6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Dante, Elias, Jay and Silent Bob are enlisted by Randal after a heart attack, to make a movie about the convenience store that started it all.
Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason MewesComedy | 100% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.90:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.90:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Whether or not you're a fan of Kevin Smith in general, or the Clerks franchise in particular, if you're a regular denizen of this site, you may want to thank whatever divinities you pray to that Smith is around, because, as he makes clear in a really sweet opening introduction that plays as the disc boots up, he is an unabashed champion of physical media. "What are you going to do if the cloud goes down?" he says, somewhat echoing this father's recriminations to his sons who prefer looking at map and direction giving apps to actually paying attention to what streets they're on and how they're getting places. So while you may not be a collector who collects Kevin Smith films, chances are you can agree that someone who finds physical media a "must have" in this increasingly streaming day and age is someone to be celebrated. The good news is, for Clerks fans at least, Clerks III has a lot of heart (in more ways than one, but more about that later) and the typically goofy Smith sense of humor. This outing also has a built in "meta" element in that a major through line of at least the second half of the film is that Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) suffers a near fatal heart attack (there's that heart part) and decides upon recovering that he wants to make a movie about working at the Quick Stop, a production that will of course include many of the other characters who have been seen in the two previous Clerks outings.
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc.
Clerks III is presented in 4K UHD of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 1.90:1. Captured with Red cameras (as
is disclosed in the closing credits roll) and finished at a 4K DI (per the IMDb), my comments in my 1080 review that this may not seem like the stuff of "high definition
dreams" is probably even more true for this 2160 presentation, the 4K UHD version enjoys a noticeable uptick in fine detail levels in particular, though,
again as I said with regard to the 1080 version, there
frankly may not be "wow" visuals in terms of what that fine detail is on. For example, even in the opening montage, "little" and obviously
fairly
mundane objects like the coffee filter offer a more palpable texture in this version, and that continues to be the case throughout the presentation in
other elements like the stucco wall of the strip mall, or fabrics on various outfits. In fact I found the improvement in detail levels here to be more
noticeable than any perceived
added nuance courtesy of HDR, but that may again be due at least in part to the relative "ordinariness" of the palette in general. Things are still
extremely well suffused throughout, they're just not "exciting" in the traditional sense. The digital grain field
in the cemetery scene I mentioned in the 1080 review is a bit more defined in this version, and in fact I became more consciously aware of other uses
in some of the quasi-video segments, including some of the black and white moments.
Clerks III features a nicely bombastic Dolby Atmos track, which in a way I might compare to the one I recently reviewed on Amsterdam 4K, in that there's no question that surround activity is consistent and well handled, but the actual "Atmos" elevated effects may not be completely mind blowing. But both courtesy of a glut of fun source cues and some generally exuberant underscoring by James L. Venable, not only are the side and rear channels regularly engaged, there can be some thumping low end emanating from the subwoofer. A number of outdoor scenes have at least intermittent ambient environmental action, and even some scenes inside the Quick Stop offer clearly delineated directionality. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
Both the 1080 and 4K UHD discs contained in this SteelBook sport the same slate of supplements:
Not all of the comedy connects successfully in Clerks III, but there's a surplus of heart in this feature that should certainly appeal to fans of the previous two films. It's kind of fun to see all of these performers now a couple of decades later, and that in and of itself will probably recommend this film to anyone who loves the first two. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.
2019
Special Edition
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