The Boss Baby 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Boss Baby 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 26, 2017

The Boss Baby begins with an interesting depiction of one young boy's vivid imagination which immediately brings the entire movie into question, leaving viewers wondering whether the story of the sharp-witted and cunning title character is but a figment of his imagination, another wild ride into one of his fantasy lands, or perhaps a coping mechanism to deal with the reality that a new sibling is practically knocking at the door. The movie certainly maneuvers through the fantastical, depicting a baby factory, baby-run corporations, and a cutthroat competition for adult human affection between dogs and babies. But given the story in its most straightforward, face value presentation, it leaves much room open for interpretation. The movie isn't otherwise very deep or purposeful, offering a fun little insight into childhood friendship, bonding, and adventure, but its greatest asset is certainly one's ability to interpret it as one wishes, superficially to be sure and, maybe if one digs deep enough, below the surface as well.

Tim (voiced by Miles Bakshi) is a young boy, an only child, and he couldn't be happier, living the good life just between him, his mother (voiced by Lisa Kudrow), and his father (voiced by Jimmy Kimmel). Everything changes, however, when his parents mention the word "brother." Tim goes into panic mode, and before he can really process the information, a little brother (voiced by Alec Baldwin) comes onto the scene. Their hostile relationship seems to know no bounds. Tim finds himself disillusioned, apparently fallen out of favor with his parents and bullied by his brother and his cohorts. But when Tim learns of the baby's mission -- to save babies from pending extinction against the stiff competition of the promise of forever-young puppies -- he joins forces with his brother to prevent disaster.

The Boss Baby may not explore any deep meaning within its somewhat novel concept, but that conceptual novelty is enough to carry it far enough, anyway. The film is teeming with exciting scenes, plenty of funny moments, and enjoyable side characters, but bogged down by a somewhat flat plot, particularly in the third act, that seems to only serve as a means to an end, a prop from which the comedy may flow. The film's imagination -- images of soft and cloudy baby manufacturing lines that would make Henry Ford proud, clandestine meetings and tricky gags to swing momentum in the battle for affection supremacy, and a creative combination of contemporary office mechanics and silly baby moments that blur the line between infant and adult -- is its key to success. And it's oftentimes the little things that earn the biggest laughs, not the big action moments or the clash between the heroes and the stereotypical villain. No, it's often Jimbo, for instance, the overweight baby, who looks down into his diaper expecting to find a mess when The Boss declares the babies are facing a crisis. The Boss Baby nails every opportunity for secondary humor so that even when the main schtick or plot line grow a little stale or too familiar, there's always another novel gag right around the corner to maintain audience interest.

The Boss Baby feels a bit more adult-oriented than do most of its peers. Certainly bold color, big sound, lots of movement, adventure, and an emotional undercurrent dominate the film, but it somehow seems more willing to cater to more mature audiences over kids. The sharp-tongued and sharp-dressed title character, voiced by Alec Baldwin (and it's hard, sometimes, to watch the film and not hear the actor's well-publicized tirades in one's head) may not cuss up a storm or thrive on innuendo as the character most certainly would have had the movie been strictly made for mature audiences, but kids may not get much of the business world tie-in that's so central to the movie's chances at success. Tim is there to balance it out and offer a more kid-friendly perspective, but it can get a little cumbersome, at times, if the little ones aren't familiar with the crude maneuverings of the suits-and-satchel adult world. As with many animated films, there are winks and nods galore for adults, though, again, the little ones are probably going to be lost in characters or scenes that heavily reference The Lord of the Rings or Raiders of the Lost Ark or during cutaway moments that hearken back to 70s car chase films or even all the way back to Mary Poppins. It's a treasure trove of fan service for adults, though.

