Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Downsizing 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 9, 2018

In Writer/Director Alexander Payne’s (Nebraska) Downsizing, getting small means living large…or maybe not. To be sure, the movie makes a strong case that shrinking size means shrinking bills, that money stretches because one need spend less to get an equivalent small-size portion. But the movie isn’t just about the financial value of miniaturization. It’s also, and more consequentially, about how things really don’t change even when something major does. In the movie, the decision to shrink is based on a slick sales pitch, with Neil Patrick Harris talking up the life of luxury and opportunity to turn pennies into dollars if one essentially gives their life over to science. What he doesn’t mention, amidst the glamorous prospects of living the rich life on a small scale, is the very real and very grim underbelly, the realities behind the just-miniature-scale mansions and millionaire lifestyles. The film explores the contrasting externalities of life at scale and also the notion that the human spirit, and the human condition, don’t change at any size. The film is teeming with good ideas, but the question is whether it can do anything with them, bring them together in a meaningful narrative construct. Short answer: kinda, but not really.

Scientists have identified overpopulation as the greatest threat to man’s survival. The solution is to make more room, not by making the world bigger but rather by making its inhabitants smaller. A major breakthrough has allowed scientists to safely shrink a human being at a ratio of 2,744:1, to be precise. An average man is reduced to a mere 13CM in height. In a few hundred years, they claim, the world will completely transition from big to small. It is, of course, huge news, “the biggest thing since landing on the moon.” Some time after the process has been perfected and some people have begun the migration to small, a physical therapist named Paul Safranek (Matt Damon), who isn’t particularly fond of the direction his life has taken, convinces his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) to undergo the miniaturization process in an effort to turn their life savings into millions in the small world and get a fresh start on a new life.

Their new home-to-be: Leisureland, a place where miniature residents live in unparalleled miniature luxury, where high-dollar items are practically free, where money stretches almost as far as the little eye can see. Their $152,000 in equity will translate to over $12,000,000 in Leisureland dollars. Paul and Audrey sign the papers and prep for the procedure, but when Paul wakes up, Audrey isn’t there. She backed out a the last possible moment, essentially leaving him at the altar of science and, after the divorce, unable to live the life he wanted in Leisureland. Now, Paul is forced to take a menial job inside Leisureland, answering phones for Land’s End, and living in a modest apartment with a noisy neighbor named Dušan (Christoph Waltz) who lives it up just out of Paul’s reach. But when Paul meets a one-legged Vietnamese activist named Ngoc Lan Tran (Hong Chau), he finds renewed purpose in life and ultimately finds himself on the front lines of mankind’s very survival.

One of the most interesting scenes in Downsizing reveals how, in this new world, people are essentially “processed” in bulk on their way from feet-to-inches-tall. Their heads and entire bodies are shaved (in a scene that looks like tribute to Full Metal Jacket). There’s some sort of anal irrigation, dental work to remove anything unnatural…they’re nearly treated like cattle, and when the transition is finished, their suddenly miniature bodies lying on full sized beds, they are scoped up with what is essentially a spatula, placed in a new properly fitting bed, and carted off to the life of their dreams…or so they believe. The film doesn’t glamorize the small life in the least, except for when the characters, and the audience, hear the sales pitch. It’s almost entirely down hill from there.

Maybe Paul’s experience is an outlier (even Margo Martindale gives the process her approval), but be that as it may it's critical to the movie's essential narrative focus, which is…any number of things, potentially. One of the film’s problems is an inability to identify its central purpose and tone. Is it a warning against overpopulation and man’s burdening of Mother Earth? Is it a commentary on the human condition? Is it a dark drama or a light comedy? The film is begging for an identity and a rhythm. It’s interesting broadly but terribly uneven in execution. The good news is that its central story, visual effects, and performances make it a net positive, even as so many things are working against it. One thing the film does achieve is identifying the moral of the story, the central idea that examines the importance of one finding purpose not in things but in others, in serving, in helping, in enriching. It’s a good central point, but the peripherals always feel too scattered to give it the support it needs.

