8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A talented, young getaway driver relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. But after being coerced into working for a crime boss, he must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love, and freedom.
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, Jon HammAction | 100% |
Dark humor | 53% |
Heist | 30% |
Crime | 16% |
Thriller | 7% |
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 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French (Canada): DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Baby Driver wouldn't appear to offer much of interest if one were to just glance at a quick plot outline: a young skilled driver, under the thumb of a dangerous criminal, is forced into duty as a getaway driver. He falls in love, wants out of the game, but he's forced back in, putting himself and everything and everyone he's ever cared for in danger. Indeed, Writer/Director Edgar Wright's (Hot Fuzz) film has all the makings of a drive-by sort of movie, a film that might throw a few good car chases and violent shootouts on the screen but ultimately crack under the weight of its own unoriginality. But Wright does something amazing: he gives the movie, and its lead character, a unique pulse and take on life. The lead is a character whose life is defined by music, who lives by soundtracks of his own mixing and even his own making. The story is told through both the visual and aural mediums, each complimenting and reinforcing the other, all the while shaping the character from the inside out, as if the music enters his ears, gets into his blood stream, and rewrites his DNA with each new beat. Music as a critical storytelling mechanic isn't unique to Baby Driver. Cameron Crowe is an expert, the Guardians of the Galaxy films have made the soundtrack the lifeblood of the movies. Baby Driver finds just the right beat, never feels self-aware, never crams the music in only because Wright seemed to like a song or had to stretch to make a scene work. Rarely does sight and sound compliment one another so well, so organically, with the character driven by his ears but ultimately guided by his heart.
Baby Driver pulls onto Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer that doesn't often excite. Detailing is fine, but never exemplary. The transfer picks up peach fuzz on Baby's face, adequately reveals the texturing of scars on his cheek and forehead, and captures basic pores and clothing textures with suitable ease but not substantial depth or nuance. The image occasionally pushes a bit smudgy, and environmental or object details, like cars, building façades, or Baby's cassette tape or iPod collection, don't often find the sort of high yield crisp detailing one might expect the format and a new release to deliver. Colors are punchy but there's not often significant nuance or depth. A vibrant red car leads off the movie and other vehicles, blood, a glittery pink iPod case, and other color examples yield enough dazzle to please at a core level, but the palette often looks a little washed out. Black levels push somewhat murky, embrace a mildly purple shade at times, border on soupy crush at others, and are prone to noise; a dinner date scene around the 44-minute mark is a good example. Flesh tones don't show significant depth or saturation. Noise and mild blockiness may be seen throughout. This was a tough one to numerically score. It looks fine in places, looks rather poor in others. 3.0 might be a touch on the low end and 3.5 a touch on the high end; 3.25 is probably more representative of what to expect.
As is the Sony norm, Baby Driver's Blu-ray receives a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack while the companion day-and-date UHD release secures a Dolby Atmos presentation. The 5.1 track delivers a quality listen. Music engages the stage to begin the film, with lyrics and instrumental details poking out of every speaker, individualized elements playing within the greater harmonious presentation. Music doesn't alway offer so much pinpoint elemental positioning, usually playing with a fairly standard surround engagement, quality width, back end and subwoofer support, and clarity that suits the film's music-heavy presentation very well. Gunshots ring out with satisfying depth, whether muffled shotgun blasts heard at distance at the beginning of the film or more pronounced and up-close shots during a robbery of an armored car later in the film. The final act does up the ante considerably, with much heavier bass, spacing, and intensity than anything else heard in the film. Light atmospheric effects fill in some gaps. Dialogue is clear and detailed and always well prioritized. This is a very good track, but it does lack the fullness and greater precision found on the UHD's Atmos track.
Baby Driver contains two audio commentary tracks, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.
Baby Driver strikes just the right chord. The film overcomes core story cliché not only by way of its finely tuned and lifeblood soundtrack but also its choreography, character depth, and performances. This is one of the top films of 2017. Its Blu-ray delivers a well above average allotment of bonus content, but video is troublesome and Blu-ray fans are shortchanged the much superior Atmos track found on the UHD. That UHD is a much better presentation of the film, visually and aurally. This one is adequate, but anyone who can should spring for the superior edition. Obviously, the film itself comes very highly recommended.
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Extended Edition
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Extended Cut
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Extended Edition
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