Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Big Short Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 2, 2016

"May you live in interesting times," the old curse says. The last decade or so has been very interesting, and it would seem that the populace is finally waking up, or is at least finding the courage to stand up, to all the real, perceived, or some combination thereof, injustices that have swept the nation and the world in recent years. They're more aware than ever before that neither the political system nor the financial system -- which, most would say, are indelibly tied together at the hip -- care about them, and they're sick of the empty rhetoric that's meant to assuage their fears and keep them blissfully ignorant on the bottom rung in a system that's stacked against them. 2016 has given rise to the "insurgent" Presidential candidates, with a Washington outsider billionaire who has never held office and promises to "Make America Great Again" leading the polls on one side of the isle and the self-avowed "Democratic Socialist" whose campaign is built around decrying the billionaires, class inequality, and the system gaining a lot of attention with the disillusioned on the other. People on both sides are practically foaming at the mouth, wanting some type of revenge against the system, be that the political system or the big money system, and much of that can be traced back to the housing bubble burst of 2008, though clearly the roots dig much more deeply into a darker, even more sordid past that's not really the focus of this film. Director Adam McKay's (Anchorman) The Big Short takes a look at the years leading up to the financial crash and the handful of people who saw it coming. "It reduces people to numbers," Brad Pitt's character says at one point in the film, pretty much summarizing the entire point of a movie that damns the system while making it entertainingly simple to understand and to watch unfold, even if it hurts to do so.

And so it begins.

Michael Burry (Christian Bale), a self-contained oddball hedge fund manager, takes note of the carefully manipulated housing market and believes that it'll collapse in a matter of years. He's so confident that he risks more than a billion dollars betting against a market that's been the backbone of the U.S. economy and that has never wavered in its stability. Meanwhile, word begins to trickle out about his risky plan. Big bankers celebrate the easy money, but more shrewd investors, like Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) and Mark Baum (Steve Carell), catch wind of it, do their homework, and decide to bet alongside Burry. Meanwhile, a couple of homegrown scrappers (Finn Wittrock and John Magaro) also get in on the action with the help of a high dollar backer (Brad Pitt). As the clock ticks away, their maneuvers seem to grow ever more risky, but signs begin to point to negative movement in the market which quickly spirals into a downward trend that ultimately bursts the bubble and makes them winners in a suddenly broken economy.

The movie is essentially one long and lengthy period of discovery that peels back the curtain on the truths behind the market. On one side are the banks and the "fat cats" who gleefully live in their bubble of epic wealth and easy come dealmaking. They wear blinders -- literally, in one scene -- unable, or unwilling, to see the writing on the wall, to look past the numbers on their financial statements and see that all good (for them) things must come to an end. The movie is filled with scenes of key characters chatting up the blissfully unaware, painting a rather stark picture of the corruption that's so deeply rooted in the system that even the people at the top, able to clearly see all the way down, refuse to do so. Meanwhile, Burry and the others aren't reading tea leaves. They're accessing the same hard data and crunching numbers that paint a picture of imminent destruction that earns them temporary ridicule but, ultimately, long-term success. But the movie isn't concerned so much with their ability to analyze data and get out while they can, to work a collapsing system to their favor. Late in the movie, Shipley and Geller celebrate their successful analytics and ability to turn a large profit from the bursting bubble. They're scorned for the celebration because of what their success means to the little guys at the bottom, to all the John and Jane Does who are about to lose their homes and their jobs by no fault of their own. Indeed, two of the movie's most pointed scenes come when characters visit Florida communities where an upper middle class neighborhood is essentially abandoned and, later, when they witness a street full of luxury homes on the market, each with an owner desperate to sell. They underline the movie's point, about how the damage is actually more clear to the people who know less about how the system works, who have little choice but to live in it, and who are the first to feel the effects of the imminent collapse rather than the people who should know what's happening with their puppeteering from the top.

Perhaps more than anything, however, it's in how the movie presents the issue that makes it entertaining as an experience, agreeable as a work of art, and informative as an educating tool. It's at once smart and insightful yet easy enough for the layman (though perhaps not Lehman's) to understand. The movie makes a habit of breaking the fourth wall, of directing its explanations straight to the audience and with relatable metaphors, like Blackjack and food preparation. At two hours, it never feels a second too bloated. It moves fast, the characters are sharp and well written, and the performances are astounding. Christian Bale is particularly amazing as an analyst who lives in his own world, whose intelligence and powers of market perception are bested only by his aloofness and ability to focus under his own terms, which usually involves Heavy Metal music blasting into his ears. Bale stands a head taller than his peers, but the movie is populated by magnificent performances that capture the true spirit of the Wall Street world with incredible depth and apparent authenticity. Director Adam McKay makes use of unconventional techniques -- particularly through the manipulation of sound -- to drive home not just the story but, more importantly, its characters and themes.

