7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
As assistant to impossibly demanding New York fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly, young Andy Sachs has landed a job that "a million girls would die for." Unfortunately, her heaven-sent appointment as Miranda's personal whipping girl just might be the death of her!
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simon BakerRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 90% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A million girls would kill for this job.
"To thine own self be true." An oldie but a goodie, an adage that's well worth living by, and one
that's
the focus of The Devil Wears Prada, a 2006 Comedy/Drama with a sprinkling of romance
that looks at the conflicts between climbing the corporate ladder and remaining socially and, more
importantly, personally fulfilled amidst the hustle-and-bustle of this creature called life. Indeed,
The
Devil Wears Prada is a movie not necessarily about finding oneself, but about rediscovering
oneself in a world where pretending to be someone else might prove beneficial in the short term
but
often leads to dire long-term consequences. The movie nicely entwines entertainment value with
a
none-too-subtle message on personal honesty and integrity while deliciously dissecting the
corporate world and dotting its landscape with several irresistible characters, headlined by the
dynamic duo of Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci who dazzle in their respective roles, the same
pairing that helped make 2009's Julia Child/Julie Powell Biopic Julie & Julia such a
rousing success.
Welcome to hell.
The Devil Wears Prada steps onto Blu-ray with a good, though not great, 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The image features a slightly warm color palette, and there's no shortage of dazzling hues throughout, notably found on the many clothes and accessories seen throughout the movie. Black levels can be overpowering at times, never too bright or washed out, but occasionally creeping towards the area where they overwhelm finer details in the frame. Darker elements in the film -- for instance a scene in a dimly-lit restaurant after Andrea lands her job -- appear lifeless, fairly flat, and textureless. Fine detail is adequate; the sterile Runway offices offer little in terms of potential visual pizzaz, but the transfer does well to reveal intricate details in clothing and several exterior cityscape shots in both New York and Paris where there's more opportunity for the transfer to showcase strongly-textured objects. The transfer also sports a slight layer of grain that's not intrusive and only slightly more noticeable in some scenes than in others, and the print is free of any troublesome splotches, scratches, or other unwanted artifacts. While not a subpar transfer, The Devil Wears Prada hovers somewhere in the slightly-above-average territory; it's a good, stable image but one that doesn't quite hold up against the reference-quality transfers of today.
The Devil Wears Prada features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack that one-ups the video and makes for the technical highlight of the disc. The Devil Wears Prada delivers a high-energy soundtrack that's strongly realized throughout the film. All of the film's music proves stable and crisp with a pronounced but not overpowering surround presence in support. The heavier, more intense musical cues stand out from the crowd with a punchy low end in tow; a montage sequence featuring Andrea attempting to book Miranda on a flight out of a hurricane-ravaged Miami or some of the deeper beats heard during a Paris fashion show in the film's third act represent some of the more effective elements. The track features minimal atmospherics, the light din of a restaurant or scattered footsteps in the Elias-Clarke building lobby serving as some of the better examples. Perhaps the film's most sonically-impressive scene comes from the aforementioned Paris fashion show; not only is the music deep, potent, and crystal-clear, but the clicking sounds of camera shutters and flashbulbs and attendee chatter wonderfully fills the soundstage. Strong dialogue reproduction is also present throughout. About all that this one is lacking is a more fully-realized ambience, but that aside, everything about the track impresses a great deal.
The Devil Wears Prada comes to work on Blu-ray with a handful of supplements, including a multi-participant commentary track with Director David Frankel, Producer Wendy Finerman, Costume Designer Patricia Field, Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, Editor Mark Livolsi, and Director of Photography Florian Balhaus. Though boasting six participants, this one rarely becomes the jumbled mess of laughter and confusion that mark other, similar tracks. It's heavy on discussions revolving around costumes and make-up, shooting locales, the quality of the cast and what the actors brought to their roles, the editing process, how the world of fashion entwined with the themes of the picture, and much more. There's a relaxed, comfortable feel to the track; it makes for a decent listen, particularly considering the many participants and points-of-view that actually find a voice without being consistently drowned out by five others. Unfortunately, there are no behind-the-scenes featurettes or larger documentaries to be found; the remainder of the supplements are rather basic in nature. They include a pop-up, text-based trivia track that relates interesting tidbits about the film, many of which revolve around its fashion and the fashion industry; a collection of 15 delete scenes with optional Director and Editor commentary (1080p, 21:35); a gag reel (1080p, 5:06); and 1080p trailers for Behind Enemy Lines, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Kiss of the Dragon, Speed, Kingdom of Heaven, and The Transporter.
The Devil Wears Prada has garnered a reputation as one of the better "Chick Flicks" of recent years, and for good reason. The movie is well-constructed, breezy, and entertaining, but it's got a bit of emotional and thematic depth to it that's important and timely but not overbearing or much of a hindrance to the film's entertainment value. The themes of remaining honest to one's own values, style, and way of life is wonderfully integrated into the picture. A few elements once or twice necessarily slow the movie down, though much of the fault for that lies in the fact that Director David Frankel's first act is so strong that it's just hard to top. Also featuring several memorable performances, there's no shortage of reasons to see The Devil Wears Prada; just don't let the "Chick Flick" label get in the way of enjoying what is a surprisingly good movie with an A+ cast. An early release on the Blu-ray format, 20th Century Fox's high definition presentation of The Devil Wears Prada still holds up fairly well. The lossless soundtrack is superb, the 1080p picture quality is good but a notch below, and the supplements are about average in quality and quantity for a disc of its release era. Recommended.
2008
Extended Cut
2008
2009
2009
2009
10th Anniversary Edition
2002
2006
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2010
2009
2011
2004
Special Edition
2008
2007
30th Anniversary Edition
1989
2010
1990
The Director's Cut
2001
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2004