7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery.
Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Sharon Horgan, Billy MagnussenComedy | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Mystery | 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 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English DD=narrative descriptive
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Game Night is that rare creature among Warner Brothers' recent releases—a comedy that's actually funny. It's an unexpected turn from the writing and directing team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who, three years ago, perpetrated the execrable Vacation reboot/remake on an unsuspecting public. Maybe they learned something from the experience. Or maybe what they needed was a script they didn't write themselves. The screenplay for Game Night is credited to Mark Perez (Accepted), and although Daley and Goldstein reportedly did a rewrite, the bones of Perez's original structure and concept appear to have kept the directors' worst impulses in check. (I'll lay odds that the running joke about self-fellatio and the subplot about one character's slow-moving sperm were Daley/Goldstein additions.) It probably also helped that star Jason Bateman was one of the producers and at one point was even slated to direct. Credit Bateman's involvement with attracting the fine ensemble cast, including some noteworthy cameos, that make Game Night worth watching.
Game Night was shot digitally (on both Alexa and Red, if IMDb is to be believed) by Barry Peterson, who has become something of a comedy specialist as the cinematographer of the first Zoolander, both Jump Street films and We're the Millers. (He also worked with directors Daley and Goldstein on Vacation.) Peterson's lighting for Game Night has a subtle neon fluorescence that gives the film's palette a slightly artificial look, suggesting the plastic hues of game pieces like the ones that tumble through the opening titles. It's an understated effect, but it helps establish Game Night's alternate reality, in which violence is cartoonish and no one is ever truly in danger, except for the occasional anonymous henchman. Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray reflects all the usual advantages of a project digitally originated and finished on a DI, with superior detail and sharpness, solid blacks and an absence of noise, interference, aliasing or other artifacts. No doubt contributing to the quality of the image is the high average bitrate (high, that is, for Warner's theatrical group) of just under 30 Mbps, with a capable encode.
Game Night's 5.1 soundtrack has been encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1, and the first thing you notice about it is how LOUD the mix is, with deep bass extension. I recommend notching down your usual listening level by 2-3 dB. Once you've found a comfortable volume, you'll discover a serviceable comedy mix that isn't particularly flashy but renders the often overlapping dialogue clearly and intelligibly. There are a few crowd scenes that effectively expand to fill the listening room, and there's one impressive action sequence near the end that can't be described without spoilers, but the soundtrack delivers the appropriate punch. Still, the most memorable element of Game Night's soundtrack is the often ironic playlist that alternates with the electronic score by Cliff Martinez (Drive). Queen is prominently featured ("Don't Stop Me Now" and "We Are the Champions" are used to great effect).
It's unfortunate that Warner wasn't willing to invest in more extras, because Game Night no
doubt has plenty of deleted scenes and improvs that could have been included, along with
additional cast interviews and commentary. The cast seems happy enough to talk about the movie
in the brief EPK.
Game Night isn't novel or ground-breaking, but it succeeds on the strength of its cast's group
chemistry, an occasionally surprising plot turn and a snappy pace that's essential to effective
comedy. Warner's Blu-ray is light on extras but technically superior and, accordingly,
recommended.
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