Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Micmacs Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 28, 2010

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Micmacs à tire-larigot" a.k.a "Micmacs" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors E1 Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a short interview with Jean-Pierre Jeunet. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It all starts in a video store

The story of Micmacs, French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet‘s latest film, revolves around a young man, Bazil (Dany Boon, My Best Friend, Change of Plans), who gets struck by a stray bullet, which remains in his head. He tracks down the bullet’s manufacturers and decides to punish them for the pain and misery they have brought into his life.

A group of weirdos, who live in a giant junkyard of some sort, adopt Bazil and vow to help his cause. Most of them have unique skills that allow them to survive the world we live in. The weirdos are Buster (Dominique Pinon, Delicatessen), Slammer (Jean-Pierre Marielle, Coup de torchon), Calculator (Marie-Julie Baup), Elastic Girl (Julie Ferrier, Heartbreaker), Remingon (Omar Sy, Those Happy Days) and Little Pete (Michel Crémadès, Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra). Mama Chow (Yolande Moreau, Seraphine) is the only relatively sane person amongst them. She is only good at cooking and cleaning.

Bazil and his friends track down the shady CEOs (André Dussolier and Nicolas Marié) of the two biggest arms manufacturers in the area and immediately begin harassing them. For years they have been good business partners, but a series of strange events changes that. Of course, they have no way of knowing that they are being played by Bazil and his friends, who are having a terrific time watching the CEOs destroying each others' reputations and then businesses.

Micmacs is a visually impressive film that lacks the depth and unique characters Jeunet‘s previous films have. It also seems fairly content in resorting to a variety of different clichés that are often difficult to tolerate. As a result, aside from the terrific emphasis on detail practically nothing else here stands out.

The main characters are stuck somewhere in between fantasia and reality. A few are also disappointingly underdeveloped, thus genuinely forgettable. As the film progresses, due to the script’s limitations even the more colorful ones become slightly annoying.

The acting is solid. Dany Boon is very good as the physically and emotionally tormented Bazil. His facial expressions, in particular, are very effective. Unlike Audrey Tautou in Jeunet’s Amelie, however, his character remains fairly distant.

Similarly, Yolande Moreau, Dominique Pinon and Jean-Pierre Marielle are also good but, again, it is next to impossible for the audience to embrace their characters. This said, Julie Ferrier’s elaborate acrobatic moves are without a doubt quite stunning.

Technically, Micmacs shines. Tetsuo Nagata’s (Blueberry, La vie en rose) lensing provides Micmacs with that unique dreamy look most of Jeunet’s films are known for. Hervé Schneid’s editing is also competent. Designer Madeline Fontaine also deserves a lot of credit for the unusual costumes seen throughout the film. Micmacs is also complimented by a strong music soundtrack courtesy of Raphaël Beau.

Note: In 2010, Micmacs was nominated for Cesar Awards for Best Costume Design (Madeline Fontaine), Best Production Design (Aline Bonetto) and Best Sound (Jean Umansky, Gérard Hardy, Vincent Arnardi).

Micmacs Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Micmacs arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors E1 Entertainment.

This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is excellent, clarity very good and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme is pleasing - the strong yellow/green looks quite impressive in high-definition. The variety of different blues, browns and blacks are also solid. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. I also did not spot any traces of heavy digital artifacting to report in this review. I did see some extremely mild background flicker during two scenes from the first half of the film, but overall the high-definition transfer looks healthy and stable. For the record, this high-definition transfer is practically identical to the one used by Warner-France for the French release of Micmacs. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Micmacs Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French LPCM 2.0. For the record, E1 Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track serves the film well. Generally speaking, the bass is potent, though not always as punchy as I wanted it to be, the rear channels intelligently used, and the high-frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no serious balance issues with Raphaël Beau's music score either.

The French LPCM 2.0 track is quite modest. Its dynamic amplitude is notably weaker than that of the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track - especially during the second half of the film. The dialog, however, is unproblematic. The English translation is quite well done.

Micmacs Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Interview - in this interview director Jean-Pierre Jeunet addresses the narrative of his film, the main characters, some of the similarities between Dany Boon's acting style and that of legendary French comedian Bourvil, etc. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (9 min, PAL).

Micmacs Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I wanted to like Micmacs a lot but could never quite get into it. The film looks fantastic and the acting is very strong, but the story is quite predictable. I also felt that the energy and intimate atmosphere that made Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Delicatessen, A Very Long Engagement and Amelie so easy to embrace were missing here. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors E1 Entertainment, looks and sounds excellent. It is, however, Region-B "locked". Cautiously RECOMMENDED .