Young Adult - Blu-ray Review

4.1 Stars (out of 5) - Rated

Synopsis

Taken aback when she receives a letter from an old boyfriend announcing that he's just had a baby with his wife, divorced fiction writer Mavis Gary decides to return to her small hometown and reconnect with her former lover. (Buy Now $24.99)

Listen to the review

Starring:

Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt, Elizabeth Reaser, J.K. Simmons, Emily Meade, Collette Wolfe, Brady Smith, Louisa Krause, Jenny Dare Paulin

Director:

Jason Reitman

Blu-ray Release Date:

March 13, 2012

Subtitles:

English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 2.9 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison

• Subwoofer – 2.0 Stars
• Dialog – 5.0 Stars
• Surround Effects – 1.5 Stars
• Dynamic Range – 3.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Young Adult’s DTS-HD presentation plays it safe and delivers a flat uneventful performance that don’t match the films fiery attitude. If it wasn’t for music the subwoofer would have been asleep the whole movie. It does get some action during a band’s live performance and while the score sets the emotional tone of the film. Surprisingly the LFE delivered my favorite audio moment in the film with slight rumbles as she smelled something that reminded her of her old boyfriend. Surround effects are also almost non-existent. Every once in awhile you can hear sounds of traffic and crickets, but that’s all that’s offered. Of course for this type of film dialog is what matters most, and it sounds great and delivers every line with clarity.

Video  4.8 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison

• Color Accuracy  - 5.0 Stars
• Shadow detail – 4.5 Stars
• Clarity – 4.5 Stars
• Skin tones – 5.0 Stars
• Compression – 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

This Blu-ray’s video is presented with natural colors that do a great job of making skin tones look realistic and true. Detail is sharp enough to draw your attention to sunspots on skin, loose hairs, beard stubble, and dirt and grime on cars. Dark scenes are handled nicely, but do tend to loose a little detail. No signs of compression issues were noticed during panning and low light situations.

Bonus Features 4.0 Stars (out of 5)

• Audio Commentary: Director Jason Reitman, Director of Photography Eric Steelberg, and First Assistant Director/Associate Producer Jason A. Blumenfeld.
• Misery Loves Company: The Making of Young Adult (1080p, 17:27): Cast and crew discuss the film, the film’s writer Diablo Cody, the cast, and tone of the movie.
• The Awful Truth: Deconstructing a Scene (1080p, 6:23): Dives into the process of creating a scene in the film, includes a few interviews with cast.
• Q&A Featuring Janet Maslin & Jason Reitman at the Jacob Burns Film Center (1080p, 46:05): An in depth interview with the director that covers all aspects of the film such as cast, script, props, characters in the film, favorite scenes, andl tone. Also includes a short Q & A segment with the audience.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 7:01): You Busy?, Good Boy, I'm Blocked, Munchies, Huge Shared Dream, and Are You Happy, Mavis?.
• UV Digital Copy.

Movie – 4.0 Stars (out of 5)

Review

Young Adult is a refreshing dark drama comedy that takes chances with the script to deliver a story that’s different than most. Diablo Cody’s script is smart and makes the characters the star of the film instead of the situations they find themselves in. At times the film is uncomfortable to watch because the characters and plot are recognizable. The main character is kind of a villain, and you’re not forced to like her you just watch her exist. Charlize Theron delivers a great performance as the 30 something year old that still acts like a syndical know it all in her 20’s. Surprisingly one of my favorite performances came from Patton Oswalt, who is funny but also was the Jiminy Cricket like conscience of the film. Director Jason Reitman does a great job of creating a natural flow to the film that leads to a brave ending that remains true to the characters.