The Sparks Brothers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

The Sparks Brothers Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-see music documentary by Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Last Night in Soho).

The Sparks Brothers is an inspiring documentary exploring the legacy of musicians Ron Mael and Russell Mael (who comprise Sparks). Delving in to the history of the “under-the-radar” band across five decades of making music, The Sparks Brothers serves as a love-letter to Sparks that established fans of the band won't want to miss out on and as an introduction to the musical geniuses whom so many have overlooked.

Russell (vocals) and Ron (keyboards) are two eccentric and entertaining musicians who create music that always speaks to them – and to their enthusiast fans – without too much concern for making hit singles (at least so far as becoming chart-topping idols). The band has an endearing legacy of albums: Kimono My House (1974), Propaganda (1974), No. 1 in Heaven (1979), Balls (2000), The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (2009), and Hippopotamus (2017) as stand-out albums (in a career filled with superb work). The energy of the music is undeniable.

What's not to love? The music of Sparks is creative fun. The classic tracks are seemingly endless (with more inevitably to come): “This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us”, “The Number One Song in Heaven”, “Edith Piaf (Said It Better Than Me)” , “What the Hell Is It This Time?”, “I Wish You Were Fun”, “My Baby's Taking Me Home”, and “Dick Around.”

"The brothers, Sparks."

The brothers joke in The Sparks Brothers documentary that there are only two types of Sparks tracks: sad and upbeat. Joking aside, this simplification couldn't be further from the truth: Sparks is an eccentric band with a dedication to invention and experimentation. During some Sparks albums, the music is often electronic – or rock – or pop – or a combination thereof. The band doesn't sit in one place and stand still. It's a creative energy that has helped the band to remain pioneering for decades.

Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), The Sparks Brothers is one of the most entertaining documentaries ever – the film has the same level of energy and enthusiasm for filmmaking that is on display in each of Wright's narrative features. Though documentaries are often spellbinding for social commentary, documentaries are rarely this much fun: there's something magical about the filmmaking. It might be because Wright is so clearly a fan of Sparks himself. The end result? Cinema magic. The kind you so rarely see: a perfect unison of sight and sound.

The Sparks Brothers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Universal Studios, The Sparks Brothers is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The presentation is superb from start to finish. The documentary showcases archival footage alongside a slew of new interviews (and behind-the-scenes footage). While the archival footage sometimes has a grittier aesthetic, it can't be helped – thus is the nature of the source-material. Colors "pop" and the presentation never struggles with compression. The encode is excellent.

The Sparks Brothers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The lossless audio quality provides the music of The Sparks Brothers documentary with plenty of pizzazz and endearing spunk. Compared to the digital release (with its compressed audio), the Blu-ray sounds much better due to the high-resolution audio quality: each song highlighted in The Sparks Brothers is well-reproduced and it becomes easier to simply sit back and marvel in the music of Sparks.

The Sparks Brothers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As per usual, Edgar Wright proves to be a filmmaker with a passion for home media – who understands the joy of bonus features. The Sparks Brothers documentary comes jam-packed with an assortment of supplements fans won't want to miss. The highlight? A feature- length concert film: What The Hell Is It This Time? Sparks: Live in London is a must-see performance by Sparks, with an hour and a half of great music. It's so much fun – an essential watch.

The Blu-ray includes a plethora of must-see featurettes, deleted/extended scenes, and extended interviews. With hours upon hours of engaging bonus material, the release is all the more worthwhile. Audiences are in for an entertaining dive: Sparks fans will enjoy exploring the extra content (as noted below).

Featurettes:

Todd & Sparks Reunited (HD, 15:21)

Snack Karaoke (Tokyo) (HD, 3:12)

Ron's Apartment (HD, 3:14)

Neil Gaiman Reads Sparks Lyrics (HD, 5:38)

Deleted/Extended Scenes:

Let's Go Surfing (HD, 2:50)

The Gilded Prune (HD, 2:09)

Roger (HD, 1:12)

First London Gig (HD, 4:27)

London Recording Studio (HD, 3:13)

The London Flat (HD, 1:18)

Funny Face (HD, 2:07)

Moustache (HD, 1:29)

Suburban Homeboy (HD, 2:20)

Waterproof (HD, 2:12)

Tokyo Record Store (HD, 5:37) might be the best deleted scene (it's a lot of fun to watch Sparks go around a record store in Tokyo while looking for LPs of their albums – and the comments made by the band make it all-the-more irresistible for record collectors.)

Tokyo Music Cafe (HD, 1:35)

Ron's Wheels (HD, 2:03)

Home Studio (HD, 6:00)

Gym Routine (Hitting the High Notes) (HD, 2:20)

Talking Sparks:

Beck (HD, 3:15)

Duran Duran (HD, 2:29)

Flea (HD, 10:40)

Fred Armisen (HD, 2:10)

Jack Antonoff (HD, 4:28)

Jonathan Ross (HD, 3:48)

Katie Puckrik (HD, 2:54)

Mark Crowther (HD, 8:28)

Mark Gatiss (HD, 2:12)

Mike Myers (HD, 1:51)

Patton Oswalt (HD, 2:28)

Scott Aukerman (HD, 3:33)

Steve Jones (HD, 2:12)

Vera Hegarty (HD, 3:47)

'Weird Al' Yankovic (HD, 3:29)

The Sparks Brothers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Sparks Brothers is an ode to creativity and living life with a passion. Ron Mael and Russell Mael are geniuses with a unique gift for songwriting. Making music for decades, Sparks don't settle for the ordinary. The brothers demand the extraordinary: making music that innovates, pushes boundaries, and explores uncharted territories. (While also being fun.)

Director Edgar Wright (Last Night in Soho, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) embarks into documentary filmmaking. The results are fantastic. The Sparks Brothers is every-bit as entertaining and essential as Wright's narrative features. Established Sparks fans? See this film. Newcomers? Likewise. There is no better time than the present to become acquainted with Sparks.

The Blu-ray includes a top-notch presentation alongside a plethora of bonus features. Don't settle for digital only: The Sparks Brothers is all-the-better on home media. With a feature-length Sparks concert film, deleted/extended scenes, and behind-the- scenes featurettes, the package is essential. Highly recommended.