Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Sausage Party 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 11, 2016

If one were to hear about the core concepts behind Sausage Party and play a guessing game about which current Hollywood celebrities would be the creative minds behind it, Seth Rogen's and Even Goldberg's names would be near the top of a fairly short list, along with Matt Parker and Trey Stone. The film, conceived in part by Rogen and Goldberg and Directed by the tandem of Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, is a hard-R-rated adventure of food, the afterlife, truths, lies, sex, vulgarity, everything, basically, one would expect from a movie from the minds of Rogen and Goldberg, but with animated foods and all of the innuendoes, puns, and jokes one can imagine, and maybe even a few more they don't (the movie surprisingly doesn't delve all that deeply into human digestion and waste). Still, it's an interesting concept and executed fairly well at its most fundamentally crude level, assuming the audience can break through the movie's unflinching coarseness and go with the flow.

Dog meets bun

Frank (voiced by Seth Rogen) is a supermarket hot dog living in a pack with seven of his closest -- literally and figuratively -- friends. He's in love with a bun named Brenda (voiced by Kristen Wiig) and the two dream of one day escaping their packages and coming together as only a wiener and a bun can. And they believe that day is tomorrow. It's the annual "red, white, and blue" day when their kind is always plucked from the shelf, or "chosen" to go to "the great beyond," the brightly-lit paradise that they've been told exists beyond the supermarket's walls. They, and all of their food friends, live for the day, but when a Honey Mustard is returned to the store, it shares a tale of great horror about what really lies beyond. Most of the food shrugs it off, but when HM kills himself on the way out of the store, the food begin to worry and fall into a panic. Frank and Brenda escape in the chaos, but most of their friends are not so lucky. As Frank and Brenda navigate the store and the truth, their relationship threatens to crumble as all of the food comes to realize the reality of what fate holds for them.

Though the movie cherishes every opportunity to play with sexual innuendo -- overtly and covertly, but never shyly -- it's in its core themes that it finds its most interesting story drivers and concepts. At the center of the movie is a commentary on faith, a belief in the unknown, the hope that there's a better life out there beyond the confines of what is presented in the world. For the foods, their life is one of anticipation, eagerly awaiting exit from the limits of the store and the greater freedoms and happiness that await them in "the great beyond," which is whatever exists beyond the four walls and roof of the supermarket. Of course, they come to realize that being selected isn't all that, that pain and punishment and ugly, hideous death and torture await on the other side. Essentially, there is no "heaven," only "hell," or, at the very least, "heaven" is only what they have and can create for themselves (i.e. sex and orgies). The film also plays with a few other interesting concepts -- the clarity narcotics provide for one, though describing a couple others would be to spoil some of the movie's surprises -- but it's in its challenge of faith that plays central to the story.

Thematically and story-wise, there's simply not going to be much of a middle ground for Sausage Party. The love-or-hate response is going to drive reaction to the film more than most others. But looking at it beyond its superficialities, from a more critical rather than straight entertainment perspective does yield something of a mixed bag. On the plus side, there's no denying the movie's, um, cajones. It's confident, unafraid, and willing to always go the extra mile to make the most of every joke and scenario. The voice cast is endlessly enthusiastic from the top-down. No question that they get it, from the base humor to the wider-scope details around it. But that's where the movie falls apart. It works as sheer vulgar entertainment, and it most certainly works because it's new and interesting -- which is always welcome in whatever form or fashion it arrives -- but not because it has much to say. Sure it plays heavily on exploring religion in its own way, but it never has all that much substance at its disposal. The movie smartly works in that overreaching theme to hold it together, to prevent it from being more than an overextended short film concept experience, but thematically it's rather empty beyond that one-note force behind it. That said, it's well paced and engaging for its novelty and enthusiasm. It's no Pixar film in terms of depth, but for the most part it hits its notes with gusto.

