Queen of Katwe Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Queen of Katwe Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 24, 2017

Disney never seems to struggle to find material for its true-life Inspirational films, lifting the best stories from the worlds of baseball (more than one film actually), football, bobsledding, horse racing, hockey...the list goes on. The studio certainly seems to have the formula down to a science: real-life heroes brought to the big screen, their aspirations, ascensions, setbacks, and triumphs the stuff of real- world legend and cinema magic. For Queen of Katwe, Disney's inspiring story of choice comes not from the field of play but rather the 64-square chess board, the skill not from the arm or the leg but rather the mind. The story of a poor Ugandan girl who matures into a chess champion, it hits all the usual high notes and delivers an honest, uplifting, oftentimes moving tale of self-discovery, trust in oneself, friendship, and the power of the human spirit. It's not all that fundamentally different than Disney's other, similar films, which isn't a bad thing. The formula works, and Queen of Katwe is proof-positive that it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

In the big leagues now.

Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) lives a difficult life of poverty and uncertainty in the small Ugandan village of Katwe with her mother Nakku (Lupita Nyong'o) who is struggling to raise her family. One day, Phiona meets a man named Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) who both coaches soccer and teaches local youths the game of chess. Phiona gravitates towards the game and finds herself spellbound by it, and it's not long before she and Robert realize her natural talent at the game. As she accelerates her abilities and gains confidence, she and her chess friends begin to compete with other, and supposedly better, players from a more sophisticated and cultured background and position in life. Though Phiona and her friends are often met with disdain, their chess prowess lifts them well beyond Katwe and into international competition. But can Phinoa learn from setbacks and experience to become a better player and, more important, a better person?

Queen of Katwe doesn't maneuver to make its formula new. It's comfortable and grounded, playing with a classic character arc that sees the movie's hero rise to prominence and experience a range of emotions -- curiosity, understanding of her gift, adulation of others, self-doubt, triumph -- along the way, all while coming to realize that in chess she can find purpose in life and through its maneuverings and machinations see the parallels for life in the game. It's pretty basic stuff, but the filmmaking team -- Director Mira Nair (Amelia) and Screenwriter William Wheeler, based on an article for EPSN by Tim Crothers -- has assembled it with passion and care, paying attention to the finer-point character details and making the movie about its people rather than chess itself. The game is the classic "vehicle," the thing that propels the character through her journey. It's critical, obviously, but it's not the focal point. The film finds a richly layered study of the human spirit and human condition by way of the characters' participation in the game, as they come to not only meet others and travel to distant lands but find their inner purpose and sense of worth by finding themselves along the way.

The movie's performances and production design are strong, too. The film has a very real, tangible, lived-in, immersive feel to it. Even as the film's dramatic cadence and performances take center stage, it's impossible to miss how the movie looks and progresses, how Phiona's successes in chess bring with them a rather dramatic increase in the stability -- physically and emotionally alike -- in her quality of life. At the beginning, trouble and danger and hardship abound. The chess club plays with handmade boards and makeshift pieces, some of which have been painted over. The movie gets plenty of little touches right that reinforce the physical and emotional journeys. Such are important in moving the film along at the surface level, but it's more the depth of performances that are a standout. Each of the main characters appears on screen with a tangible, deep, and complex soul, shaped by the world in which they live and the worlds through which the maneuver throughout the film. They're brought to life by the exceptionally good performances from leads Madina Nalwanga, Lupita Nyong'o, and David Oyelowo. The actors not only find their characters' centers but share an amazing chemistry as they share in the successes, failures, hardships, and realities of their worlds and the worlds to and through which chess leads them. It's great stuff and the movie wouldn't be the same without these faces leading the way.

Queen of Katwe Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Queen of Katwe's 1080p Blu-ray presentation is absolutely gorgeous. Though it can infrequently push a little too digital- flat and smooth, it's generally a wonderful presentation. Details are complex and abundant. Whether intimate skin textures, various types of clothes (frayed, smooth, texturally complex), painted-over cheese pieces, rough terrain, old woods, or polished pieces and playing surfaces, every detail springs to life with remarkable clarity and ease of fine detail presentation. Colors are abundant and gorgeous. This is one of the most varied palettes in recent memory, and every shade leaps off the screen. An abundance of reds, yellows, oranges, blues, any shade under the rainbow, and then some, it seems, is represented, each with a depth and nuance that pushes Blu-ray and 1080p display tech to their limits. Black levels satisfy, flesh tons appear accurate, and beyond a trace of source noise in a couple of lower-light shots there are no eyesores to report. This is a top-tier presentation from Disney.

Queen of Katwe Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Queen of Katwe's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is generally reserved, limited to music, dialogue, and ambience. Disney's track is technically proficient in those areas. Music is nicely wide and often very vibrant and lively, dominant across a lengthy front end and drifting into the backs only as far as necessary to support a general sense of immersion. The low end kicks in, too, yielding a track that's just as often punchy as it is smooth and airy. Atmospherics bring any number of areas to life. Whether the hushed background effects of a multi participant chess tournament or the more lively streets of Katwe, listeners will always get the sense that they're immersed into the film's various locations. Driving rain at the 95-minute mark represents one of the heaviest sound moments in the film; it comes up a bit flat and front-heavy. Dialogue is clear and nicely balanced and prioritized in the front-center channel.

Queen of Katwe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Queen of Katwe contains a commentary, deleted scenes, and featurettes. A Disney digital copy is included with purchase.

• Queen of Katwe: Their Story (1080p): A three-part supplement.
• A Spark of Inspiration (9:18): A look at how Director Mira Nair got involved in the project and what she brought to the film, the real-life story and ESPN article than influenced the film, core story themes, shooting locations, the film's colors and textures, costumes, and more.
• Those Who Guide (8:37): A closer look at the adult cast and the characters they play. Also included are interviews with the real people depicted in the film.
• The Future Is Bright (11:45): This piece focuses on the children depicted in the film and actors who portray them.
• Audio Commentary: Director Mira Nair delivers a very insightful track that examines all of the usual nuts and bolts -- story, performances, the film's origins, cast and performances, shooting locations, authenticity, music, making the chess playing scenes -- but she also, directly and indirectly, shares the much deeper emotions the process elicited within herself and her cast and crew. A very good track.
• A Fork, A Spoon, & A Knight (1080p, 13:14): A short film from Director Mira Nair that centers on Robert Katende, who is depicted by David Oyelowo in The Queen of Katwe.
• Music (1080p): A three-part feature.
• In the Studio with Alicia Keys (6:26): A look at the music making and recording process and how the music reinforces the film's themes.
• Lyric Video (5:01): "Back to Life" by Alicia Keys.
• Music Video (3:55): "#1 Spice" by Young Cardamon & HAB.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 20:25 total runtime): Graduation, Job Application, Dancing and Rent, Entering the Hospital, Escape from the Hospital, They Can't Go to Budo, Flood (Extended Scene), and Phiona's Chess Club. With introductions by Director Mira Nair.

Queen of Katwe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Queen of Katwe is a terrific movie that builds good values amidst an engaging storyline and well developed characters. The movie can't always escape the crude yet necessary plot-shaping cliché, but the movie is so good at embracing its characters and story that it easily overcomes any cinematic contrivances and the greater predictability around it with endless heart and a tangible soul. It's a great little film that ranks amongst the best of cinema's inspirational stories. Disney's Blu-ray is fantastic, too, featuring reference quality video, solid lossless audio, and a nice little compliment of bonus content. Very highly recommended.