Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Peter Rabbit Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 2, 2018

Peter Rabbit isn't much more than a regurgitation of The Smurfs. There aren't as many rabbits as there are Smurfs, they're certainly not blue, and the villain(s)'s got nothing on Hank Azaria's wonderful work as the bumbling wizard Gargamel (but one of them does command a Star Destroyer, so there is that), but the movies are really quite similar, anyway. They're both live action/digital hybrid constructs; both are based in idyllic, natural locations; and the characters at one point wind up out of their element, tackling life in the big, bad city to accomplish a critical task. They're both family friendly films but at the same time a little crude and crass, this one a bit more so than The Smurfs. Peter Rabbit earned a share of of criticism on its way to theaters, particularly considering its epically terrible trailer, but it managed to beat expectations with critics and audiences alike, earning a lukewarm reception and a substantial box office take. Sequel, anyone?

Peter Rabbit (voiced by James Corden), his cousin Benjamin (voiced by Colin Moody) and his sisters -- Cottontail (voiced by Daisy Ridley), Flopsy (voiced by Margot Robbie), and Mopsy (voiced by Elizabeth Debicki) -- live in the English countryside in a burrow underneath an old tree that sits near a bountiful garden that's cared for by an elderly gentleman named McGregor (Sam Neil). The rabbits make it their mission to eat as much of his food as they can, but McGregor fights them tooth-and-nail every step of the way. When Peter finally gets the best of him -- or his heart does, anyway -- it would seem that nothing can stand between the rabbits and the garden's bounties. What they didn't count on is another McGregor, Thomas (Domhnall Gleeson), who inherits the property just as he's been fired from a good job at a London-based toy store. He arrives at the home with the intention of sprucing it up and putting it on the market, but plans change when he meets his new, beautiful neighbor, Bea (Rose Byrne), a friend to rabbits and a thriving artist. The two hit it off, but when Thomas is introduced to Peter and his family and finds himself at war with a warren of rabbits, the possibilities of a relationship with Bea grow ever more dim with each new skirmish in the war for the carrots.

Peter Rabbit is, of course, based on the classic children's book written by Beatrix Potter and first published well over a century ago. The movie, no surprise, does not remain entirely faithful to the original story, though it weaves in enough goodness (such as making a Beatrix Potter stand-in character a focal point) to engender a modest amount of goodwill. That said, Will Gluck's film is as much a product of contemporary society as it is its gracefully aged and cherished source material. This film adaptation will not be remembered as fondly as the original tale. It lacks heart, its humility is forced, and the filmmakers would rather joke about heart attacks and severe allergic reactions rather than discover a soulful center for the movie. To its credit, it's not as crude as it could have been, as it seemingly wants to be, but this is not a particularly enjoyable movie with ample high notes. There voice acting is stale, the human characters are uninteresting (even Bea), and the battles between rabbits and people have no tangible, emotional center to them. The movie amounts to little more than a collection of scenes made of recycled gags (human and animal frightening one another and proceeding to scream like children), rapping birds, fast action, and digital wonders. It looks good and sometimes even plays well enough to leave the audience smiling, but there's just as much groan-inducing humor and vacuous plotting to make the movie as much a pain as it is a pleasure.

Peter Rabbit Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Peter Rabbit hops onto Blu-ray with a very good 1080p transfer. Both digital constructs and real world elements dazzle with excellent clarity and color robustness. Certainly the digital rabbits and their digital jackets are the standout. The Blu-ray reveals the animal fur with individual strand complexity and clarity and the jackets with pinpoint fabric and stitching details. All of the real-life country details shine. Gravel, leaves, grass, vegetables in the garden caked with dirt, everything enjoys a precision of presentation that compliments the movie's spirt very well. The clarity is excellent, the complexity comes effortlessly, and the image's sharpness is constant. Human characters are nicely revealed, too, as are clothes and other fabrics, like a burlap sack into which Thomas places a rabbit at one point. Colors are lively, with plenty of life to vegetables, natural greens, a green truck, and variously colored real and digital clothes. Human character skin tones appear accurate. No prominent source or encode anomalies are present. The movie looks very good on Blu-ray.

Peter Rabbit Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Peter Rabbit's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack has some fun with the sound engineering, such as when Peter runs through the burrow in a hollowed out tree trunk base in the film's opening moments and the sound becomes shallow and tinny to reflect Peter's position inside, rising back up in prominence and clarity as he exits back into the wide-open world. Music is otherwise lively. There is some fun surround activity as the animals scramble when Thomas arrives at his uncle's house in chapter five. The track springs to life to present various action and robust comedy scenes with vigor and detail. It's never completely chaotic, never cranks things up to or beyond reason, but it's nicely balanced and plenty potent for a kid-oriented movie. Gentle exterior ambience is delivered with healthy vitality and clarity, even if chirping birds and other countryside elements are some distance away from the action. It's a pleasantly balanced track in all regards, finalized by perfectly presented dialogue. Note that the film's companion UHD release features a Dolby Atmos track which does benefit from the added channels but is not a significantly different, or better, listen.

Peter Rabbit Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Peter Rabbit contains a mini-movie and a couple of other extras. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.

• Mini Movie! (1080p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 3:55): Cottontail, Mopsy, and Flopsy star in a short film about sisterhood.
• Shake Your Cotton-Tail Dance Along (1080p, 2:36): Kids dance to "I Promise You."
• Peter Rabbit Mischief in the Making (1080p, 7:25): A basic piece that looks at transitioning the book to screen, casting the voice actors, the live action/animation hybrid construction, and Will Gluck's direction.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Peter Rabbit Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For this reviewer, Peter Rabbit elicited almost no emotional response. There were a few fun moments, a few cringe-worthy moments, but overall it was a zero-sum movie watching experience. It's an empty film, aiming for charm and humor but never really finding either in ample quantities. There's no sense of direction or purpose, the plot feels stale, and the blend of modern amenities with the story's simple charms never really works. It's not horrible, it's not great. It could do many things better, and it could have been much worse. It's a movie that accomplishes little more than filling a space on the release schedule with a familiar name and enough digital might and the promise of humor to draw in the requisite number of views to turn a tidy profit. For a mindless escape, it's not bad, but there are many, many better family films out there. Sony's Blu-ray does deliver very good video and a solid 5.1 lossless soundtrack (Sony continues to reserve its Atmos tracks for UHD releases). Supplements are scant and of little value. Worth a rental.