The Big Short Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Big Short's 1080p transfer excels at every turn. The movie enjoys an attractive cinematic appeal thanks to an even grain structure that preserves a filmic veneer. Details are impressive. Faces are nicely revealing of finer details such as pores and hair, while fine clothing appointments, particularly the many higher end suits in the movie, reveal good definition down to the finer fabric points. Image clarity is high throughout, and the transfer picks up plenty of scrumptious detailing around offices, out on the street, and elsewhere. Colors find a positive neutrality and offer just enough vibrance to accentuate brighter colors, particularly a myriad of them seen during a poolside conversation around the 1:16:00 mark. White balance is excellent, black levels hold true, and flesh tones never betray the characters' natural complexions. A hint of aliasing appears at one or two points, but other unwanted eyesores are nowhere to be found. Overall, this is an excellent presentation from Paramount.

The Big Short Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount's Blu-ray release of The Big Short arrives with a DTS:X soundtrack that adds additional "height" speakers to the 7.1 mix (this track will also play in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 for those without the ability to decode the X track and/or the speakers to enjoy it). This review is based on a 7.1.4 setup, which is the "traditional" seven-channel plus subwoofer configuration with the addition of four "object" or "overhead" speakers to the mix. While a movie with a subject matters such as that found in The Big Short wouldn't initially seem to lend itself to a track of this nature, its interesting and sometimes very engaging presentation does make good use of it, on a few occasions. At two points in the movie, computer mouse clicks become frequent and ever more aggressively loud and widely placed throughout the listening area. There's a strong deep and dynamic presence that extends to the area above the listener. Another good moment comes when Baum addresses a crowd via microphone later in the movie. There's a nice organic feel to its wide, enveloping presentation, and the added height channels help to add the feeling of greater spatial immersion into the room. The track's more traditional details also impress. Music is very widely spaced and enjoys terrific definition throughout the range, whether light score, sharp Metal tracks, or bass-heavy Rap beats. The surrounds and subwoofer are regularly engaged. Atmospherics are impressively robust, numerous, and immersive, whether office space clatter, street-level din, or buzzing insects in more quiet outdoor environments. Gunfire erupts with satisfying energy and zip during a shooting range scene later in the film. Dialogue delivery is clear and detailed with only a couple of brief conflicts with surrounding music and din.

The Big Short Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Big Short contains several featurettes and deleted scenes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.

• In the Tranches: Casting (1080p, 15:51): A piece that looks through the main character roster and reveals the qualities the actors brought to the roles.
• The Big Leap: Adam McKay (1080p, 11:31): In this piece, the tables are turned from the cast as the cast and crew talks up the director (who himself interjects at times) and explores his love of the project, transition from Comedy to more serious material, and technical work on the film.
• Unlikely Heroes: The Characters of The Big Short (1080p, 11:28): A closer look at the characters and their roles in shaping and advancing the story.
• The House of Cards: The Rise of the Fall (1080p, 14:01): A recap of the housing bubble and market collapse.
• Getting Real: Recreating an Era (1080p, 11:13): This piece offers technical insight into the shoot, including a good recap of film's benefits over digital, at least for a film of this nature. It also examines costumes and editing.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Vennett's Call/The Real Danny Moses - Extended (0:49), Florida Visit (0:55), Burry Homelife (0:54), Burry Aspergers (2:59), and Danny Heart Attack (0:50).

The Big Short Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Big Short came up a little short at the Academy Awards, walking away with only one Oscar (for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay) of the five for which it was nominated, which included Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale), Best Director, and Film Editing. But that shouldn't in any way diminish how great a movie this is, how it effortlessly blurs the line between entertainment and information. It's superbly crafted on both sides of the camera and is a movie that helps to demonstrate a key factor in discovering where the economy and the political scene are today, and why. Paramount's Blu-ray release of The Big Short features excellent 1080p video and an effective DTS:X soundtrack. Supplements are well done as well. Very highly recommended.