Sausage Party 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

IMDB reports that Sausage Party was finished at 2K, making this presumably, an upscaled 4K UHD presentation. There are some noticeable improvements, albeit improvements that aren't going to rock the world of anyone who's comparing the two. Detail is more refined and tangible even at medium distance. Corn husks, for example, show a superior level of finer point textures, while even more mundane elements like the supermarket floor, labels on background boxes and bottles, textures on checkout lanes, and other small elements around the store, as well as other environments throughout the movie, show just a little more finer-point clarity and attention to detail. Close-ups are a little more obviously improved. Jump to the 15:27 mark, which is the beginning of chapter four. Douche's body and glove texturing are significantly more complex, with the bumpy ridges more tangibly robust and tactile. The image plays with the same basic visual cadence as its 1080p counterpart, a hint of softness and diffuseness and more limited by the animation's somewhat more simplistic appearance than anything else. The HDR enhanced color palette isn't a significant change, either. A bit fuller and richer, but there's not a substantial difference across anything in the movie, not even the red, white, and blue Fourth of July decorations in the supermarket. If anything, the Blu-ray might be a hair punchier, but the UHD/HDR deeper and more refined. Blacks are terrific. This is certainly the way to watch the movie, but those who are only capable of viewing the 1080p Blu-ray aren't missing a substantial boost in picture quality.

Sausage Party 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sausage Party's Dolby Atmos soundtrack seems a bigger, more immediately obvious improvement over its 1080p Blu-ray counterpart's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track than the video. Compare any scene that's more than simple atmospherics, sound effects, or dialogue and the difference is substantial. It's boomier without losing balance. It's fuller without losing its sense of place. The added back-surround and overhead object elements add a significant sense of environmental awareness, particularly in musical delivery and notably in the louder and more aggressive beats. The 5.1 track is enveloping, but the Atmos track is more immersive. Sound layering and positioning are much improved, and while the 5.1 track doesn't necessarily play with any gaps, the greater sense of full-bodied detail and richness is clear. Every element sparkles in this track, and there are some fantastic moments that utilize the overhead channels. Dialogue reverberates around, and clearly above, when Frank first meets Firewater; the dialogue exchange has a cavernous presence that makes excellent use of the overheads to recreate the environment in the soundstage. Generally dialogue is terrific, with fantastic clarity and placement in the center.

Sausage Party 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Beyond the assortment of "Moments" (2160p, HDR, Atmos) -- themed scene collections from the film, here including Frank (7:15), Brenda (4:49), The Ugly Truth (8:21), and Douche (7:20) -- all of the supplemental content listed below is featured on the 1080p Blu-ray disc, included in this set. For this release, Sony has ditched the "cast and crew" tab that was previously a staple on the studio's UHD releases. A UV digital copy voucher is included with purchase.

• Good Food Gag Reel (1080p, 7:29).
• Shock and Awe: How Did This Get Made? (1080p, 5:11): A discussion of project origins, the challenges of getting the project green-lit, the journey to the finished picture, and food puns.
• The Booth (1080p, 9:28): A closer look at the process of recording dialogue for the film.
• Line-O-Rama (1080p, 4:57): Alternate lines from various scenes.
• The Great Beyond (1080p, 4:01): A quick look at Alan Menken's music for the film.
• The Pitch (1080p, 2:33): A "retro"-styled discussion of how to sell a movie.
• Seth Rogen's Animation Imaginatorium (1080p, 1:05): A vintage Disney-inspired preview for the film.

Sausage Party 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sausage Party isn't a "middle America" movie. It's crude and vulgar and shapes an opinion that challenges the fundamental concepts of faith and fate. It's well done, though. It's certainly entertaining in its own right, given that the audience can accept it on its face rather than challenge its viewpoints. Nicely animated, clever in its construction, well voiced, and hitting most of its jokes, it's very good at what it does, but as with pretty much everything else these days, opinions are bound to be sharply divided. Sony's UHD/HDR release of Sausage Party features slightly improved 2160p video and much improved Atmos audio. Supplements are a bit thinner than one would anticipate, but the content that's here is fine. Fans can buy with confidence, while those who believe they'd be offended by it would be well served to follow their instincts and stay away.