Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Respect Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 11, 2021

The music star biopic is certainly not a new genre, but it is the newest hot commodity on the cinema scene. Of recent vintage are films exploring the lives, times, and musical careers of stars like Elton John, Freddie Mercury, and James Brown. The genre does date back a bit farther if one wants to consider films like The Doors and Amadeus. It has yet to feel like oversaturation, largely because the stories are so good, even if many of them tread the same ground of rise to stardom, fall from grace, and redemption. That is the path that the genre's latest, Respect, follows, but it does so in, dare say, a respectful manner as it keeps its focal character, the legendary Aretha Franklin, drawn to her spiritual roots even when the weight of a multimillion dollar career burdens her soul.

Young Aretha Franklin (Skye Dakota Turner), or "Re" as she is loving called, loves to sing. Her father, a Detroit-based minister named C. L. Franklin (Forest Whitaker), encourages her gifting and she performs with gusto at church. Her mother (Audra McDonald) also fosters her love of music and a healthy self image. But when Aretha's mother dies, Aretha shuts down and refuses to speak or sing. Her father forces her out of her shell and, as she grows in her musical abilities and natural talents, finds herself distant from her father. As a young woman, Aretha (Jennifer Hudson) marries the abusive and controlling Ted White (Marlon Wayans in a transformative role) against her father's wishes. She signs with Columbia Records but fails to produce a single hit despite her immense talent. However, as her life direction shapes her musical career, she finds herself thrust into stardom and subsequently drifting from the spiritual roots that her father and her time in church as a child fostered in her soul.

While Respect's story follows some pretty transparent plot devices, it proves to be an engaging story with weight and purpose as it spends time focused on Franklin's soul and the spiritual battles she faced in the light of stardom. The film's predictable arc -- emergence and early struggle, stardom, and personal fall -- is framed within the context of her relationship with God and her church upbringing. Franklin strays from her faith and finds the success she desires -- much of the movie is focused on her pursuit of recording a hit song and what happens once she does so -- but eventually comes to realize that her desire to be a star comes with a price that she must decide if she is willing to pay. Cliché though it may be, it's very well done and ultimately explores the relationship not just between herself and fame but herself and the very spirit that is her grounding. It's a fresh perspective to integrate her spirituality so deeply into the movie.

The cast is uniformly good with Hudson leading the charge as the central player. She runs with the character depth and makes the story far more about hit singles and songs and even more than family, trial, and triumphs. Hudson grounds the work in that spiritual center and is unflinchingly committed to exploring that spiritual depth as the character's driving force. Hudson's work allows the character's essence, not her screen presence or Franklin's voice, to dominate the film. The focus is on Franklin's soul, and that is the film's great strength. Hudson is supported by good work all around her, including a transformative Marlon Wayans and Forest Whitaker, each portraying strong, imposing figures in Franklin's life and both at once dissimilar and very much alike. These two men share great chemistry in their time together on the screen and their presence is often felt off of it as well.

Respect Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Respect arrives on Blu-ray with a fundamentally sound 1080p transfer. The picture features mildly desaturated colors, giving it something of a vintage appearance that reinforces its era setting. The picture is in fine shape, efficient and filmic and hitting all the right notes, as it were, in terms of its color and contrast within its natural parameters. While there's no absolute vividness and punch and pop to speak of, the grounded palette is beautifully presented for the array of clothing hues and other critical location and support elements. Black levels additionally hold solid, white balance appears spot-on, and skin tones are natural. Fine detail is very strong as well, revealing precision accuracy on faces, hair, clothes, and other objects. Like the color is not so expressive as to dazzle, detail is not so complex as to wow longtime format fans but it appears very faithful to the source and certainly well within spec for a new release Blu-ray. The picture exhibits little, if any, source and encode issues. This is a solid, well-rounded Blu-ray from Universal.

Respect Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Respect sings on Blu-ray with a terrific Dolby Atmos soundtrack. While discrete height channel usage is not one of the track's priorities, the top end does finely compliment the entire soundtrack to bring life to bustling church services, lively concerts, and other high audio impact moments where clarity never wanes and spacing is seamless. Musical performances are obviously the highlight. Vocals are crisp, instrumentals play with balanced power, and bass is terrific; it's never shy about making an impact in any given scene. Ambient effects are well integrated. Dialogue certainly drives most of the experience and it presents with the usual excellence in all of the noteworthy areas: placement, detail, and prioritization.

Respect Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Respect contains five featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• The Making of Respect (1080p, 7:20): Exploring key story elements and themes, the real Aretha Franklin, the film's commitment to exploring the character's real inward journey, Hudson's work and key cast performances, recreating key moments from Franklin's life, and more.
• Becoming Aretha (1080p, 4:42): Focusing on Hudson's work in playing the film's lead character: vocal and instrumental training, mannerisms, and so on.
• Capturing a Legacy (1080p, 3:49): Exploring the film's cinematic scope and Liesl Tommy's work on the film.
• From Muscle Shoals (1080p, 2:57): A look at the point of Franklin's career when she moved on from Columbia and recorded at Muscle Shoals in Alabama. It also looks at casting and work in the studio.
• Exploring the Design of Respect (1080p, 3:37): This piece focuses on the film's production design authenticity.

Respect Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

First-time director Liesl Tommy keeps things moving and even as the film approaches 2.5 hours in length it plays much faster. This is a quality film about a fascinating figure. It's well played, well made, and a pleasure certainly for Franklin's legion of fans but also for those who may know nothing about the star beyond her name the title song. Universal's Blu-ray is excellent, featuring solid video, excellent Atmos audio, and a few extras. Recommended.