5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When the puppet cast of an '80s children's TV show begins to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale, Leslie David BakerComedy | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Jim Henson will forever be remembered as the man who introduced the world to iconic puppets like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy and built the wonderful world of Fraggle Rock. He also directed two darker but very popular films that pushed the boundaries of puppeteering and animatronics in Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. His son Brian will be remembered for following in his father's footsteps, continuing the legacy and directing family films like The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. He may not be remembered, or at least not fondly remembered, for helming The Happytime Murders, a vulgar, R-rated, and decidedly unfunny Comedy which takes place in a sleazy and violent world where humans and muppet-like puppets coexist.
The Happytime Murders was shot on digital, reportedly at a resolution of 8K but finished at 2K. There's no UHD in sight, which is a shame because there's no doubt that even a moderate uptick in detail and improved HDR color saturation would suit the image and improve upon this Blu-ray. Even at 1080p, though, the image satisfies. It's often very filmic in texture despite being shot digitally, with dense city streets, complex manmade details such as pavement and building façades appearing extremely sharp and complex, and the sleazy puppet world is filled with very impressive textural delights and nuanced details. The highlights, of course, are the puppets, revealing the dense, tactile materials with a satisfying level of visible complexity. Human characters are nicely defined as well, with close-ups and medium distance shots showcasing good, though certainly not format-pushing, levels of intricate details. Colors fare well. The palette is perhaps a little less than ideal, with black levels raised a bit, giving the image a very slightly washed out appearance. There's not a substantial amount of color density and depth apparent. Core puppet hues and human skin tones could certainly stand a little more depth and punch. Compression and source issues are relatively few; light noise is evident throughout, but no egregious examples of banding or aliasing or macroblocking are evident. This is not a reference presentation, but it's a solid effort overall.
The Happytime Murders features a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. A 5.1 presentation would have certainly suited the material well enough considering that there's very little of sonic interest on tap. The track features fair environmental fill, whether mild, but immersive, background ambience inside a diner in chapter three or light supports inside a sleazy pornography shop. The sound design is generally straightforward and doesn't do much to really engage the stage or draw the listener in beyond essentials. It's 46 minutes until there's a true explosion (literally) of sound, resulting in a decently healthy low end wallop accompanying an explosion. The effect offers stage-filling depth and quickly arriving police sirens approaching the listener help fill in some of the sonic gaps. Music is largely handled up front. Clarity and width are fine. A few gunshots are scattered throughout the film and present with fair, but not extreme, punch. Dialogue drives the film and plays with good front-center positioning and clarity. Prioritization is fine, unsurprising given the relative dearth of exciting competing elements.
The Happytime Murders contains several supplements as outlined below. A DVD copy of the film and an iTunes digital copy code are included
with purchase. The release ships with an embossed slipcover.
The Happytime Murders did not perform well at the box office. The equally, if not more, crude Sausage Party performed much better (and is a better film), so this film's struggles may not entirely be an indictment of transitioning traditional kid-centric material to the adult world. Hopefully audiences rejected the movie because it stinks, because it's purposeless, and because any draw that stems from its central gag loses its luster by the end of the first act. It's plodding and pointless, a stab, it seems, to draw attention rather than craft a worthwhile film. Universal's Blu-ray is fairly good, though, delivering healthy 1080p video and multichannel lossless audio. A handful of supplements are included, but only the commentary offers any real substance; gag reels and the Line-O-Rama focus on the movie's crudity and the featurettes only explore the visual effects. For fans only.
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