Forrest Gump Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Forrest Gump Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released a newly remastered 25th anniversary Blu-ray edition of the magical 1994 multi-Oscar-winning film 'Forrest Gump.' The studio most recently released the film on a disastrous UHD. That release included a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack, which has been carried over here, replacing the 2009 Blu-ray's DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. Both that UHD and this Blu-ray contain the same collection of extras from the 2009 disc. This is basically a hybrid disc of new video, semi-new audio, and vintage extras. Considering the terrible UHD picture quality and the generally good-mostly-great PQ here, this is currently the definitive home video version of the film.

Forrest Gump Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots have been selected to approximate those found in the original 2009 Blu-ray review. A few additional shots are included.

No doubt Paramount's latest go at Forrest Gump will spark some discussion and cause some controversy, but no doubt it's also the best home video release yet, the UHD disc included, and despite some flaws that run through the transfer. The flaws are fairly fleeting but include more than a few print speckles and pops and crushed blacks (a nighttime exterior at the 19:45 mark appears very heavy handed and the worst offender in the transfer), the former of which do not appear in any transfer-breaking quantity or density. The image is also framed slightly differently than the previously issued Blu-ray, appearing slightly zoomed out (or the other was zoomed in). It also takes on a fairly obviously green tint which is plainly obvious in some scenes, a little less so in others. The color palette overall is quite good, with lush natural green in Vietnam one of the standouts. Primaries are generally very bold and offer very strong saturation and well balanced contrast. Overall color depth and vitality are certainly a significant increase over the previous Blu-ray. Beyond some heavy green tinting, the color palette is generally very pleasing, rich and vibrant and steady in delivery.

The movie's textural rewards are great. There's no doubt that the image, overall, offers a more stable and handsome appearance than even the UHD. Grain is very light to almost invisible in some scenes, but there's never a feel that the image has been smoothed over. Textures are very clearly defined, revealing, and cinematically grounded. Facial pores, crisp military dress uniform fabrics and lines, and various locations and objects seen throughout the film, from dense Vietnam foliage to complex city streets, appear exceptionally sharp and certainly an increase over the 2009 Blu-ray. Paramount still hasn't found home video perfection for one of the great movies in its catalogue, but this one comes closer than any to come before it.

Forrest Gump Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Forrest Gump's 25th anniversary Blu-ray contains the same Dolby Atmos soundtrack that first appeared on the UHD disc. Below is a reproduction of that review.

Forrest Gump's Dolby Atmos soundtrack carries the film's sonic needs very well. The track is not particularly a standout, but it excels in spots and rarely disappoints. Musical clarity is a strong point and Alan Silvestri's unforgettable score enjoys the stage presence and fidelity it deserves, with the light, airy notes a complimentary counterpoint to the film's 60s soundtrack. The first big sound event beyond gentle score and dialogue (which presents with faultless center positioning, excellent clarity, and consistent prioritization) comes when Forrest plays college football at Alabama in chapter four. The football scenes feature triumphantly large music and immersive crowd din but no real overhead engagement, though. Likewise, the track offers good, wide spacing but not much of a heavy overhead component to falling rain a few minutes later in the same chapter.

The track never springs to its fullest, most seriously intense life until the Vietnam sequence. Helicopter rotors whirl with a clear overhead presence as Forrest and Bubba land at their base. "Fortunate Son" blares with much more musical intensity and width than anything to come before it. The battle in chapter seven presents weapons fire with full stage traversal and impressive whistling zip. Incoming artillery shoves into the stage with increased weight, and while the segment isn't ultra intense, the total immersion sensation, including well defined separation of elements, is quite good. The sequence is capped by the screaming jets that drop napalm minutes later, with excellent zoom through the listening area and a fairly strong depth to the resultant explosions. The second most sonically intensive scene comes when Gump addresses a crowd on the National Mall in chapter nine, with excellent microphone reverberation and large crowd din spreading far out to the edges. The track is always well rounded in every scene and through each Gump endeavor. While it lacks the absolutely intensity and consistent immersion of more regularly potent tracks, this is a smooth, well-rounded listen that compliments the movie very well.

Forrest Gump Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Forrest Gump's 25th anniversary Blu-ray release contains extras on both included discs. The package is identical to the supplements released in 2009. For convenience, below is a list of what's included. For full supplemental reviews, please click here. A digital copy voucher is included with purchase.

Blu-ray Disc One:

• Audio Commentary: Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey, and Rick Carter.
• Audio Commentary: Wendy Finerman.
• Musical Signposts to History

• Greenbow Diary
• The Art of Screenplay Adaptation
• Getting Past the Impossible: Forrest Gump and the Visual Effects Revolution
• Little Forrest
• An Evening with Forrest Gump
• Archival Special Features
• The Make-Up of Forrest Gump
• Through the Ears of Forrest Gump -- Sound Design
• Building the World of Gump -- Production Design
• Seeing is Believing -- The Visual Effects of Forrest Gump
• Screen Tests
• Trailers

Forrest Gump Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What makes Forrest Gump one of the great triumphs in cinema history is its effortless exploration of what it means to live a full and satisfying life. No matter the number of any one person's successes, true happiness and can only be achieved by following the heart. Forrest Gump is a star football player, a war hero, a champion ping-pong player, and a national celebrity, but his fame, fortune, medals, and accolades don't matter unless his soul is at peace and his heart is warm and where it needs to be. It's one of the most fundamentally human movies ever made, a true classic that has finally received something approaching video perfection. Despite some characteristics that will certainly cause debate amongst videophiles, the image as a whole is easily the best the film has ever looked for home consumption. The Atmos audio track isn't world class but it gets the job done. No new extras are included but the carryover content is very good. Highly recommended. There's also a SteelBook.