Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

IF 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"What if I told you imaginary friends were real?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 15, 2024

Imagine the floor-drop moment when the creators of IF discovered that Inside Out 2 would hit theaters within weeks of one another. Delving into the inner workings of a child's mind is nothing new in cinema, but the original Inside Out (and, to no one's surprise, its sequel) rendered most others obsolete and inadequate. Perhaps there's a reality out there where IF lands and resonates more deeply, echoes more profoundly, or finds itself received as revelatory family cinema. Unfortunately for the film in hand, though, this is not that reality. More shoulder-shrug than memorable, more cute than funny, entertaining or meaningful, it's primed for kids to consume but hardly filling. Most will forget about it within the month, growing up looking to films like Inside Out 2 to help them through the perils of childhood and entry adolescence.

Twelve-year-old Bea (Cailey Fleming) goes to live with her grandmother Margaret (Fiona Shaw) as her father (John Krasinski) awaits a heart surgery in the hospital. (The same hospital where, years earlier, her mother died of cancer. Sheesh.) While wandering her grandmother's building, she spots a strange creature following a man named Cal (Ryan Reynolds), who she soon discovers has been recruited to relocate displaced imaginary friends with new children. And so it begins, with Bea reluctantly agreeing to help Cal on his mission to help the IF's in their time of need. Helmed by Krasinski, the film also stars Alan Kim, Liza Colon-Zayas and Bobby Moynihan, along with a voice cast that includes all of Hollywood, from Steve Carell to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr, Awkwafina, Emily Blunt, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Matt Damon, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins, Keegan-Michael Key, Blake Lively, Christopher Meloni, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Rhys, Maya Rudolph, Sebastian Maniscalco, Amy Schumer, Jon Stewart and, despite having no lines, Brad Pitt.

IF has everything a modern family flick could ask for. An A-list star in Ryan Reynolds (going to the extreme of counterprogramming alongside Deadpool Wolverine, his "other" summer outing), a wonderfully charming newcomer in Cailey Fleming (whose previous credits include Judith on The Walking Dead), a talented filmmaker in John Krasinski (writing and directing), a top-class voice cast, and a sense of magical adventure... you know the tune so sing it: in a world of imagination! So how did it all end up so, to put it bluntly, meh? For a film like IF, live-action is an odd choice, as so much of Krasinski's "real world" could have -- ironically -- been more fully realized in animation. At its core and at each of its extremities, IF plays like a production desperate to reach Pixar heights, only to be dragged back down to earth by Reynolds once again playing Reynolds, so-so live-action supporting actors, and the disjointedness that forever exists when animation runs headlong into flesh and blood reality. There's a killer premise here to mine for all its worth, but Krasinski stops short of indulging in the many, many aspects of imaginary friends and sticks with the Monsters Inc variety. From there it becomes harder and harder to put a finger on exactly what doesn't work, other than to say it never quite congeals as well as it seems it should.

What does work is the film's third act, typically the spot these ships sink like rocks. Instead of tying up loose ends with silliness and tear-jerking asides, IF finds a means by which to deliver some genuine heart with a number of solid twists and turns that, for all intents and purposes, nearly absolve the film's more trite genre sins. And while it's becoming a cliche in and of itself, Reynolds' patented softening plucks the necessary heartstrings, or at least enough to allow plenty of room for Fleming and in-front-of-the-camera Krasinski to do their thing. Oddly, this solidifies the fact that the IFs are relegated to the sidelines, rarely rising past the level of plot devices or one-lining props. It gives way to a more human story -- achievement unlocked -- but the human story isn't exactly what the kids are here for. That leaves IF dangling in a precarious position; never quite delivering enough big punches for the kiddies and getting too lost in its animated musings and base-level humor for the adults in the room. Unlike Pixar's Inside Out 2 and the best of its kind, IF doesn't walk this all-too-tight line, nor does it manage to deliver two films for two different audiences. Bottom line: it's well-intentioned, wholesome family fun, but falls short of greatness.

IF 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount's 4K 2160p UltraHD presentation of IF offers a colorful, eye-watering beauty of a transfer. The only criticism one could really even level at the image is that its clarity allows for greater scrutiny of the compositing seams that are sometimes apparent in scenes that blend animation and live-action elements. Hardly a complaint. IF's palette is awash with vibrant, rich hues, even before Bea steps into the world of imaginary friends. Her arrival at her grandmother's building is teeming with lush wood grains, perfectly convincing skin tones, vivid primaries and deep blacks. This is not a film that tries to paint the real world in monochromatic tones and drab grays and greens. But it's also a film that oozes heart from start to finish, allowing the colors to suit the mood of the picture. Detail is exceptionally precise, with crisp edge definition and plenty of fine-textured goodness. Every teddy-bear hair, tuft of unicorn felt, patch of monster-y fur, and spatter of paint is refined and exacting, without exception. And yet there's a nice filmic quality to the FX, allowing for natural softness and side-stepping razor-sharp detail at the expense of believability. The tiniest bit of red crush creeps into the image during a Tina Turner dance sequence early on, but you really have to be searching to spot it. Otherwise, shadow delineation is revealing and there isn't any sign of banding, blocking or the like. You couldn't ask for much more.

IF 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

IF also boasts a strong Dolby Atmos experience that doesn't disappoint. Dialogue is clear, intelligible and nicely grounded in the mix, and the voices of the imaginary friends sound weighty and natural, connected neatly to the location of each creature-speaker. That might read as an obvious trait all live-action/animated hybrids would get right, but you'd be surprised. Likewise, directionality is excellent, with playful, cartoony effects bounding about the soundfield with energetic spatial prowess and silky smooth channel pans. Real world sound effects are equally believable, creating a soundscape that not only engages but allows for even deeper immersion into what might otherwise be a two-dimensional reality. LFE output lends presence and heft to key sequences and elements too, even though the experience on the whole isn't quite an aggressive low-end powerhouse. All of it comes together with ease by film's end, allowing for numerous standout moments including a musical number, moving reunions between IF and human, and other heartstring-y bits only made more poignant as the music crescendos all around.

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

• The Imagination Behind IF (HD, 5 minutes) - A much too brief trip behind the scenes, fly-on-the-wall style, interspersed with talking-head interviews and clips from the film.

• Imagining Imaginary Friends (HD, 5 minutes) - Designing the creatures from IF.

• Giving IFs a Voice (HD, 6 minutes) - Another short featurette, this time touching ever so slightly on the process of voice casting, recording and the challenges and fun of voiceover performances.

• Blending the Real and the Imaginary (HD, 6 minutes) - VFX staging and execution.

• Tina Turner Forever! (HD, 4 minutes) - Bringing a sensation back to life.

• The Imaginative World of IF (HD, 6 minutes) - Creating a land of make-believe.

• Gag Reel (HD, 4 minutes)

• Learn to Draw Blue Kids' Tutorial (HD, 7 minutes)

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

IF offers big ol' heart, just of the old-fashioned family film variety. It's a far cry from a bad movie. I'd challenge anyone eager to tear it apart. It just doesn't rise to the level of greatness to which it aspires. Krasinski is a fine filmmaker, though it seems his talents are a tad wasted here, but you also have to respect the desire to create cinematic experiences for all ages and walks of life. I've certainly sat through far, far worse flicks for the sake of my kids, and with a fake smile, mind you, that I didn't feel the need to deploy here. Thankfully, Paramount's 4K Blu-ray release ratchets it all up a notch with a striking video transfer full of color and energy, as well as an immersive Dolby Atmos audio track. The disc's touted 40-minutes of extras are a wash, so buyer beware. Otherwise this one delivers.