7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A young boy in Hitler's army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.
Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, Sam RockwellDark humor | 100% |
War | 20% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Can the scourge of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party be a source for comedy? That may be a salient question occurring to some viewers as they watch the odd but engaging Jojo Rabbit, and while patently different in both style and content, a film like The Producers might provide a resounding answer of “yes!” to that query in any case. Making fun of Nazis in fact goes back at least to efforts like The Great Dictator and, later, even (to go from the sublime to the patently ridiculous) Hogan's Heroes, but Jojo Rabbit offers a tone that is decidedly different from any of these properties, with an intentionally provocative take on the era which posits a young German boy named Johannes Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis) who is seeing the epochal events play out from his own decidedly skewed perspective. That skewed perspective is in evidence from the get go in this often slightly surreal film, where it turns out that Johannes, who goes by Jojo and is ultimately given the disparaging nickname Jojo Rabbit by some Hitler Youth, has a most unusual imaginary friend — one Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi, who also adapted the screenplay, winning an Academy Award in the process, and directed).
Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.
Jojo Rabbit is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with a 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. In our
Jojo Rabbit Blu-ray review, I mention how, while this was
finished at a 2K DI (according to the IMDb), detail levels even in the 1080p Blu-ray version struck me as nearing "real" 4K levels, something I said
reminded me of another recent Fox release, Ford v Ferrari, and there's now another way this film reminds me of the racing opus. As I mentioned in our
Ford v Ferrari 4K Blu-ray review, I was far more
cognizant of the digitally added grain in the 4K version when compared to the 1080p version, and that's once again the case here. To my eyes it's a
much more subtle phenomenon in Jojo Rabbit than it is in Ford v Ferrari , but if you look at the bright skies behind the scene
introducing Klenzendorf, you can see what I'm talking about. That particular anomaly aside, this is another fantastic looking presentation in 4K, one
with noticeable upticks in fine detail from the get go on the close-ups of Jojo's new Hitler Youth uniform, where the little tufts of fabric on the sleeves
or
the brocaid of his necktie are just beautifully rendered. Other fine detail elements like the parade of wallpaper patterns in the background in Jojo's
home environment have increased precision as well, and particularly busy patterns like the herringbone pants seen on one hanging victim look sharp
and well defined. One of the really interesting things that struck me in this presentation was a wider gamut of tones in the red range, so that some
of
the almost wine colored "Nazi reds" I mention in the review of the 1080p version can approach what I'd term more traditional territory here. The
blue
tinged poolhouse scene has an almost powder blue ambience in this version. There is more of an almost desaturated look to what (without posting a
spoiler) I'll call the emotional climax sequence. The one place where this presentation didn't completely wow me was in any uptick in shadow detail,
which I found minimal at best. For
example, in the first scene of Jojo exploring the "secret annex", there's arguably only marginal improvement, if any, and in fact in the shot taken
from
behind him as he crawls forward on his hands and knees, his body is still completely invisible.
Jojo Rabbit features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that derives quite a bit of energy from its sometimes cheeky use of anachronistic music. Several sequences play out of doors, and some of those feature elements like explosions, and there are very well done immersive effects in those moments. Even some interior moments, like a really weird scene inside a poolhouse where Nazi Youth are being trained for — well, I'm not exactly sure what, there are some appealing surround effects and a really nice recreation of the "echo-y" ambience of the building. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and there are no problems of any kind to note.
The 4K UHD disc features the Audio Commentary by Taika Waititi. For a list of all the supplements on the 1080p Blu-ray disc also included with this release, please see our Jojo Rabbit Blu-ray review.
Jojo Rabbit is one of those sui generis offerings that is going to rise and fall for the individual viewer's tolerance for (some might argue surrender to) the film's unabashedly bizarre tonal shifts, not to mention the almost Looney Tunes-esque presentational aspects. I found some of this cartoonish element to wear a little thin after a while, but Jojo Rabbit's undeniable audacity really captivated me, and the film ended up providing a rather hefty emotional wallop. Technical merits are first rate, with the 4K version offering nice upticks in detail and a really nicely nuanced palette, though with the same audio options as on the 1080p Blu-ray, and with only the Commentary on the 4K UHD disc as a supplement. Recommended.
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