It is nice seeing reviews of Blu-Ray releases, I guess. But how about more reviews of equipment? Sadly, and I am sad about it, but physical digital media are rapidly going the way of the dodo. So I suggest more reviews of projectors, processors, screens, speakers, streamers, subs, yada yada yada.
Wicked: 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
I suppose we could Google the actual budget of Wicked, but it’s more fun to sit here and marvel, muttering, “This movie must have cost a fortune!”
The production values are off the charts, with hundreds of impeccably costumed dancers hoofing their hearts out in brilliantly realized locales. The story is one of deceit and discrimination in the magical land of Oz from L. Frank Baum’s books, later revisited in a revisionist novel by Gregory Maguire and monumentally adapted for the stage by Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz. It reveals the secret past of former friends, the good-witch-in-training Galinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) and Elphaba (a.k.a. The Wicked Witch of the West, played with superhuman strength, pain and compassion by Cynthia Erivo). Their initial rivalry and eventual friendship take some surprising, touching twists and turns, frequently set to some catchy-as-hell tunes. Full disclosure, this movie is part one of two, with the back half set to drop in theaters this November.
Wide color gamut, you’ve met your match in this spectacular cinematic flex, as a range of hues beyond imagining graces our TV screens. (I think I caught myself sighing at the visual splendor of it all at least once.) Much of Oz is a bright and cheerful world, and the sunny highlights are bold, nuanced, almost magical, even. Pores, hairs and the stitching on the fabulous wardrobe are plain to discern. In fact, at this supreme level of clarity, the only potential downside is that the juxtaposition of live-action photography and the ambitious quantity of computer-generated imagery runs the risk of being exposed.
As we would hope for a musical, the songs are real crowd-pleasers, with voices that are strong and clear and an elaborate orchestral spread across the home theater speakers that really makes each note come alive. Elphaba has the innate ability to make things levitate, so there’s no shortage of activity in the height channels, but even something as simple as characters shaking flowers over their heads takes on a real 360-degree presence in this unrestrained mix.
Universal makes it a point to offer up both the theatrical and a “Sing-Along” version, which is a great idea that shows a strong understanding of both the material and its audience. Beyond mere open captioning, this mode shares the lyrics in a fanciful font as each line is sung, in different spots on screen when there are multiple vocalists at work. Really well-done. There are also twin commentaries--one from director Jon M. Chu and the other with co-stars and now real-life besties Erivo and Grande-Butera--in addition to a gallery of deleted and extended scenes, some above-average behind-the-scenes featurettes plus a substantial “making of.” The bundled HD Blu-ray carries the same content, and the Movies Anywhere digital copy code unlocks the film in 4K, with extras.
Chris Chiarella
Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray
Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, 2024
ASPECT RATIO: 2.39:1
HDR FORMATS: Dolby Vision, HDR10
AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos with TrueHD 7.1 core
LENGTH: 160 mins.
MPAA RATING: PG
DIRECTOR: Jon M. Chu
STARRING: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater
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This sounds like an absolute visual and musical feast! Can’t wait to see how they bring Oz to life on the big screen.