Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Lion Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 9, 2017

Director Garth Davis' Lion, based on the autobiography A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, tells the true story of a young boy who once become separated from his brother, became lost far away from home, and would eventually retrace his steps and reconnect with his past life in adulthood. It's a unique film in that its core story is not something with which most in the audience will be able to connect -- a decades-long search for home -- but it's one that's very relatable in terms of its central emotions, of the thirst to reconnect with the past and the power of self-discovery. The film offers a moving, engrossing tale of a harrowing journey in one direction and, eventually, a heartwarming journey in the other. It's about physical loss and emotional loss and how the human spirit, with a little help from modern technology, can overcome even the most vast of distances and the longest stretches of time.

Saroo (Sunny Pawar) is a young Indian boy who admires his big brother Guddu (Abhishek Bharate). The two frequently travel away from home to scavenge what they sell. One day, Saroo insists that he accompany his bother on a journey to a nearby train depot. The trip exhausts the little boy, who falls asleep on a bench, his brother promising to soon return. Saroo awakens some time later to find himself alone. Neither his brother nor anyone else is in sight. He climbs aboard a train, hoping to find his brother in it, but the empty train departs the station and carries him some distance away from home, so far, in fact, that he's reached a land where his native language is not spoken. After months on the street, he's taken in and finally adopted out to an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman, David Wenham). Years later, Saroo (Dev Patel) makes use of modern technology to begin the search for the family he lost in his childhood.

Lion is a dynamic movie with two distinct sections following one incredible journey. It could have easily been titled Lost and Found considering both its literal story and the inner journey that parallels the outer life. The film is certainly at its most fundamentally finest in its opening act, following the story of the young boy hopelessly lost in a world that's too big for someone of his size, life experience, and understanding of the way things work in the larger dynamic away from the comfort zone of his mother, brother, and the limited scope of what he knows. Alongside his brother, he's perhaps lived a life a bit beyond his years, which certainly helps him to survive in those critical early stages of separation, but it quickly becomes clear that he cannot fend for himself. When he's finally adopted, the film largely skips over his formative years in Australia, save for the introduction of another child the family adopts, and moves straight to the time before he begins to realize that technology has made it possible for him to find his way his way home, just as his heart and soul begin to tell him it's the right thing to do.

While the film's later stages lack the compelling lost child adventures, the emotional undercurrents and developing characterization take over the movie's cadence and presentation. The second half sees a change in dramatic flavoring and a substantial increase in character depth as Saroo's life experiences in Australia propel him forward as the path back home gradually becomes more clear. The film draws on raw emotional currents to define his new adult journey, just as it did his old childhood journey. That emotion resonates hard through the rest of the film. When Saroo draws closer to finding his home, the film ignites with genuine excitement blended with an outpouring of relief. It plays on the dichotomy of loyalty to his Australian family and the tug in his heart to reconnect with what he once knew. Even as the film culminates in a fairly predictable manner, its ability to capture the satisfaction of finding a way home and exploring the character's responses in such a genuine, heartfelt, and relatable manner is in part what makes the movie work.

Indeed, the film is one of great outward simplicities and deep inner emotional currents. It's wonderfully balanced between the two, and that it so skillfully constructs its main character at the two most critical turning points of his life are among the reasons it plays so well. But it's Dev Patel who sines brightest in the movie. His character -- the elder Saroo he portrays -- finds no reprieve from the turbulent emotions that define him. Every scene, practically, swarms with some level of deeply held emotional depth. He conveys a wide range -- contentment with his life versus the draw of reconnecting with his past, anger, frustration, jubilation, relief, sadness -- with remarkable accuracy and ability to convey the often jumbled emotions with a single look or body language mannerisms. He's completely invested in the role and, for as much of an emotional response as the audience gets from the movie, his is multiplied many times over and it seems almost effortless for him to express all of it, singularly and collectively, in any given moment.

Lion Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lion's 1080p transfer seems honestly reflective of the source, resulting in a fairly bland and sometimes problematic image. Banding is an occasional issue, first evident in serious quantities around the seven-minute mark and again a little past the 13-minute mark. Noise can spike but, like the banding, isn't a regular issue. The image was digitally sourced and presents with a fairly pasty, flat texturing. Detailing is adequate, presenting general facial, clothing, and environmental textures with enough clarity and definition to please, but the rather bland sourcing leaves a bit to be desired. Much of the movie features a fairly earthy color palette, a little more lively in Australia, but rarely is there serious punch and vitality to the color scheme. Black levels can often appear washed out, and flesh tones sometimes look a bit dull. All that said, the Blu-ray does seem faithful to the movie's intendedly drab digital appearance.

Lion Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lion's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is dynamic. Surround and subwoofer engagement are regular and involved. A deep train rumble engages the stage in the film's open. Power comes effortlessly and the whistle pierces the stage. Another train offers more intensive sound effects around the 36-minute mark. Music is well spaced and aggressive, making full use of the entire stage and dominating in particular during a dance party sequence about 74 minutes into the movie; big, spacious beats and thumping bass effortlessly pull the listener into the environment. The track is filled with examples of completely immersive and engaging atmospherics. A marketplace springs to life with detailed and diverse din. A packed train station offers much the same. The track is never shy about creating a full, detailed environment, and even with the standard-layout five-channel presentation rather than a 7.1 or Atmos/X offering, there's no shortage of full-on engagement. Dialogue is clear and well defined with natural front-center positioning and strong prioritization, even through the film's most sonically intensive moments.

Lion Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Lion contains deleted scenes, featurettes, and a music video. A UV digital copy voucher is included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 4:36 total runtime): Dance Party, Panic Attack, and Saroo in the Lake.
• Behind the Scenes Gallery (1080p): A five-part feature.
• A Conversation with Saroo Brierley (7:49): The real Saroo recounts his journey as it's depicted in the film, both getting lost and finding home again.
• Dev Patel (3:22): A quick look at Patel's thoughts on the story, the director, casting, and performance.
• Nicole Kidman (3:10): Kidman shares her thoughts on the story and the piece examines her performance, her work with Garth Davis, meeting with her real-life counterpart, her thoughts on the film's themes, and more.
• Director Garth Davis (3:37): The piece begins with Dev Patel recounting the plot, followed by Davis discussing his reaction to the story, the film's structure, his work with the cast, and more.
• Making the Music (4:16): Patel again recounts the plot, followed by Hauschka and Dustin O'Halloran discussing how and why they composed the music.
• Official Lyric Video (1080p, 3:45): "Never Give Up" Performed by Sia.

Lion Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lion is an excellent movie that captures a singular goal -- the desire to go home -- from two different perspectives but through the eyes of the same individual. The film plays with its core emotions extremely well in both of its very distinct halves, solidified by two enormously strong performances from Sunny Pawar and Dev Patel as the same character across the years. The movie doesn't offer many surprises, even for those who don't know the story but only the basic plot, but it succeeds thanks to the incredible portrayals and the real emotions the actors bring to the role. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray offers decent picture, excellent sound, and a few supplements. Highly recommended.