Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie
Directed by: George Nolfi
Written by: George Nolfi
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction

Rating:
Video: ★★★★★
Audio: ★★★★★
Extras: ★★★★★1/2
Value: ★★★★★

Read more about The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Review:

Video: ★★★★★
The video presentation here is quite praiseworthy. On the one hand, it’s clear, tactile, and otherwise a very smooth transfer. And on another hand, it retains the natural film grain that gives the film an authoritative feel. These two aspects usually fight against one another in picture quality, but here they work together to provide a rich visual experience. The blacks are incredibly dark, the whites are lively, and in the few instances when it breaks from the muted palates, the colors are vivid and full. Both closeups and wide shots provide a great amount of detail, painting a beautiful portrait of New York.

Presented in 1080p widescreen 1.85:1 ratio.

Audio: ★★★★★
This is a very strong audio track, utilizing all channels of the surround system as it mixes dialogue scenes with large music driven chase sequences, as well as a lot of intense sound effects – particularly of doors opening and shutting. Overall it is very consistent and dynamic and ultimately incredibly immersive. The track is spotless, void of any blemishes.

As a side note, Universal, for some reason, decided to immensely increase the volume on the previews before the film to an annoying degree. Watch out for that.

English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Spanish 5.1 DTS
French 5.1 DTS

Extras: ★★★★★1/2
The extras here are fairly standard, if not brief, but the informative commentary track gives a lot of added value.

Audio Commentary by director George Nolfi
George Nolfi provides a very informative commentary filled with ideas on the story, his attempt to set a tone, working with the actors, the locations, and numerous technical aspects. It’s a very full track that is worth a listen.

Deleted & Extended Scenes (HD, 06:54)
These scenes stand as an interesting look into how certain subplots can be removed to better shape a film. Look for Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) in a role that has been omitted from the final film.

The Labyrinth of Doors: An interactive Map to New York (HD)
In Universal’s attempt to create a unique and interactive feature, they’ve also created a very convoluted process to watch behind-the-scenes clips. My guess is they did this because most of the clips are only a few minutes long. Unfortunately this feature is hard to keep organized in terms of what you’ve already watched, and though the graphics are beautiful, they add much unwanted waiting time between options.

Leaping Through New York (HD, 07:36)
An in-depth featurette that focuses on the different locations of New York, and the special effects that have gone into making the magic of the doorways, particularly in the finale of the film.

Destined to Be (HD, 04:51)
Cast members explain the story between the main characters in the film. Interviews with Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, and crew members.

Becoming Elise (HD, 07:08)
This feature focuses on Emily Blunt’s dedication to immersing herself in the character of Elise, specifically the rigorous regimen of learning how to move like a dancer.

Value: ★★★★★
Universal’s refusal to add a “resume” option, and their slightly aggravating menus still causes some dismay, but they have been among the top in presenting incredible picture and sound quality on most of their discs. The addition of varying quality of special features, as well as a DVD version and Digital Copy (for a limited time) gives this disc a great value. For the right price, The Adjustment Bureau could quite well be worth your money.

Will There Be A Double Dip?
Considering the mixed reactions to the film, its certainly not about to garner a large enough following to warrant future disc releases. This is it, for better or worse.

Read more about The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

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