Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Reagan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 14, 2024

The Great Ziegfeld is often cited as one of the worst movies to ever win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but among "mere" nominees for that particular prize, there are any number of suitable candidates for "worst", one of which has to be the 1944 20th Century Fox biopic Wilson . The movie will probably strike most any contemporary eyes as just flat out deadly dull, not to mention the fact that it conveniently highlighted supposed "successes" like the League of Nations (yeah, right) while abjectly forgetting some of Wilson's now rather well publicized lapses, including what appears to have been some pretty rampant racism. (The reassessment of Wilson as both a President and a man has had some interesting consequences, including the renaming of the high school both of my sons graduated from, formerly Wilson and now Ida B. Wells.) Ronald Reagan has already had more than one "reassessment" of his life and presidency, but much like the 1944 Wilson, Reagan the movie plays like a "greatest hits" compilation of data points, with very little if any actual human emotion intruding. This film, also quite like its presidential predecessor, doesn't want to fuss too much with any perceived "negativity" like the Iran-Contra situation, just one of several fracases that led to the Reagan Administration being one of the most (some say the most) investigated presidential staffs in history, one that resulted in well over one hundred indictments and/or convictions.

Reagan is an unabashed hagiography, and so those who view the 40th president as a divine figure will probably enjoy this outing despite its patently ridiculous narrative. That narrative may be especially comical to some since it's framed largely as a flashback "revue" style outing hitting all of the high points of Reagan's life courtesy of a Russian spy named Petrovich (Jon Voight), who "schools" an acolyte of his about how Reagan more or less singlehandedly (of course) brought down the Soviet Union. To get there, Petrovich also has to recount Reagan's all American upbringing, his years at Warner Brothers, later work with the Screen Actors Guild and not so coincidentally that House Un- American Activities Committee (once again more or less glossed over, Wilson style). It's all paper thin and about as deep.

Stars Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller do their best to invest some life into the proceedings, but not to joke too much in utilizing a favorite phrase of those who tend to skew rightward in their political beliefs, Reagan is in many senses "fake news". If there's any thing positive to report, it's that Reagan is most likely not going to even get to nominee status in any major award ceremony (though according to the IMDb, Miller did win something from an aggregation called the Family Film Awards).

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf was similarly unimpressed by Reagan. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Reagan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Reagan is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa Mini as having been utilized, and though it doesn't yet list the resolution of a DI, I suspect things were probably finished at 2K. The result here is, like the film itself, kind of glossy but rarely with much depth to the visuals, leaving things looking kind of like a made for television film. The palette is generally decently saturated, and detail levels are also typically commendable. Close-ups offer good fine detail levels on everything from period costumes to some of the makeup Quaid in particular is fitted with.

Reagan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Reagan features a workmanlike DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers some intermittent surround activity courtesy of occasionally calamitous moments like the opening vignette recreating the assassination attempt on Reagan's life, or, later, some of the outdoor material at the Reagan Ranch in California. Otherwise, though, this is a pretty talk heavy affair that has a lot of the material anchored pretty consistent front and center. My favorite new name for a composer, John Coda (musicians will understand), offers a sometimes treacly, elegiac score that nonetheless provides some immersion. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Reagan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no on disc supplements other than "bookmarks". The release comes with DVD and digital copies.

Reagan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Whatever you may think of Ronald Reagan as man and/or President, he probably deserves a much better review (and/or revue) of his life than this sloppy mishmash. Technical merits are generally solid if uninspiring, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.