6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Young Charlie Kincaid, who discovers a secret headquarters under his home that seems to belong to a superhero. He shares it with his friends, and they start to believe that his estranged father might have a secret double life.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Michael Peña, Walker Scobell, Jesse Williams, Keith L. WilliamsSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish=Espana, Latinoamerica
English, English SDH, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Polish, Romanian
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Secret Headquarters is not a hidden gem, but it's a perfectly serviceable family-friendly flick about a superhero, the alien technology that assists him, the bad guys that want to take it, and a few kids who find themselves in the middle of a battle over cosmic powers. Beyond action and special effects is a fairly perfunctory story of friendship and family bonds with all of the stale wit one can imagine. Yet the film has a simplistic charm about it, driven by nothing but the desire to entertain and satisfy its audience. It does that, if the audience isn't overly picky about what will entertain and satisfy it.
Secret Headquarters puts everything on full, clear display via Paramount's nice looking 1080p transfer The image is unremarkable in that it has no real reason to stand out in 2023, but it covers al the bases, yielding a fine, clean digital image with minimal noise and no major compression issues of note. The picture's clarity is constant, and viewers will enjoy the fine point textures on close-ups, including characters but also many of the gadgets and costumes and headquarters location specifics that come alive with impressive depth and clarity on the Blu-ray. The image is further bolstered by a satisfying color gamut, which offers high yield color saturation and depth without pushing temperature or contrast beyond normal levels. The palette is colorfully vivid and stable, extending to crisp whites and deep blacks. Skin tones are healthy. This is a fine image from Paramount.
The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is a real benefit. From the opening moments forward, it offers an impressive selection of discrete and supportive overhead content alike, bringing the soundstage alive by recreating the cavernous secret headquarters and offering plenty of top end action as well. Surrounds are smartly complimentary and are frequently engaged, while the subwoofer powers in with balanced support depth. Musical clarity is excellent, spread is fine along the front, and back channels chime in for a nicely balanced and immersive experience. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration. This is a fine Atmos track that teeters on reference quality for its clarity and top layer usage.
This Blu-ray release of Secret Headquarters includes a handful of featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. No DVD copy is included, but
Paramount has bundled in a digital
copy voucher. This release also ships with a non-embossed slipcover.
Secret Headquarters may lack in novelty, but it's very energetic nonetheless. The film takes rather basic material and makes it into a very agreeable family outing, one that won't set the world on fire but one sure to hit home with the younger demographics while also not entirely boring the adults in the room, either. The visuals are cool, the characters are fun enough, the action satisfies, and the breezy story elements keep things moving forward. This is not an award winner, but it's a solid effort that works well enough within its sphere. Paramount's Blu-ray delivers very good video and audio and includes a decent little assortment of bonus content. Recommended.
1952
1985
1984
1983
2013
Warner Archive Collection
2011-2012
2000
2010-2011
1991
2020-2021
Warner Archive Collection
1967-1968
2013
Warner Archive Collection
1980-1981
Limited Edition | Includes 96-page prequel graphic novel
2011
Special Edition
1987
2024
SD on Blu-ray
1994-1996
1994-1995
2017-2018
2023