6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Set in the world of male strippers, Mike takes a young dancer called The Kid under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money.
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn, Olivia MunnComedy | 100% |
Romance | 83% |
Music | 18% |
Erotic | 14% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
2012 has been quite the year for Step Up alum Channing Tatum. Slick, sinewy surprise Haywire featured the actor in a small but explosive role. Sleepy, sappy romance The Vow broke Valentine's Day records and pulled in $200 million worldwide. Blindingly funny action-comedy 21 Jump Street left audiences in stitches, killed at the box office, and easily stands as one of the best comedies of the year. Which brings us to Magic Mike, Tatum's loosely autobiographical male stripper opus. As much of a surprise as Haywire, as successful as The Vow, as memorable as 21 Jump Street, and produced on a $7 million dime, director Steven Soderbergh's spin on his leading man's experiences and Reid Carolin's screenplay isn't at all what you might expect. Whether or not that's a good thing is another matter entirely.
Strike a pose...
Shot with Red Epic high definition cameras, Magic Mike has its share of striking scenes, particularly when the boys get down to business. But Soderbergh's eye for the mundane is ever at work, skewing color as he sees fit, often to almost monochromatic ends. Yellow dominates Soderbergh's palette outside of the club, with vibrant blues, reds and purples reserved for the stage. Skintones follow suit, jaundiced when Mike is about town but lifelike when he and his co-stars step in front of an audience. None of it amounts to an issue, of course, as Warner's 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer is faithful to the filmmaker's intentions in every regard. Yes, contrast and clarity are inconsistent on the whole, and yes, darker scenes tend to be a bit murky, but that's the movie Soderbergh shot and that's the movie as it appears. Detail still impresses more often than not, with well-resolved textures, crisp edges (generally free of ringing) and, all things considered, decent delineation. There also aren't any serious instances of macroblocking, banding or aliasing, although crush and a host of inherent (but minor) anomalies crop up from time to time. Magic Mike's presentation doesn't strut its stuff as readily as Mike and his colleagues, but it looks great nonetheless.
Boom boom boom! Ba-da bum bum. Boom boom boom! Warner's infectious DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track walks away with the movie. The Xquisite dance sequences take full advantage of the entire soundfield, with pulsing, pounding low-end downbeats, aggressive rear speaker support and the roar of a hungry crowd. Directionality isn't just convincing, it's eerily realistic. Pans aren't smooth, they're disarming. Dynamics are satisfying, they're downright invigorating. Even when Soderbergh pulls back from the strip club, the only thing that drops is the volume. Ambient effects, interior acoustics and other immersive qualities of the mix are as involving as ever, they're simply less commanding and more subtle. Dialogue remains clean, clear and carefully prioritized throughout as well, even though hiss and other less than desirable room or street noise are undeterred and, every now and then, a bit distracting. No matter. The moment the music starts, whatever shortcomings the film's sound design has endured are soon forgotten.
For all its flash and sizzle, Magic Mike will go down as a lesser film in Soderbergh's canon. It has that patented Soderbergh spark, that unconventional indie hook. But not in every regard, and certainly not when it comes to every aspect of the movie. Tatum, McConaughey, Munn and a string of impressive dance sequences defy expectation. Everything else? Not so much. Just don't tell that to Warner Bros. With an excellent video transfer and an outstanding DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, Magic Mike's Blu-ray release is a strong one, so long as you're willing to overlook its too-close-to- barebones supplemental package. Worth a blind buy? I'd rent before purchasing. Worth picking up if you're already a fan? Absolutely.
2012
2012
2012
with Poster Cards
2012
2012
2012
Single-Disc Edition
2012
2015
The Double-Shot Edition
2000
2012
1999
Special Edition
2002
2007
2012
2004
2003
1985
2004
2015
2007
2011
1999
2009
2012
Movie Only Edition
2011
2017
2010