The Boss Baby 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

The Boss Baby is the latest digitally animated film to receive a 2160p/HDR-enhanced presentation that looks terrific but doesn't look all that much more terrific than its superb Blu-ray counterpart. One could essentially take that review, imagine a few minor tweaks and improvements, and call it good. General image qualities certainly excel here. Details are tight and colors are spectacularly bold, but not in a way that screams "superior" to the Blu-ray. Slightly finer details, such as Tim's hair, show marginally finer definition. Clothing like a winter ski mask or some odds and ends around the house, like toys in the bedroom, reveal ever-so-finer sharpness and accuracy that's really not all that noticeable at-a-glance. The same goes for colors. The HDR presentation offers a mild bump in depth and color detail, but not so much to really push the HDR boundaries. IMDB's tech specs page doesn't list the source format resolution, but a 2K DI is a good guess. As for the score, it's always tricky to choose one that will reflect the image's quality but still comment on the relative lack of serious upgrade over the Blu-ray. Here, a point lower than the Blu-ray seems appropriate. This is a stellar image, but so too is the Blu-ray's. It's fine for a UHD, but it's pretty near the bottom of the list for movies worth the 4K upgrade.

The Boss Baby 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Boss Baby's Atmos track offers a positive improvement over the Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Not only is it more stable and aggressive at reference volume (the other track is noticeably shallow), it's also much fuller. More impactful moments enjoy a pleasing boost in depth and detail. A rocket blast-off in the third act represents the high point on both tracks. The Atmos proves its superiority with a richer, more lifelike, more room-filling (including overhead) 3-2-1 countdown notice, and the blast proper is impressively deep and rumbly, a bit more balanced and detailed and potent than the Blu-ray can offer. The Atmos track's improvements carry over through the film, whether producing fuller and more properly volumed music or various support sounds, including some of the more active moments from Tim's imagination. Surround implementation is near constant, excluding core dialogue scenes, which are presented with all three factors -- placement, clarity, and prioritization -- in harmony. The overheads don't feature significant separation, but the added layer plays an important support role.

The Boss Baby 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Boss Baby contains all of its supplements on the included Blu-ray disc. No UHD-exclusive content is available. A digital copy voucher is included with purchase.

• Babycorp and You (1080p, 3:03): The Boss hosts an orientation video for new employees.
• The Forever Puppy Informercial (1080p, 2:09): Francis E. Francis hosts a brief ad for forever young puppies.
• Babies vs. Puppies: Who Do You Love? (1080p, 3:26): A newscast pits the two one against another in an interview poll.
• The Boss Baby and Tim's Treasure Hunt Through Time (1080p, 3:35): A new short movie. The Boss Baby's Gandalf-inspired character hosts a quick jaunt through Tim's imaginary adventures.
• The Boss Baby's Undercover Team (1080p, 2:17): A short look at some of the film's secondary characters.
• Cookies Are for Closers: Inside Babycorp (1080p, 3:37): A brief story and character overview featuring cast and crew interview snippets.
• The Great Sibling Competition (1080p, 3:27): Cast and crew share some thoughts on their early lives with a sibling.
• Happy Accidents: The Deleted Scenes of The Boss Baby (1080p, 11:30): Director Tom McGrath and Producer Ramsey Naito introduce a few scenes presented in their early conceptual stages of creation.
• Gallery (1080p, 3:03): Concept artwork. Available with either auto or manual advance.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:01).
• The World of DreamWorks Animation (1080p): Music videos and more from Shrek, Madagascar, How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, The Croods, Turbo, and Home.
• Sneak Peek (1080p): Additional DreamWorks titles.

The Boss Baby 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Boss Baby is more often than not an agreeably humorous little movie with some creative qualities about it, but it lacks a superior plot, particularly as it plods through the third act. It does offer some room for interpretation and serves as a nice little nod to sibling rivalry, bonding, and friendship. Voice work is strong, animation and one-off gags are quite good, and even with a few flaws the movie makes for an enjoyable little watch, but one that might interest the adults a bit more than the young ones. This Fox/DreamWorks UHD doesn't distinguish itself from the Blu-ray all that much in terms of video, but the Atmos track is a solid step forward. Worth a look.