5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A group of troublemakers are forced to attend night school in hopes that they'll pass the GED exam to finish high school.
Starring: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Rob Riggle, Romany Malco, Taran KillamComedy | 100% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS:X
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS 5.1
French: DTS-HD HR 7.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
If Night School were given a letter grade, it would earn a passing "C" and a "B" for effort. Even if it can't best "basic," Kevin Hart's latest laugher finds some genuine humor in the somewhat unique world of adult education. The film gathers a collection of middle aged misfits and drops them in a classroom where they're tasked with learning geometry and chemistry, subjects that soar above their collective heads but are necessary concepts if they're going to earn their GED. Director Malcolm D. Lee (Girls Trip) and a crowd of credited writers, which includes Kevin Hart, build a movie that comfortably nestles into the standard twenty-teens Comedy stylings, complete with all the trimmings, from crude humor to tender life-affirming positives. The film is good for a few laughs but hardly sets a new standard for the Comedy genre.
Model student?
The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.
Night School was digitally photographed, reportedly at a resolution of 4K but nevertheless finished at 2K. The
image does offer fairly sizable and noticeable improvements compared to the Blu-ray, both texturally and particularly considering its HDR color
enhancements as
well. The image is much tighter and firmer on the UHD format, with significantly more clarity and a fairly sizable increase in sharpness. It borders on
appearing artificial in places,
favoring crude sharpness over a more finessed appearance, sometimes leaving the image looking almost overly glossy and plastic-y. Yet there's no
mistaking the relative increases in textural complexity that accompany faces, clothes, and environments. Color improvements are even more dramatic.
The UHD adds a level of firmness, depth, dazzle, and color clarity that the Blu-ray sorely lacks in comparison. It's obvious from the outset after
watching the Blu-ray first and clear as day on direct comparison; the Blu-ray practically looks washed out and borderline pathetic in comparison (as
good as it looks in isolation notwithstanding). Flesh tones are more finely complex though black level depth is a little wanting in places. Unfortunately,
the UHD does not handle noise any better than the Blu-ray, and a few examples of aliasing appear just as, or even more, pronounced on the UHD,
including the
worst example, the principal's sweater at the 46:09 mark, a shot also mentioned in the Blu-ray review. Even with the noise and aliasing no better off
on the UHD, the improvements to clarity and particularly to color make this is the clear-cut winner in the "how to watch Night School at home"
sweepstakes.
Night School's DTS:X soundtrack features considerable activity that always pulls the listener into the sonic madness that accompanies a
number of high value comedic scenes. When a young Teddy struggles with his test in the film's opening flashback, various figures and words and
numbers lift off the test booklet and swirl around him, and the listener, with seamless movement and high impact depth. There is no shortage of similar
involved moments in the track. Surround usage is regular, intense, and detailed, including in some similar scenes but also when Teddy accidentally
blows
up the grill store, when he crashes his car outside the school (with the help of an irritated tow truck driver), or during a school dance where the beats
crank
up and the speakers crank out a fully realized listening environment. Bass extension is fabulous, with thumping dance beats or heavy crash and
explosion effects complimenting key moments throughout. The overhead channels are largely utilized in seamless support, such as in carrying reverb
through the ceremony near film's end, but a few discrete effects pop up from time to time, including a blaring school alarm in chapter 12, followed by
some top-down loudspeaker warnings. Musical clarity is wonderful, with full-bodied detailing, excellent front-side width, and perfectly balanced
surround support. Basic dialogue is clear, well prioritized, and firmly positioned in the center channel.
Note that neither cut on UHD offers the English DVS track that is available on the Blu-ray theatrical cut.
Night School's UHD release offers two cuts of the film: Theatrical (1:51:16) and Extended (1:56:01). The UHD carries over the director
commentary track and features Gag Reel Extra Credit (2160p, SDR, 5:17) which is not identical to the gag reel found on the Blu-ray. All other
extras
can be found on the
bundled Blu-ray disc. This release ships with a Movies Anywhere digital copy code and an embossed slipcover.
Night School is modestly entertaining, highlighted by the collective shenanigans and talents of the students in the class. But the film is otherwise a rote 201X Comedy that cobbles together a predictable and empty story. The movie works best around the edges, where the classmates shine, but the film rings hollow at its center. Universal's UHD offers a greatly superior picture compared to the Blu-ray, particularly in terms of its HDR coloring, but the image is far from problem-free. The DTS:X soundtrack is terrific and the extras are fun. Recommended.
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