Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Spotlight Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 19, 2016

2015 saw the release of two high profile films that take audiences inside the news room to tell the stories of how the stories were reported. First out of the gate in wide release was Truth, a film that goes behind the scenes of the "60 Minutes" special that, it was later revealed, wrongly painted a picture of then-President George W. Bush's military service in the Vietnam era. The film dealt with both the build-up to and the fallout from the story. Released to theaters only weeks later was Spotlight, Director Tom McCarthy's (The Visitor) picture that depicts how the Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team unraveled the deep-seeded and long-standing Catholic priest sex abuse scandal in an exposé that revealed the story to the world, shook the church to its core, and redefined the way many look at the church. Aside from their intimate examinations of the inner-workings of the 21st century news rooms, however, the films could not be more disparate. Where Truth stumbles every which way, Spotlight shines. With a more gripping narrative, sublime direction, awe-inspiring performances, and a vastly superior pace, cinematic vitality, sense of purpose, and technical craftsmanship, McCarthy's film is a pleasure to watch, even as it tackles incredibly difficult subject matter. It has earned several key Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), and Best Supporting Actress (Rachel McAdams).

Hearing it firsthand.

The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team -- Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton), Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams), and Matt Carroll (Brian d’Arcy James) -- works its own stories on its own timeframe, but when new Editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) arrives, he pushes the team to investigate a story centered on a lawyer named Mitchell Garabedian (Stanley Tucci) who claims the church has covered up a sex abuse scandal. The team digs into the story and discovers that not only is pedophilia a problem in the local church, it runs rampant. The Spotlight teams pieces together firsthand accounts of longstanding abuse -- from one to several abusers, from several to allegedly 19, and from those 19 into a startling 87 in the Boston area alone -- and assembles a story that will rock the church to its core and redefine the public trust in it.

Spotlight's dramatic integrity is never sacrificed in light of its difficult subject, nor is its watchability ever interrupted by a less-than-honest approach. The film manages a delicate balance between tedium of the investigative process, the challenge of absorbing and sorting through the scandal's details, and holding not a traditional "entertainment value" but rather a connection with the audience that engages and absorbs the viewer rather than simply presents the story in all of its raw ugliness. Those are virtues that come thanks to every award for which the movie was nominated. It's thanks to the engaging screenplay that elevates the material above procedure, that paints the characters vividly, that ensures a flow of core story building highlight segments and a more personal response to the evolving narrative, as experienced both through the characters' eyes and the audience's experiences alongside them. It's thanks to a cast that doesn't simply repeat lines in costume but that approaches the material as if it means something to them, as if they understand not simply what they're saying and doing but why they are saying and doing it. The sense of personal connection, absorption into the investigation, team camaraderie, and legitimate acting skill in recreating the people they portray -- not simply a basic look or cadence but a tangible emotional resonance and involvement -- is astounding. That's thanks to editing that keeps it fresh and flowing, provocative and personal, watchable and engrossing. And it's thanks to a director whose skill may not be obvious in visual manipulations and machinations but who frames the story with a simple precision that only displays the heavy lifting, not carries any of the burden it need not heft.

Spotlight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Spotlight's 1080p transfer never disappoints. The movie's bright white and light color-dominant office segments don't see significant color saturation, but details are fantastic. The offices are a playground of visual richness. Little odds and ends -- reams of paper, folders, books, furniture, old file cabinets -- showcase fine wear textures, tangible material details, and legible print even across the room. Skin is complexly presented down to the finest pores and lines and clothing textures are intricately nuanced, whether fine wrinkles or intimate suit jacket appointments. Colors gain significant saturation beyond the office walls. A scene at Fenway Park shows gorgeous green grass, Red Sox red seats, vibrant clothes, and healthy skin tones. Ditto a golf course scene that follows. Black levels hold deep in the few lower light scenes. Compression artifacts are never a concern. This is an attractive, cinematic presentation from Universal.

Spotlight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

What Spotlight's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack lacks in bluster it makes up for in satisfying nuance. The track frequently makes strong, well integrated use of all speakers in the delivery of ambient effects. Background restaurant details, general office space chatter and clatter, crowd murmurs and public address announcements at Fenway Park, and street level din such as squealing brakes and slowly moving traffic bring most of the movie's environments to impressively detailed and realistic life. Musical delivery satisfies; spacing comes effortless, clarity throughout the range impresses, and the low end satisfies requirements for added depth and definition. Dialogue predominantly features. Aside from a couple of brief instances of sharp-edged harshness, it plays with smooth, efficient, and natural center placement and prioritization above, mostly, the background ambiance of any given location.

Spotlight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Spotlight contains three featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included.

• Uncovering the Truth: A Spotlight Team Roundtable (1080p, 6:33): The real Globe employees featured in the film briefly recall the story, intercut with clips from the film.
• Spotlight: A Look Inside (1080p, 2:30): A rapid-fire look at the story, constructed of interview snippets and clips from the film.
• The State of Journalism (1080p, 3:14): Another piece made largely of film clips placed around quick interview sound bytes centered on the evolution of journalism since the story broke.

Spotlight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spotlight is an exemplary film. Supremely crafted, expertly performed, and skillfully cut, the movie proves the value of grounded, story-centered cinema in an age where visual effects and noise tend to dominate the scene. Universal's Blu-ray is unfortunately lacking a meaningful supplemental package to match the movie's worth, but video and audio are terrific. Very highly recommended.