8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
A modern-day story about the boundless love between mother and child; young Jack knows nothing of the world except for the single room in which he was born and raised.
Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, Megan ParkDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
One of the perceived “upsets” of the most recent installment of the Academy Awards came when Mark Rylance won Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Bridge of Spies, supposedly usurping the statuette from its expected winner, Sylvester Stallone, who was revisiting his iconic role of Rocky Balboa in Creed. Stallone’s reaction at the moment Rylance’s name was announced evinced the same sort of shocked surprise that was also on display last year when Michael Keaton just as unexpectedly saw his Birdman dreams of victory sidelined by Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything, though Stallone very graciously rebounded in a few online ripostes after the award “drama” had subsided. What might seem at least as “controversial” about this particular category is not the eventual winner, but the lack of even a nomination for little Jacob Tremblay, an eight year old (at the time of filming) whose performance in Room is arguably the fulcrum around which everything else in the film hinges, including that of his co-star Brie Larson (who ironically took home the Academy Award for Best Actress in a category which was considered a “done deal” the moment Larson was nominated). Room is a devastating emotional gauntlet for the viewer, but considering how traumatic the film’s premise could have been, it’s remarkable how generally life affirming it ends up being, a testament to the performance acumen of its two main players.
Room is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Shot digitally with the Red Epic Dragon capturing at a 6K source format which was then utilized to prepare a 4K DI (according to the IMDb), Room almost needs to be assessed as two separate films in terms of video quality. When Joy and Jack finally get to the outside world, where more fulsome natural lighting conditions prevail, the imagery is outstandingly sharp and well detailed, helped by director Lenny Abrahamson's preference for extreme close-ups, where fine detail is more than abundant. However, the dowdier first half of the film, which offers moments with very low lighting conditions, often has slight but noticeable noise and/or compression anomaly issues (take a look at screenshots 9-11 and note the chunky yellowish near pixellation that is in evidence). These darker moments (probably by design) have little to no shadow definition and therefore very little detail in general. There's some subtle color grading going as well, more in the first half of the film than the second, but detail levels are only marginally affected (if even that) by these choices. Aside from the perhaps unavoidable issues with the low light sequences, this transfer has no other issues of any note that should warrant concern. Room hasn't yet been announced for the new 4K UHD format, but if it is, it will be very interesting to see if some of the admittedly minor issues on this release are ameliorated at all.
As might be expected from a film which takes place in such a confined space for at least its first half, Room's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is often a rather subtle affair, positing soft ambient environmental effects which convincingly establish the claustrophobic confines in which Joy and Jack find themselves imprisoned. The film's sonic ambitions are a bit more obvious in the film's second half, which begins (more or less) with a truck ride where finally some feel for the "big" outside world starts to spread through the surrounds. Dialogue, the core of this film, is always presented cleanly and clearly and with very few other elements at times to even hint at prioritization issues. Stephen Rennicks provides an appropriately childlike score that wafts quite nicely through the surrounds.
Make no mistake about it, there are aspects to Room which make it very difficult to sit through, probably especially for parents who are prone to worry anyway about the safety of their children. But what is so refreshingly commendable here is the film's portrayal of the resilience of the human spirit under unimaginable duress, not to mention the unshakeable bond between a mother and child. Performances are incredibly moving, technical merits are generally strong, and Room comes Highly recommended.
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