News of the World Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

News of the World Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 19, 2021

In News of the World, word travels fast of a travelling newsman and, of more prominent headlines to most, the young girl he suddenly finds in his care. Director Paul Greengrass (United 93, Capain Phillips) adapts Paulette Jiles' novel of the same name for the screen, accomplishing perhaps nothing that stands apart in the cinema world but certainly building a well crafted and, even as the film's setting takes audiences back in time to the days following the end of the Civil War, timely picture that explores several issues with clear contemporary counterparts. It's a film of modest ambitions but one that finds success on the backs of its story and stars and its technical accomplishments that altogether yield a movie that is well worthwhile of its audiences' time and attention.

Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks), a wounded, retired Confederate Army Captain, travels the ravaged South reading the news, town to town, for a dime per ear. One day, in his travels, he comes across a young girl called “Cicada” whom he comes to know as Johanna (Helena Zengel), a girl of German descent who was raised by Native Americans. A passing Army patrol orders Kidd to take her to the Red River, his next destination in his news reading sojourn, but when that exercise bears no fruit, she is left in his care for a longer time period. As the two defy the odds and bond, they must overcome numerous interruptions and dangers to their travels as Kidd protects the young girl in his charge while in search of a safe, permanent home for her.

News of the World superficially whittles down to Western basics and is not totally dissimilar to True Grit, though certainly similarities are largely reserved for surface comparison. Paul Greengrass' film is more concerned with sharing its driving undercurrents that explore themes of destruction, loss, and redefining life's course in the midst of lingering pain. For Kidd, it's not only the physical scars he carries that haunt him but also the emotional pains that hinder him. It's curious that a man who has endured, and lost, so much concerns himself with and submerges himself in the business of knowing the doom-and-gloom news. Certainly there is a component of financial need meeting with something with which he can claim proficiency; he was once a preacher but now uses his voice not to exalt the Lord but rather to explore and, sometimes, expound upon the world's headlines. But like many hearers of his news readings, the headlines often prove dark and painful, at best reopening festering emotional wounds and at worst fanning flames that threaten to further divide an already fractured people. For Kidd, the profession may keep him fed and clothed but it doesn't necessarily bring him closure for the pain with which he lives. It's only a constant reminder of a painful past and an uncertain future. But often he performs his duties admirably, hiding his hurt behind the veil of polished speech and proper presentation.

When he meets young Cicada, or Johanna, he first finds her a burden but gradually comes to find purpose in life from their companionship and, ultimately, partnership. Their relationship is slow going, hindered by language barriers, his personal scars, and her dark past. The two communicate through motion and shared experience, gradually coming to understand some basics but they build a fellowship constructed more through the heart and soul rather than the mouth and ears. It's a well defined relationship in spite of the physical obstacles and the actors certainly accomplish a great deal in their shared screen time; Hanks and Zengel defy the odds to build not simply competent, but also complete, screen chemistry. Certainly that is thanks to their natural talents but also for the source material's richness and the script's intelligence in building characters of soul and identifiable humanity rather than simply thin constructs meant to move a story rather than shape human beings.

Indeed, the film's success is built on its characters but its support elements are right on the money, too. Production design, score, cinematography...all top notch. Greengrass and his assembled crew know how to build a movie and News of the World is all the better for its technical accomplishments. If the movie has a drawback it's that the narrative framework is not necessarily fully engaging. The audience will gladly invest in Kidd and Johanna but the crude story maneuverings leave a bit to be desired not in technical execution but certainly in narrative excellence. Much of the film's A-to-B dealings feel flat and rote. It's right that the film emphasizes characters over action but one cannot help but feel as if a little more polish to the world and the happenings around it might have elevated the movie from simply "good" to "great."

News of the World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

News of the World's 1080p transfer is rock-solid beginning to end. The digitally photographed motion picture, with its rustic locales and Western landscapes, translates extraordinarily well to the Blu-ray format. The picture is ceaselessly sharp at all times, delivering intimate views of rugged terrain where densely textured rocks, dirt roads, and scattered foliage present with impressive attention to detail, drawing the viewer into the locales with natural efficiency. A tense shootout midway through the film, as Kidd and Cicada are hiding in a rocky formation from three bandits who want the girl for their own pleasure, is tack sharp and well capable of fully defining the environment's uneven lines and natural peculiarities. Skin and clothing are superbly defined, too, each revealing an appropriate level of intricacy and intimacy for pores, hairs, fabrics, and the like. Colors are well saturated, even as the picture favors predominantly earthen tones. Selections of grays and browns and beiges are commonplace both in the natural world as well as on clothing. Bright streaks of blood offer commanding vibrancy and tonal vividness, as do several other, scattered examples of more intensive color output. The image does hold to some source noise, particularly in low light, such as during the scenes when Kidd reads the news from nondescript gathering halls by way of candlelight. There are no other source or encode issues of note.

News of the World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

News of the World arrives on Blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The track demonstrates fine, full bodied music. Fidelity is faultless. Music is well spaced, balanced along the fronts and engaging the backs and top end with seamless integration. Subwoofer extension comes frequently but never to overbearing effect. The track features scattered action and ambience, both of which bear much sonic fruit. Campground atmosphere – chirping insects and the like – play with plenty of high yield detail and seamless immersion. Light blowing wind, for example, proves faithful to realism with evident cross stage movement, and early, gentle examples contrast well with a fierce wind and dust storm that brings a terrifying sequence to the screen, and through speakers, in chapter 15. The track excels in presenting driving rain with full stage saturation and a clear top end engagement. It's raining through many scenes in the first act, and around the 20-minute mark listeners will find one of the finest examples. Creaking wagon wheels and little jolts and jostles as the party travels through and along rough Texas terrain make for another highlight. A shootout midway through the film brings with it well defined cracks with each shot and healthy reverb extension through the stage. Dialogue is clear, well prioritized, and grounded in the front center speaker.

News of the World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

News of the World includes deleted scenes, featurettes, and an audio commentary track. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 11:16): Several scenes provided no identifying titles.
• Partners: Tom Hanks & Helena Zengel (1080p, 7:01): Exploring the critical bond between the film's protagonists as well as the actors' qualities they brought to the film and to the set.
• Western Action (1080p, 7:37): Building and executing several of the key Western components: horseback riding, wagon driving, gunplay, and a sandstorm. Also: Hanks' dedication to the role.
• Paul Greengrass Makes News of the World (1080p, 10:59): Building a historical story with contemporary relevancy. It also looks closely at Greengrass' direction.
• The Kiowa (1080p, 3:57): Exploring the real Native American tribe depicted in the film.
• Audio Commentary: Co-Writer/Director Paul Greengrass dryly discusses the film in detail: story, performances, themes, and more.

News of the World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

News of the World falls short of excellence but its stars and technical attributes ensure the movie makes headlines, anyway. The film's only true stumble is a somewhat rote framework (and, perhaps, a few unconvincing visual effects) but Hanks and Zengel build characters and chemistry that make even somewhat stale story drivers well worth the price of admission. Universal's Blu-ray is excellent: visually, aurally, and supplementally. Highly recommended.