7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In 1987 during the austere days of Thatcher's Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Starring: Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Nell Williams, Aaron PhaguraMusic | 100% |
Biography | 89% |
Foreign | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In a year that’s already celebrated the music of The Beatles through fantasy (in June’s “Yesterday”), it seems only natural to make way for Bruce Springsteen and his working class perspective for “Blinded by the Light,” a tale of fandom in the 1980s and something of a bio-pic for writer Sarfraz Manzoor, whose book, “Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll,” has inspired the screenplay. The film isn’t explicitly a jukebox musical working through Springsteen’s ample discography, but it certainly threatens to become one. Co-writer/director Gurinder Chadha (“Bend It Like Beckham”) is making a coming-of-age drama, but guitar spirit often takes command of the feature, which is even more of an audience-pleaser than “Yesterday,” even while working with far more sobering tunes. “Blinded by the Light” doesn’t know when to quit, but it’s loaded with charm and always attentive to heart, offering viewers the ride of life in motion, backed by the rock poetry of The Boss.
The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation protects the period mood of "Blinded by the Light," offering distinct primaries the enjoy the hues of the 1980s, while cultural additions also register with care, highlighting oranges and golds. Skintones are natural. Detail delivers sharp facial particulars, offering a pleasing sense of young and old appearances. Costuming comes through with texture. Delineation is acceptable, but some dense hair and outfits struggle with solidification.
The 7.1 DolbyTrue sound mix isn't built for domination, largely remaining emotive with the characters, with dialogue exchanges clear and balanced, never losing stability during argumentative moments. Scoring is also enjoyable, with defined instrumentation supporting dramatic movements. The soundtrack is really the highlight here, offering crisp hits from Springsteen and his band, who provides deep, low-end bass and snappy percussion, along with crisp vocals. More synth-driven hits also score big. Atmospherics are communicative, securing group activity with protests and school bustle, and room tones are appreciable.
There's a lot on the film's plate, as "Blinded by the Light" deals with Javed's success as a writer, time with his first girlfriend (Nell Williams), and complications with his neighborhood buddy (Dean-Charles Chapman), who's a New Wave kid. The endeavor extends to nearly two hours in length, and the stretchmarks show, leaving the feature somewhat plodding as it deals with all supporting characters, including the central crisis of culture and age between Javed and his stern father. Chadha loves this community, and she's very careful to draw parallels between the crisis of far-right racism in the 1980s and the world we live in today, making it difficult for her to trim down a picture that needs it. While it runs out of gas, "Blinded by the Light" is clearly the work of an impassioned and aware helmer who's trying to do something positive with the material, offering sunshine to moviegoers who may need the boost these days. She gives Springsteen all the adulation, but the saga of Manzoor's enlightenment is the true inspiration, working to secure the grand arc of sonic and creative stimulation the writer experienced thanks to The Boss.
2014
2014
2002
2024
2024
1989
1996
2022
1994
2004
1994
2009
2015
2015
2009
2019
1987
2018
2022
with Bonus Disc
2012