6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A young American boy struggles to achieve the impossible...bring his father back from World War II.
Starring: Jakob Salvati, Emily Watson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Michael Rapaport, David HenrieWar | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It takes courage to believe.
Life's challenges cannot be solved with a magic wand and a flick of a wrist, as much as everyone would like to believe that it can, and should, be
that
easy. And those challenges aren't just bumps in the road. Life has a nasty habit of pushing and shoving and breaking people down, of
accentuating
the negative and throwing aside the positive, of making things as difficult as they can be rather than as simple as they should. Life cannot be
beaten
back. Time marches on. "Life happens." So what is one to do? Accept it and hope that life takes a day -- or a lifetime -- off? Of course not. But
even as sticks and stones may do nothing in the futile pushback against life (except, maybe, make the job a little easier when man makes those
difficulties his own and levies all
that fury against one another), there is one trick that might just slap life in the face and shake up its plans. And that is
having, showing, and living by and through faith, a faith that says there's something greater at work, something that can move through the hurt
and
darkness and replace it with joy and light. Life will always have the last laugh in death, but it's in how one approaches life, how one sizes it up,
takes
hold of the lessons learned by past generations, and lives with a hopeful attitude, a positive demeanor, and an unflinching belief that there's always
something better on the horizon -- whether that horizon is the next turn around the block or as far as they eye can see and well beyond -- that can
allow someone to take control of their own destiny. Little
Boy is a magical little movie about a small child who lives to believe and his journey towards a greater understanding of how life works and
what he can do -- even in the face of doubt, ridicule, and other obstacles -- to make life's burden disappear and influence the world around him in
his
favor.
New friends.
Little Boy is part of an increasingly rare breed these days: a movie shot on film. The Blu-ray results are expectedly spectacular. Light grain retention is constant and pleasant, not only providing an attractive and organic film-like sheen (as opposed to flat digital) but also helping to accentuate the film's large assortment of heavily textured elements, including period clothes, wrinkled and worn faces, and 1940s wood and brick structures and accents. Image clarity is outstanding and sharpness is constant. Colors are attractive and vibrant with a noticeably warm push that hints at sepia. Blown out backgrounds -- brighter elements in particular -- in a few scenes help further shape an almost dreamlike and vintage visual flavor. One or two pops and speckles appear but are in no way troublesome. The image appears free of any anomalies in the way of blocking, banding, aliasing, etc. It's a shame more new movies aren't shot on film, because Blu-ray really does such movies right. Little Boy is a breath of fresh air in a stuffy digital age.
Little Boy's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is pleasing and engaging. The track features a wide spectrum of sound elements, from hushed environmental ambience to heavy rattles and booms. Minor exterior details like chirping birds or passing background traffic are effortlessly immersive and gently pull the listener into the film's small-town California location. A few action scenes overseas yield hefty gunfire and a few prominent explosions, with the latter sending a good bit debris around the stage. Another large rumble at a key point in the movie sends a positive and extended rattle through the listing area to good quality effect. Midrange sound effects like chugging machinery or rolling ocean waves enjoy precisely detailed elements and realistic placement. Music is well spaced and clarity is high, whether light, airy notes or deeper, more involved beats. Dialogue delivery is satisfyingly clear, robust, and center-focused. This is a highly enjoyable track from Universal that supports the film very well.
Little Boy contains deleted scenes, a short animated feature, and a thank-you page for the film's financial backers. Inside the Blu-ray case,
buyers will find a DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTines digital copy.
Little Boy isn't necessarily a religious film. It intertwines elements of Christian faith, sure, but there's an equal emphasis on more earthly ideas of faith -- represented by the Hashimoto character -- and even a bit of magic and (what can be described as) coincidence. But faith -- real, deep, down, unflinching faith held close to the heart and spoken of positively and consistently -- is at the movie's center. It's a beautiful picture, well made, genuine, and honest. It certainly nudges and manipulates but it does so with the most sincere of intentions. The result is a fine film, a timeless film, one that audiences will carry in their hearts and minds for a long time after seeing it. Universal's Blu-ray release of Little Boy offers superb video and audio. Supplements are unfortunately limited. Still, this release comes very strongly recommended.
2017
2012
1965-1971
1998
1978
1991
2010
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
2010
2018
1960-1968
1993
2017
2018
1963
2017
2008
2002
2014
2024
2006