefire DTS-HD Master Audio track, the only underwhelming aspect of the film's Blu-ray release is its paltry twenty-minute supplemental package. Suffice it to say, a rental is in order. If you're lucky, you might just warm up to Arthur as much as I did.
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Special Edition
2008
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1988
Extended Cut
2008
10th Anniversary Edition
2002
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Movie Only Edition
2011