7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Malcolm is a geek, carefully surviving life in The Bottoms, a tough neighborhood in Inglewood, CA filled gangsters and drugs dealers, while juggling his senior year of college applications, interviews and the SAT. His dream is to attend Harvard. A chance invitation to a big underground party leads Malcolm and his friends into a, only in Los Angeles, gritty adventure filed with offbeat characters and bad choices. If Malcolm can persevere, he'll go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself.
Starring: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Kimberly Elise, Chanel ImanComing of age | 100% |
Teen | 80% |
Comedy | 2% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There may be more name recognition behind the scenes than on the screen, but one wouldn't know it from just watching the movie. Names like Pharrell Williams, Sean Combs, and Forest Whitaker may be prominently featured in the credits, yet Dope's main cast easily outshines the superstars who make it happen behind the scenes. Director Rick Famuyiwa's (Our Family Wedding) latest film takes a rather cliché sort of John Singleton or Spike Lee urban narrative, influxes some humor and heart, and makes the genre relevant again, this time without the sobering details overwhelming the story while championing a hopeful attitude for the future, finished off with plenty of honest humor. The movie isn't perfect -- its middle stretch feels like it's going in circles -- but it's an intoxicatingly fun film that finds a nearly perfect mixture of humor, heart, soul, dramatic purpose, and social commentary.
Dope's 1080p transfer is, well, dope, used, of course in that third definition of the word. Despite a mild flatness evident as part of the digital source, the picture quality sparkles with pinpoint details and vibrant colors. The loud 90s clothing is a true highlight that sees various multicored shirts and support details explode off the screen in blast after blast of blissful nostalgia made all the more impressive with the format's ability to handle such a diverse palette with ease. Details are impressive, too, with the basic clothing and facial complexities leading the way but not in any way ignoring the complex, lived-in urban backgrounds, school interiors, and other locations seen throughout the movie. Every inch is meticulously presented and all help draw the viewer into the film's unique modern retro meets present day world. Black levels are impressively inky and deep. Flesh tones appear natural. Noise, banding, macroblocking, aliasing, and the like appear absent in any noticeable quantities. This is a terrific new release presentation from Universal.
Dope's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is a winner. Highlights include classic 90s Hip Hop beats that are terrifically accurate and sound better than ever (and certainly superior to cruddy tape and cheap walkman headphones everyone so fondly, and nostalgically, remembers). Definition is terrific, the low end is strong, and even the deliberate scratchiness heard on some of the songs is tight and infectious. Ambient effects are impressive, whether light outdoor details like a gentle breeze or passing traffic or a more aggressive din at a party. The film is dialogue intensive, however, and the spoken word enjoys natural center placement, lifelike articulation, and no problems with prioritization. The music is definitely the highlight, but the entire track impresses, even in its quieter moments.
Dope contains two short featurettes. A voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy and a DVD copy of the film are included with purchase.
Dope doesn't scream "original" on the surface, but it's certainly no coming-of-age clone. The film is a joy thanks largely to its trio of lead performers who don't just seem to understand their characters but also inhabit them. Their effortless portrayals make the movie, and every scene is a pleasure, even most in a middle stretch that gets a little bogged down by a spinning circle of repetitiveness that spins the same idea in a few different directions. The movie is otherwise smart and a blast to watch. It's a film with as much depth as it has humor and heart, a perfect combination for a movie of this sort, particularly up against the grittier films that tend to define the modern day urban youth genre. Universal's Blu-ray release of Dope delivers tight video and audio. Supplements are unfortunately limited to a couple of throwaway featurettes. Highly recommended, even considering the hugely disappointing extras.
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