7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
An extremely pampered African Prince travels to Queens, New York, and goes undercover to find a wife that he can respect for her intelligence and will.
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, John Amos, Madge SinclairComedy | 100% |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Life, real life, the thing that we have been denied for far too long!
One of the slogans from the advertising campaign for the recent film Norbit claimed it
showed viewers "Eddie Murphy, 'as you love to see him!'" Well, that may be true for those
unfortunate enough to have only seen the comedian in his slate of films of a more recent vintage,
including The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and Meet Dave. Instead, it
may be strongly argued that
Coming to America is how film fans really love to see Eddie Murphy, featuring the
actor both in his prime and in arguably his best role. The 1988 Comedy may be dated and a
complete product of its era, but it holds up extremely well more than twenty years after its initial
release and remains as lively, energetic, and funny as ever. It also features Murphy playing a few
additional minor characters to satisfy fans who crave to see the actor in multiple roles, but don't
look for him in a fat suit and a dress in this one.
Akeem: Prince of Zamunda, King of the Fire Escape.
Coming to America travels to Blu-ray with a rather nice looking 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The film's opening title sequence inspires little confidence in the transfer, appearing hazy, clumpy, undefined, and dull as the camera moves over some obvious matte paintings to establish the African setting. Once the film gets going, the image appears nice and stable, with an acceptable level of detail in clothing, faces, objects, and buildings. The transfer truly sparkles in its display of the many adornments worn by Akeem and his family. Colors are bright but not warm or overblown, looking natural and pleasing, if not just the slightest bit faded. Whites can be a bit overblown in a few shots. The film retains a layer of grain that adds to the image a pleasant theatrical quality, and there are minimal print blemishes. Black levels and flesh tones are sufficiently good. The primary hindrance here is the slightly dull appearance of colors and a level of fine detail that, too, is fine but slightly lacking, but otherwise, and even for an older catalogue title, Coming to America looks good on Blu-ray.
Paramount brings Coming to America to Blu-ray with no lossless soundtrack; only a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is available on this release. Nevertheless, the audio is spacious and pleasing, despite its lossy presentation. The opening tribal chanting piece is balanced and effectively placed across the front three speakers. Musical reproduction is the highlight of the track, be it tribal, orchestral, or popular. It's not all that crisp or well-defined as one might hope for or expect from a superior lossless soundtrack, but it always flows cleanly and pleasingly through the front channels and enjoys some low frequency support when the situation calls for it. Sound effects are nicely presented, but lack oomph and realism; the clanking of sticks during Akeem's training session with Semmi or the blasting of fireworks early in the film lacks the expected acoustic sparkle. Some moments of the track do send a few discrete effects to the back channels, but the majority of the mix is front-heavy and lacking in a truly immersive sound experience. Dialogue is sufficiently delivered. All in all, this track is hardly disappointing, but it lacks the crispness a lossless mix may provide.
This Blu-ray release of Coming to America features several extra features. Prince-ipal Photography: The Coming Together of America (480p, 24:39) features interviews with cast and crew discussing how the film came about, beginning with nothing more than a idea from star Eddie Murphy, and the building of the remainder of the story. The piece moves on to look at the racial make-up of the film, the fairy-tale nature of the story, the casting and performances of the primaries, the film's connection to Trading Places, and its legacy. Fit For Akeem: The Costumes of 'Coming to America' (480p, 18:05) takes an extended look at the lavish wardrobe as seen in the film. Character Building: The Many Faces of Rick Baker (480p, 12:55) looks at the extensive work of the renowned make-up artist on the film, the same man who would later work with Murphy in Norbit. Composing America: The Musical Talents of Nile Rodgers (480p, 11:09) examines in closer detail the work and legacy of the famed musician both in this film and beyond. A Vintage Sit-Down With Eddie & Arsenio (480p, 5:38) features the stars reminiscing about the movie in a piece from 1989. This grouping of extras is concluded with a photo gallery and the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:46).
Coming to America is classic Eddie Murphy and a fairly funny movie to boot. The story is obscenely simple and utterly predictable, and the characters are so alike that the story seems to be more of a one-in-a-billion long shot than based in any kind of reality, but that's what movie magic is all about. The script is breezy and fun, the performances spot-on, and the dated visuals easy to poke fun at, but they never hinder what is an otherwise solid movie. Paramount's Blu-ray release could have been better, but all things considered, it's not bad. It's one of the earlier releases from the studio, and as such features only a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, but it always gets the job done. Likewise, the visuals are solid but not spectacular, but the movie has doubtlessly never looked better at home. A nice selection of bonus materials rounds out the disc. Coming to America is a candidate for the old "double-dip" somewhere down the road, but it will likely be a while before the film is re-released with new supplements and a lossless soundtrack. Until then, this disc is a worthy addition to most any Blu-ray collection. Recommended.
Paramount 100th Anniversary
1988
Special Collector's Edition
1988
30th Anniversary Edition
1988
1988
1988
2004
Extended Edition
2010
10th Anniversary Edition
2006
Totally Irresponsible Edition
2011
20th Anniversary Limited Edition Packaging
2004
2021
2018
2011
2005
2002
2007
2009
2004
2018
2011
2009
10th Anniversary Edition
2002
1997
2009
Warner Archive Collection
1986