Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.0 |
| Video |  | 5.0 |
| Audio | | 5.0 |
| Extras |  | 3.5 |
| Overall | | 4.0 |
Before Midnight Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 30, 2017
Richard Linklater's Before Midnight (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with writer/director Richard Linklater and actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy; archival episode of the radio program Fresh Air with Terry Gross; and new documentary feature shot by coproducer and actor Athina Rachel Tsangari. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay on The Before Trilogy by critic Dennis Lim. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
In the United States, Richard Linklater's
Before Midnight was initially released on Blu-ray by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2013. For a complete analysis of the film, please see Marty Liebman's
review of the first release.
Before Midnight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Richard Linklater's Before Midnight arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"Before Midnight: It was shot in 2K resolution on an Arri Alexa camera. The film features a fully digital soundtrack. The 5.1 surround audio for this release was mastered from the original audio master files using Pro Tools HD.
Digital intermediate supervisor: Richard Linklater.
Digital intermediate colorist: Parke Gregg, Snick On On, Austin.
Digital intermediate producer: Allison Turrell."
The film was initially released on Blu-ray by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2013 and it appears that this new release was sourced from the same 2K digital master that Richard Linklater supervised. Because the film was shot with the Arri Alexa camera, depth and clarity are very impressive. Plenty of the daylight footage, in particular, has that very crisp and sharp appearance that these types of cameras can produce. Fluidity is also excellent, though during the darker nighttime footage occasionally some shadow nuances struggle and as a result some sporadic fluctuations can be spotted. Burt these are technical characteristics of the original photography, not mastering limitations/defects. Colors are natural, wonderfully balanced, and stable. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
Before Midnight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The release uses a fully digital soundtrack with outstanding technical characteristics. However, the overall dynamic intensity is unlikely to impress folks that appreciate the active sound designs of contemporary blockbusters because this is primariy a dialog-driven feature. There are no audio dropouts, distortions, or other distracting digital anomalies.
Before Midnight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- After Before - presented here is a new documentary feature that was shot by coproducer and actor Athina Rachel Tsangari in Greece during the filming of Before Midnight in 2016. Included in it are clips from various discussions between director Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy, as well as raw footage from the shooting of various sequences. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, 1080p).
- "Love Darkens and Deepens" - presented here is an episode of the radio program Fresh Air in which Terry Gross discusses the production history of Before Midnight and the evolution of the main characters, Jesse and Celine, since Before Sunset with Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke. The episode originally aired on May 30, 2013. In English, not subtitled. (40 min, 1080p).
- Commentary - this audio commentary features writer/director Richard Linklater and actors Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. It was recorded in 2013 and initially appeared on the first Blu-ray release of Before Midnight from Sony Pictures Classics.
Before Midnight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
I think that the final film in The Before Trilogy is also the most honest one. There are a lot of truths that are uttered in it about true love and aging that we all eventually discover and come to respect. The Blu-ray release of Before Midnight is sourced from a 2K master that was supervised by Richard Linklater and the film looks lovely in high-definition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
