L!fe Happens Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

L!fe Happens Blu-ray Movie Review

'Life Happens' was previously released by Universal in 2012. This Mill Creek release features audio in the same encode but transitions the video from VC-1 to AVC. Mill Creek has also added a trailer to the otherwise nonexistent supplements. I did not review the Universal disc and do not have access to a copy for comparison; find below fresh video and audio takes.

L!fe Happens Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Whether this is a new transfer next to the Universal disc is not known, but it has been encoded in the AVC configuration rather than the Universal disc's VC-1 presentation (per the Blu-ray.com listing). The picture looks good enough here, though it's not the most robust image in existence. Colors are a little bland, a tad flat; contrast could stand some fine tuning to help reduce the lightened appearance. Primaries come away wanting a bit of depth and tonal accuracy. Skin tones push a little pasty and black levels appear slightly raised. Detail is quite nice, however. The image holds a natural sharpness and presents core skin, clothing, and location elements with impressively accurate complexity and a sense of essential depth. Close-ups fare well, capturing intimate human details with impressive tactile sharpness. The image lacks that pinpoint realism but it's definitely the beneficiary of the 1080p horsepower under the hood. Compression artifacts are visible across many backgrounds but never to any detrimental intensity. Source uglies are kept to a bare minimum.

L!fe Happens Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

L!fe Happens features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack which delivers a balanced listen, potent as necessary and detailed throughout the spectrum. The track is at its best when engaged with the more potent beats that flow through the film; the opening title sequence is as good an example as any, offering a filling, dense, and intense explosion of musical audio that doesn't shy from surround integration or low end extension. No matter the musical style, no matter how heavy the beat or subtle the score, stage engagement is always precise and detail is never lacking throughout the range. Light support elements are nicely engaging, with location detail particularly adept: robust as necessary and gentle when the situation asks for more subtle environmental sounds. The track is predominantly dialogue intensive, however, and the spoken word enjoys pinpoint clarity and expert prioritization from a natural front-center home. Life Happens does not make use of the most robust sound design in the world but what elements are here present with pleasantly detailed and balanced accuracy.

L!fe Happens Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Not that it amounts to much, but this Mill Creek Blu-ray release of L!fe Happens actually improves upon the featureless Universal disc by including the film's Trailer (1080p, 2:19). Other than that, there's nothing else here.

L!fe Happens Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mill Creek's take on L!fe Happens, as it's bundled with Wild Child, delivers serviceable video and solid audio. The disc adds a supplement that was unavailable on the bare-bones Universal release from 2012. For fans only.