Luca 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Luca 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 3, 2021

Finally, a fish out of water story that is literally about a fish out of water. It just so happens that these fish are bi-habitation transformers, creatures who look like undersea dwellers when wet and somehow, some way, look human when dry. But they stay below the surface. Terror and hardship await them on the surface, they believe, should they be found out. This latest Pixar film lacks the emotional resonance, narrative creativity, high storytelling, and unforgettable characters as found in the studio's best, but it's a decent little escape with a sound story and beautiful support qualities.

Luca Paguro (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) is a young "sea monster" who lives off the Italian coast. He's eager to learn more about the world above him, but he's cautioned against travelling up top. But his young friend Alberto (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) tells him “everything good is above the surface." That's all Luca needs to hear to ignore the warnings and step foot on shore. When he does so, he learns that he magically transforms into a human. Alberto does, too. It's not news to Alberto but it is news to (and a new experience for) Luca who must learn how to walk if he's going to learn about the new world in front of him. The two seek to soak in the sights and sounds and find themselves in love with local iconic vehicles called "Vespas." They want one, but need the money to purchase one. They enter a local triathlon with a human girl named Giulia (Emma Berman) and their hopes of winning hinge on their identities remaining secret and their shared focus holding steady.

Luca shares more than a few things in common with Disney's The Little Mermaid, particularly in its establishing beats. The film posits that there is a thriving world of intelligent undersea creatures, not dissimilar to surface men beyond physical appearance. In both films, the protagonist finds lost and discarded human odds and ends and wishes to learn more about the world beyond their own. In both films, there's a magical transformation that allows the undersea creature to walk on land; in The Little Mermaid it's a spell, in Luca it's an innate ability that exists within every one of his kind. Both films follow various adventures above and below the surface and feature secondary stories depicting worried parents who must deal with the reality that their children might actually be happier above rather than below. Certainly there are a number of differences, too; for example The Little Mermaid is more a love story, Luca more a tale of friendship and self discovery.

Luca's tale is not one that is particularly novel, at least within its core. It offers a fun, but not necessarily robust, look at identity and confidence in oneself, prejudice, and self discovery. Throughout the film, the characters learn who they are in total; underwater they're only experiencing half of who they are and what life has to offer them. Much of that hesitation to learn more about themselves comes from the very real fear of rejection -- or worse -- from those who dwell on the surface. Where the film goes is ultimately not a surprise. It is not particularly inventive in how the story rounds into shape and considering the conclusion it draws, but the draw is in the adventure, the growth, the burgeoning friendships and the sense of awe and discovery: it's the joy in the little things that defines so much of the movie.

The characters are resoundingly well voiced and well drawn: literally on the computer and figuratively in terms of characterization (even if there's an overriding triteness to the larger story and broader strokes). The setting is a pleasure; it's unique, visually resplendent, and oozes authentic flavor. One can almost smell the sea and taste the food and soak in the culture. The digital animation is in top form and Pixar once again leads the charge in pushing the envelope. Luca borders on the photorealistic, at times, certainly with a playful, colorful edge that betrays reality, but it's astonishing to see just how beautifully the filmmakers and digital artists have painstakingly recreated a real world and built a new one under the sea. It's polished, perfect stuff.

Luca 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Luca's 2160p/HDR UHD presentation is a stunner. The presentation offers a solid step forward from the 1080p Blu-ray, extrapolating more depth and definition on the textural side and a deeper color gamut and contrast on the color side. The picture builds a quality color spectrum in the HDR realm, offering brighter yet at the same time deeper, more vivid, more accurate, more richly presented tones. With the deep blue waters -- seen from the depths within or on the surface stretching back beyond the shore -- there's an unmistakable vividness and punch at play that grows these colors beyond the Blu-ray's limitations. Of course, blue skies, colorful "fish" skin, human skin tones and depth, and natural greens enjoy a more plainly robust level of depth, detail, and definition. The HDR's ability to extend gamut nuance, add depth, and bring more cheerful brightness and vitality are its key highlights. The textural gains are not quite so dramatic as the color gains. It's true that the picture appears a little sharper overall, with superior clarity to the point that upon close inspection, the Blu-ray can look a tad soft in comparison. The UHD only enhances some of the environmental photorealism at work, such as pebbles on the shore seen when Luca comes up in the 13-minute mark range. The UHD extends clarity to fine facial and clothing details, too, bringing out a bit more depth and accuracy to these elements as well. This is clearly a superior image compared to the Blu-ray, not by leaps and bounds but solidifying textures and offering a more exciting and robust color output as the primary reason to upgrade.

Luca 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Luca's Dolby Atmos soundtrack is not particularly distinguishable from the Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Honestly, much the same review applies across both tracks. Here's a track that is front heavy, a track that doesn't engage the surrounds and, in this audio instance, the top channels with much force or frequency. The Atmos track ultimately proves, really, no more filling and full, the top end offering no real help in expanding the sense of depth in underwater scenes, for example, or stretching the stage's vertical engagement when rain falls late in the film. It's a shame, because such scenes scream for a more engaging posture to fully draw the listener into, one, a key location and, two, a key narrative component in the film. At least the content that's here is fine. Music is well capable of front side stretch and excellent clarity. While bass is not at all deep there's not an obvious low end absence, either. General sound effects are clear enough across the dominant front side, not necessarily absent depth but lacking a seriously commanding presence. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration. There are no "low volume" issues at reference listening level, either. There's very little difference between the Atmos and 7.1 tracks; this is essentially a wash.

Luca 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Luca includes three featurettes, deleted scenes, and trailers, all in the bundled Blu-ray; there are no extras on the UHD disc. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Our Italian Inspiration (1080p, 14:21): Looking at Director Enrico Casarosa's Italian roots and the filmmakers' travels to Italy in order to find influence and inspiration for the film (can I work on the sequel?).
• Secretly a Sea Monster (1080p, 12:23): Looking more closely at the transforming characters and how Luca's physical changes influence his inner changes. It also looks at character design and the technical details involved in the on-screen execution.
• Best Friends (1080p, 7:15): Examining the film's look at childhood friendship and how the friendship directs and influences the film's themes.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 30:30 total runtime): Following a filmmaker Introduction are the following scenes: Starfish Hunt -- Alternate Opening, Isola del Mare -- Alternate Opening, Festa del Mare, Here Comes Giulia, Gelato Trouble, and Sea Monster Cannery. These are "scratch" or "temp" versions of the scenes as Enrico Casarosa calls them in the intro.
• Trailers (1080p): Included are Summer -- English Teaser Trailer (1:28), Liberta -- Italian Trailer (2:27), and Summer Days -- Japanese Trailer (2:18).

Luca 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Luca is no bastion of dramatic originality, and it lacks the emotional resonance and creative spark that define Pixar's best, but the film plays well for its charm, beauty, agreeable characters, and well versed, if not somewhat trite, themes. It's well worth a watch, even if it's far from Pixar's best. Disney's UHD delivers perfect video, solid enough (though very front dominant) audio, and a few extras. Recommended.