7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
A chronicle of John Lennon's teenage years. Liverpool, 1955: a smart and troubled fifteen-year-old is hungry for experience. In a family full of secrets, two incredible women clash over him: Mimi the aunt who raised him, and Julia, the prodigal mother. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into the new and exciting world of rock 'n' roll and meets the teenage Paul McCartney.
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Anne-Marie Duff, David MorrisseyMusic | 100% |
Biography | 76% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
That'll be the day.
Nowhere Boy isn't about the Beatles. It's not even really about music. It's instead the story of life, a coming-of-age tale all dressed
up as a biographical glimpse into the formative years of the soon-to-be-worldwide sensation that was -- and stil is -- John Lennon and the Beatles. It's
a film about dreams and
family, about hardships and acceptance, about coming together and growing apart, about triumph and tragedy. Nowhere Boy has it all, a
Drama that's easy to digest, singular in its focus, but broad in scope. It's a film that concentrates on a worldwide icon before he was a
worldwide icon, much in the same way Coco Before Chanel looked at the young fashion designer before she was,
well, a worldwide player in the fashion industry. Nowhere Boy could have very well be titled Lennon Before Beatles; it's the story of
the influences that shaped young Lennon's life and led him to the music he always had inside of him, just waiting for him to find his voice and pick up
a guitar. The movie is one about the importance of life experiences, how fate is shaped by personal history, and how nothing happens by chance but is
instead determined by the paths one chooses, paths that are ever-evolving and built on the foundations of every last step.
Beginnings.
Nowhere Boy wanders onto Blu-ray with the expected high-quality 1080p high definition transfer; it's a Sony title, after all. The image reveals fine detailing in the usual places -- clothing and facial textures are fine, and viewers will appreciate the transfer's ability to clearly showcase even the smallest details in the woodwork on furniture or guitars. Unfortunately, faces can occasionally appear a bit pasty and wear slightly uneven color gradations. General colors favor a slightly pale appearance -- looking a touch washed out -- and flesh tones in turn appear a little ghastly, too. Black levels are fine, and only in a few instance is a hint of crush evident. A natural layer of grain is retained over the film, but there are, oddly enough, a few random white speckles to be seen, too. Additionally, a few stray shots appear excessively soft, but none of the transfer's noted shortcomings are by any means debilitating issues. Nowhere Boy's nowhere near the best Blu-ray transfer out there, but it's a fine and filmic one that should satisfy most viewers.
Nowhere Boy's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack handles the film's dialogue and era-specific music with equal ease. The former enjoys exceptional clarity through the front center channel, while the latter sounds crisp and oh-so-smooth; the lossless track brings several vintage tracks to life like never before. The track also finds a nice balance whereby it plays a few songs as a bit squishier and less dynamic, but in an effort to lend realism to the track; for instance, tracks played through a diner's speaker system lack the pinpoint clarity of tunes integrated into the soundtrack, but the slightly distorted presentation definitely pulls the audience straight into the movie. Atmospherics are primarily handled across the front, and neither the rear channels nor the subwoofer will have to work overtime in bringing this one to life. No matter, though; Sony's Nowhere Boy sounds just fine, and even if the track isn't of the rock-em sock-em sort, it's still a quality listen.
Fans of Nowhere Boy might be disappointed with what is a rather paltry selection of standard-definition bonus features.
Nowhere Boy isn't a Beatles movie. It's not even a John Lennon movie. It's a John movie. Before he was legend; before Paul, George, and Ringo; and even before the Beatles were on iTunes; John Lennon was just John, a young man struggling to find himself who discovered the gift of music through the treasure of family, a family, in John's case, that would see him through a rise to stardom but reduce him to nothing when inevitable tragedies struck. A film about the growth into adulthood and the self-discovery that would shape a life, an industry, and a world, Nowhere Boy is a solid little origins movie that hits all the right dramatic notes and will appeal to even those who don't see the big deal in the Beatles. Sony's Blu-ray release of Nowhere Boy features a fine technical presentation and a few extras. Recommended.
2015
2024
2015
2014
2014
1987
2004
2022
The Final Cut
1991
2015
2021
1989
1996
2019
2015
2024
2022
with Bonus Disc
2012
2007
2009