7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A former graduate student feigns being drunk so that men will bring her home with them.
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer CoolidgeDark humor | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS-HD HR 7.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Promising Young Woman is a promising film debut for Writer/Director Emerald Fennell who has crafted a smooth and purposeful picture that takes the rape-revenge film to new dramatic highs by blending grindhouse plot devices with modern touches and mainstream accessibility. Gone are the ultra-violent days of gritty and unabashedly raw fare like I Spit on Your Grave, replaced here with content depth and careful character construction. And it doesn't necessarily go in the expected directions. Its ability to deconstruct the genre and rebuild it from the ground up and ultimately deliver a picture that is more satisfying than the ultra-violent fare of yore makes it one of the most compelling films of 2020.
Promising Young Woman delivers a fair, if not somewhat problematic and inconspicuous, 1080p transfer. The opening club scene is noisy for its low light output but still holds serve for solid detail and color output. Noise remains for the duration, even in well-lit scenes, and appears static and frozen in place. It's not a particularly attractive look, and it's only a serious issue in some spots, though the noisy front often remains even when light is ample. Detail and clarity are fine though nothing to write home about. The image offers capable definition to core necessities like faces and clothes and key locale interiors, like the coffee shop, Ryan's hospital office, or the bachelor party area towards film's end. It conveys the basics nicely enough, but viewers should not expect to be blown away by the presentation content. Colors are a bit more effective and efficient, ranging from complex makeup, colorful wigs and fingernail paints, and the expressive tones inside the coffee shop. The palette shows no bleeding or pushes towards flatness or oversaturation. Contrast is neutral. Skin tones are strong. Black levels are dense and generally on-point, though again very noisy. Compression artifacts are essentially none. This is not the most attractive movie in the world, but the Blu-ray carries the content well enough, a few hesitations aside.
Promising Young Woman's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack is dynamic, essentially of reference quality, and the clear-cut technical highlight on this disc. The 7.1 lossless soundtrack offers expressive opening beats in the club. The combination of surround immersion and subwoofer output to the deliberately muddy background musical elements are seriously impressive, boisterous but still balanced and allowing for dialogue to remain well prioritized without sinking into absenteeism. At the 3:50 mark, two characters walking down a flight of stairs, the impact is only amplified. Such musical strength remains for the duration as aggressive Pop songs, both in a few more club environments and as overlaid audio, all present with exceptional definition and detail. The track is fully active and well capable of delivering any element, musical or otherwise, with tremendous gusto. The track folds in ambient effects with lifelike immersion and zeal. Dialogue clarity, positioning, and prioritization earn top marks.
This Blu-ray release of Promising Young Woman contains three featurettes and a commentary track. No DVD copy is included but Universal has
bundled in a Movies Anywhere digital copy code. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.
Promising Young Woman is a splendid debut for Emerald Fennell and perhaps the best work in Carey Mulligan's career. It's smart, steady, confident, and well capable of rearranging a classic subgenre to great dramatic and darkly humorous effect and impact. The film is fearless in taking a few unexpected turns and as it moves away from the violent tendencies of its peers. It's one of the best films of 2020. Universal's Blu-ray features stellar audio, decent video, and a few supplements. Highly recommended.
Includes Beanie
2014
Unrated Director's Cut
2011
2013
1994
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
2000
2017
2008
2019
@Zola
2020
1997
Limited Edition
1993
Uncut Version
2000
2018
1996
2019
2013
2008
1998
2012
2007