6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A young girl who goes through a difficult experience begins to see everyone's imaginary friends who have been left behind as their real-life friends have grown up.
Starring: Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, Steve CarellAnimation | 100% |
Family | 90% |
Comedy | 3% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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.
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 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 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.
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