7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
After a series of his books have been flops, Charles Dickens decides to write and self-publish A Christmas Carol.
Starring: Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Pryce, Justin Edwards, Morfydd ClarkBiography | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (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 (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
"The story behind the story"-type movies recently seem to be growing in popularity. Consider Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, a film about a love triangle that's a driving force behind the creation of the popular comic book character Wonder Woman. The Man Who Invented Christmas is similarly structured. It's nowhere near as risqué (or at all, really) to be sure, but it does explore the origins -- however authentic, however contrived -- of the beloved Christmastime tale A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the acclaimed 19th century English author who high school students and lovers of literature might know better as the man who wrote novels like Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. It's an agreeable little film, blending in humor, drama, and an interesting look at a troubled artist whose writings spur him to imagine manifestations of the very characters he is creating who, in a roundabout way, turn the tables on him and force him to see his life from a new perspective, just as the story goes in the book.
The Man Who Invented Christmas features a wonderful 1080p transfer. This is a very well defined image, sourced from a digital shoot, that offers a steady diet of textural delights. Intimate facial features are effortlessly revealed. Dense London environments -- even digitally supported exteriors -- are clear and detailed, but the real joy, beyond essential faces and clothes, are London streets and storefronts and back alleys and cemeteries that are home to complex brick and stone surfaces and plenty of enjoyable secondary elements that are just as sharp and revealing as the broader big boys. Additionally, cramped interiors, lined with books, big furnishings, lived-in rooms, and small but critical support textures like a book's cover, pillows, and candelabra in Dickens' bedroom are all more than capably sharp and revealing. Colors are pleasantly rich and well saturated. Warm woods and musty books, brighter accents on clothes and curtains, and excellent black depth and shadow detail are highlights. Even gray-shaded daytime London street colors are impressively accurate. Mild source noise is visible throughout but is never an irritant. This is a very capable and agreeable 1080p presentation from Universal.
The Man Who Invented Christmas features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. It opens with a busy, engaged bang as chants and stomps dominate the entirety of the stage as a crowd eagerly awaits Dickens' arrival on-stage. Dense, engaged stage width and depth is common; there's a very lively sense of humanity in various scenes. Surrounds carry music, too, as well as effects, particularly as Dickens' imagination begins to run wild and the chained Jacob Marley enters the film, the scene also met with a nice burst of low end engagement. Fantastic environmental ambience filters into the stage in many scenes. Rolling water and a ringing buoy on a pier in chapter 15 prove particularly engaging, but so too are other effects such as bustling London city streets or some reverberation during a flashback at the 72-minute mark. There is almost a sense of overhead engagement when a chandelier falls at the 35:40 mark, playing also with the expected crashing chaos and low end weight. Dialogue is refined and detailed, well prioritized, and properly positioned.
The Man Who Invented Christmas contains one extra. The Story Behind 'The Man Who Invented Christmas' (1080p, 2:46) takes look at the story, characters, and the book's enduring legacy. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.
The Man Who Invented Christmas is a fun little watch about a man who finds inspiration to write in the world around him, but also as his story becomes a reflection of himself, in a roundabout way. It's well acted with a pair of leads in Stevens and Plummer who devour the material in every scene. Universal's Blu-ray skimps on special features but does deliver fantastic 1080p picture and 5.1 lossless sound. Recommended.
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