Downsizing 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

Downsizing has been upscaled for its 4K release; the film was originally photographed at a resolution of 3.4K. Downsizing's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation has its plusses and its minuses. First, the minuses, and the most glaring one at that: the black levels. Several dark scenes, perhaps the most prominent being a shot of Matt Damon at the 1:51:50 mark, appear significantly washed out, far too elevated, and the problem extends to the widescreen black bars as well. Even in well-lit scenes, i.e. daytime exteriors, blacks can appear too bright, even when considering, for example, Ngoc Lan Tran's hair. Fortunately, the elevated black bars only seem to be a significant problem in some low-light scenes (and, yes, firmware on both the review Oppo BDP-203 and LGC7P are up to date). On the flip side, whites appear significantly improved. White balance and brilliance are very impressive, and the sequence during which Paul's body is prepped for the downsizing is a highlight for blindingly pure whites. Colors in general, however, are not significantly altered. The UHD's Dolby Vision presentation allows for a little more depth and saturation to basic, colorful hues, but not to an extreme; there's not a significant difference in general coloring, save for flesh tones, which can fluctuate between paler -- maybe even pushing a gray at times -- to more deep and dense on the UHD when compared to the Blu-ray. Textural improvements are marginal at best. This is not UHD and Dolby Vision's finest hour.

Note: I am aware of past black level issues with LG TVs and Dolby Vision, which is why I made note of the firmware being up to date in the review. However, though my TV is up to date by its own scan, there appears to be a newer firmware version in South Korea. I am waiting for it to arrive in the U.S. and I will update this review if anything changes.

Downsizing 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Downsizing, presented in a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless configuration, the same as the Blu-ray (no Dolby Atmos or DTS:X option is included), begins with impressively immersive crowd applause at a conference at the film's 3-minute mark and a fuller, more robust round a few minutes later. The track is no stranger to healthy, engaged locale-specific surround effects. Bustling din at Leisureland at the 20-minute mark provides a pleasing introduction to the place, and a dining room in chapter 17 delivers a hearty allotment of bustling activity. A few quality discrete effects pepper the film as well, but beyond those quick-shot bursts of immersion the track is largely straightforward. Music plays smoothly, clearly, and with impressive stage width and depth and detail, essentially the usual stock observations for a new film soundtrack. Some party beats heard in chapter 10 yield impressive full-stage engagement and a healthy, balanced low end, while distant bass when Paul is trying to have dinner with a date midway through the film delivers a satisfyingly realistic thump-thump-thump. Dialogue drives the bulk of the film, and it's presented with excellent clarity and firm front-center placement.

Downsizing 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Downsizing contains six featurettes on the bundled Blu-ray. A UV/iTunes digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Working with Alexander (1080p, 12:22): Cast and crew heap praise on the film's director.
• The Cast (1080p, 11:30): Like the previous piece, with the emphasis instead on the actors rather than the director.
• A Visual Journey (1080p, 14:02): A discussion of the film's production design
• A Matter of Perspective (1080p, 9:06): The importance of seamless visual effects and how they were achieved.
• That Smile (1080p, 6:27): In praise of Matt Damon.
• A Global Concern (1080p, 6:39): A discussion of the environmental concerns the film raises.

Downsizing 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Downsizing isn't all that funny, isn't all that dark, isn't all that enriching. The movie can't internally agree on a tone, and the outer end product suffers. It's teeming with wonderful ideas, built around a great concept, and it's certainly watchable and interesting (even engaging) in chunks, but as a whole, united entity it's a bit of a mishmash and a bit of a disappointment. Paramount's UHD has ups and downs, the latter predominantly defined by subpar black levels. It also features more than capable audio and a handful of featurettes. Pick up the Blu-ray instead.