7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
About a young Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases.
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens, Sophia BushBiography | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.00:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.00:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Usually a movie like Marshall will wade through essential character growth tropes, exploring the title character from a young age and following his evolution from boy to man and man to history. That's not the case here. Rather than simply dive into stale and routine Biopic territory, Director Reginald Hudlin's picture instead focuses its attention on a singular focal point, Marshall's time working a case -- in court-mandated silence -- in defense of a suspected rapist, against all odds because of his skin color and that of his client. This is pre-Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall, still a dashing, trendsetting, precedent-bucking young attorney fighting for racial justice with the NAACP. The film is, then, less a life story (though it does hit some highlights along the way) and more a courtroom procedural with a backdrop of looming history shining on it.
Marshall was digitally photographed and translates into an exceptional Blu-ray release. Textural delights abound. Skin is presented with impeccable complexity, finding depth and definition to individual pores, hairs, lines, and other details that are about as revealing as the Blu-ray format can muster. Environments and clothes are likewise sharp and clean, superbly defined across the board no matter the place or lighting condition. Colors are stable and pleasantly neutral, offering no filtering or push in any direction. Black levels are pleasantly deep and true. Flesh tones appear accurate under various lighting conditions. Noise is kept to a minimum, and outside of a couple of barely-noticeable bouts of aliasing there's little room for complaint. This is a very sharp, highly detailed image, one that pushes the Blu-ray format fairly close to its limits.
Marshall's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a commendably balanced listen. The film's soundtrack never pushes things too far, favoring more of a balanced, reserved approach to its sonic elements, raising its voice a few times but largely remaining neutral and complimentary rather than overwhelming. A handful of heavier elements are sprinkled throughout, like a fairly potent train rumble heard near film's start, but otherwise it's a fairly mundane, but technically sound, listen. Music is clear and detailed, its Jazz-y beats complimented by a hearty low end extension and modest surround push. Environmental effects, such as light rain and rolling thunder in chapter 13 or mild restaurant sounds in chapter 17, open the track and invite the listener into a few very well defined locales. Dialogue is clear and precise with firm front-center positioning.
This Blu-ray release of Marshall contains no supplements beyond some trailers for other Universal releases. DVD and digital copies are included with purchase.
Marshall largely goes against the grain, picking out a moment of the title character's life rather than simply recreate his A-B-C life story. It's a quality picture, more fresh for escaping Biopic tropes and traps but still settling in as a fairly straightforward courtroom procedural, albeit one with some weight to it as racial tensions and various obstacles come between perception and reality. It's a well-made, strongly acted picture, nothing of major note in terms of its courtroom theatrics, but it's an engaging, enjoyable film both narratively and structurally alike. Universal's Blu-ray is sadly devoid of extra content, but video dazzles and audio is strong, too. Recommended.
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