Fifty Shades of Black Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "Fifty Shades of Black" offers a largely commendable video quality highlighted by its precise 1080p transfer. The digital photography showcases a bright and accurate color scheme with a remarkable array of vivid hues, making elements such as the vibrant blue VW Beetle and various colorful outfits truly stand out. Background details are meticulously sharp, providing a keen sense of depth and texture in both close-up shots and expansive skyline vistas. Skin tones are rendered healthily and naturally, while the depiction of facial textures is impressively detailed. The office environments, with their sleek shades of gray, black, and white, maintain a sophisticated brilliance.

However, the video does have its shortcomings, primarily in the form of noise that appears sporadically. Additionally, while the 2.40:1 image boasts clean whites and inky rich shadows with excellent gradational differences, there is a mild restraint in contrast that prevents the overall visual experience from fully popping as one might expect. This slightly subdued contrast also affects the secondary hues which appear somewhat faded but not distractingly so. Despite these minor issues, primary colors remain accurate and full-bodied, lending energy to the output. Fine lines and objects are rendered with razor-sharp precision, ensuring distinct edges across various elements such as buildings, cars, and furniture. Overall, this Blu-ray presentation delivers a visually appealing and detailed experience with only a few minor drawbacks.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack of "Fifty Shades of Black" delivers a technically competent but sonically unremarkable audio experience. Music is well-defined and robust, with excellent instrumental clarity and potent low end when required. Spacing along the front channels is expansive, ensuring a welcoming soundstage. However, the soundtrack demonstrates a front-heavy bias, with most effects and dialogue anchored to the center. Surround channel activity is minimal, with sporadic and subtle integration of background effects to the rear channels, leaving them largely underutilized.

Dialogue is a standout element, enjoying natural center placement and flawless clarity that ensures consistent prioritization. Jim Dooley's score takes full advantage of the left and right channels, providing a larger soundfield with outstanding mid-range clarity and definition. However, the overall mix does not fully capitalize on the DTS-HD MA format's potential for immersive surround sound experiences. Bass response is somewhat inconsistent, mainly contributing during specific musical selections to add depth and presence when necessary. While the track is sufficient for casual enjoyment and does enhance the spoof’s slapstick elements to an extent, it falls short of being a reference-grade listen, lacking any memorable or extraordinary attributes.

The Blu-ray of "Fifty Shades of Black" offers a modest selection of extras that enhance the viewing experience by delving deeper into its comedic elements. The featurette “Meet Mr. Black” provides an insightful overview from Marlon Wayans, highlighting the key aspects and behind-the-scenes details of the film. Additionally, the disc includes several deleted scenes, adding context and extending some of the film's humorous moments. Each extra is presented in high-definition, ensuring a seamless continuation of the film’s visual quality. The inclusion of a UV/iTunes digital copy voucher adds value for digital collectors.

Extras included in this disc:

• Deleted Scenes: Including "Not the Man For You," "Perfect Gentleman Montage," "Penthouse Surprise," "Christian's Confession," "Unexpected Visitor," and "Three's a Crowd."
• Meet Mr. Black: Marlon Wayans discusses the movie’s plot and characters.

"Fifty Shades of Black," directed by Michael Tiddes and co-written by Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez, positions itself as a parody of the erotically charged drama "Fifty Shades of Grey." The film aims to satirize its source material with a barrage of sexual gags, immature physical pratfalls, and typical potty humor. Despite its intention to lampoon the erotic genre, it largely falls flat, struggling to provoke genuine laughter. The parody tries to punch up the ridiculousness of "Fifty Shades of Grey" by recreating key scenes with exaggerated vulgarity and absurdity. Yet, most gags are either forced or cringe-worthy, achieving more groans than guffaws. The storyline, already thin in its original form, becomes merely a connector for these disjointed comedic attempts, while lacking any cohesive flow or creative brilliance.

The inclusion of culturally aware jabs, such as references to Donald Trump and Whiplash-themed sex-ed courses, provides fleeting moments of amusement but ultimately fails to lift the film from its pervasive mediocrity. The character dynamics hardly contribute anything substantial, with Hannah (Kali Hawk) characterized inconsistently as both ignorant and extraordinarily naive during her misadventures with Christian Black (Marlon Wayans). Supporting roles by Jane Seymour and Florence Henderson offer minor respite with their audacious portrayals, but these moments of comedic relief are fleeting and insufficient to save the film. The movie's production appears rushed and low-budget, manifesting in subpar editing and uninspired camera work.

Ultimately, "Fifty Shades of Black" suffers from poor execution, lacking the wit and coherence required to sustain a successful parody. While it does provide sporadic chuckles and a few memorable comedic jabs, the overall experience is dull and not worth revisiting. The movie underscores the parody genre's pitfalls, highlighting the challenge of balancing satire with entertainment.

"Fifty Shades of Black" presents itself as a parody, attempting to poke fun at its source material with a variety of spoofs and immature gags. Despite its efforts, the film often misses the mark in delivering humor, making it challenging for audiences to find genuine laughter throughout its runtime. Marlon Wayans and Kali Hawk’s performances, unfortunately, add little to elevate the experience, occasionally leading to more boredom than amusement. The film touches on sensitive topics such as race and sex with an obvious self-deprecating approach but rarely achieves its comedic potential.

From a technical standpoint, the Blu-ray release delivers remarkable picture quality, capturing clear visuals that showcase the film’s production design. The audio presentation is equally strong, immersing viewers in the dialogue and soundtrack with crisp sound levels. However, the supplementary features accompanying this release are minimal, offering little beyond the main content.

Long gone are the days of great parody films such as "Spaceballs" and "The Naked Gun," but credit must be given to Marlon Wayans and "Fifty Shades of Black" for sticking to their line of attack without resorting to stale pop culture gags. While mostly unfunny and unnecessary, it remains focused. Universal’s Blu-ray provides excellent video and audio quality but lacks substantial bonus features. Worth considering as a rental for fans of parody or those curious from the original it aims to spoof.