Spy Blu-ray Review

"Spy" on Blu-ray presents viewers with a truly impressive visual experience, marked by excellent detail and striking clarity through its AVC encoded 1080p transfer in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Captured with Arri Alexa cameras, the cinematography, spearheaded by Robert Yeoman, shines through with precision, capturing intricate visual details such as the threading on clothing and fine lines on the buildings. The European locales are especially stunning, resembling a high-quality travel documentary. Colors are vibrantly rendered with naturally inviting hues and lifelike flesh tones that hold steady throughout the film. Bright exterior scenes are crisp, dynamic, and texture-rich, while long-range shots exhibit notable object detail and dimensional depth.

Black levels and contrast are particularly well-balanced, maintaining sharpness without succumbing to crush – save for minor issues in certain dark scenes like dungeon sequences. Shadow details are commendable, and no deleterious artifacts or video anomalies were detected, ensuring a smooth viewing experience. "Spy" benefits greatly from its clean, aggressive color grading avoidance, providing a natural palette. Additionally, nuanced details such as the five o'clock stubble on characters and surface textures enhance the immersive quality of the Blu-ray presentation.

Overall, "Spy" delivers a highly detailed Blu-ray presentation that excels in clarity, depth, and color reproduction. With spot-on contrast and penetrating shadows, it showcases a refined and engaging visual performance that honors the film's vibrant and diverse settings while maintaining an impressive amount of fine detail and smooth natural movement on screen.

"Spy" on Blu-ray showcases an impressive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix that stands out for its consistent immersion and dynamic range. The mix excels in delivering a robust low end, accentuated during various action-packed sequences such as explosions, car chases, and helicopter scenes. Theodore Shapiro's score is particularly noteworthy, with its homage to John Barry adding a layer of sophistication to the overall auditory experience. While some might find the absence of Dolby Atmos a minor letdown compared to the theatrical release, the mix remains engaging with excellent fidelity and detailed clarity.

However, while the front channels effectively animate the bustling European locales with credible city sounds and dialogue that is always clear and well-prioritized, there are occasional lapses in surround activity. The surround channels do add subtle atmospherics, such as chirping birds and rustling leaves, but some viewers may notice a lack of consistent rear channel engagement, especially during the lively action sequences. Despite this, moments of high intensity still pack a punch, thanks to a sufficiently powerful low-frequency extension that enhances gunshots and explosions.

Overall, "Spy's" audio mix is exceptionally well-crafted for a comedy surround track, making the espionage adventure thrilling in any home setup. It masterfully balances intricate sound design elements with a potent score, ensuring an enveloping audio experience that keeps the film’s humorous spirit front and center. The inclusion of multiple language tracks and subtitles further extends its accessibility and appeal.

The Blu-ray release of "Spy" offers a robust collection of extras that provides insight into the film's creation process while delivering ample entertainment value. Key features include two versions of the film, extensive gag reels, numerous alternate scenes, and detailed behind-the-scenes featurettes that span from the casting and performances to intricate stunt choreography and creative improvisations on-set. Noteworthy is the audio commentary by the production team, providing technical and creative insights into filming techniques. The extras also cover amusing outtakes and improvisational moments, which showcase the comedic dynamics among the cast. In addition, the gallery and digital HD copy extend access to this exciting content.

Extras included in this disc:

• Redacted Scenes: Cut scenes.
• Classified Alternate Scenes: Extensive alternate takes.
• Top Secret Gag Reel: A set of humorous outtakes.
• Extra Top Secret Behind-the-Scenes Gag Reel: More behind-the-scenes fun.
• Director of Intelligence Feig Makes the Cast Do His Bidding: Paul Feig directs humorous alternate takes.
• Susan and Her Men: Focuses on Susan's relationships.
• Super Villain Rayna Can’t Keep it Together: Rose Byrne's bloopers.
• Super Vermin: Scenes with rats.
• The Many Deaths of Anton: Multiple takes of Anton's death scene.
• The Trouble With Covers: Improv and bloopers.
• The Great Rick Ford: Features Jason Statham's character.
• For Your Eyes Only: Jokes-A-Plenty: Extended improv scenes.
• The Handsy World of Spies: Features amusing interactions.
• Speaking is an Art Form: Actors flubbing lines.
• Super Villains of the Animal World: Actors dealing with animals.
• How Spy Was Made – 8 Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes: Detailed production insights.
• Gallery: Promos and behind-the-scenes photos.
• Filmmaker Audio Commentary: Insightful commentary with the production team.
• Digital HD Copy

Paul Feig's "Spy" is a masterful blend of action-comedy that challenges the traditional espionage film tropes by introducing a refreshing twist with its protagonist, Susan Cooper, portrayed brilliantly by Melissa McCarthy. Relegated to desk duty, Cooper is thrust into the field when her partner Bradley Fine (Jude Law) goes off-grid, and another top agent is compromised. McCarthy, known for her physical humor and sharp improvisational dialogue, impeccably delivers a series of hilarious yet action-packed scenes in her pursuit to prevent a global crisis. Her character's evolution from an underestimated analyst to a competent undercover agent is both engaging and empowering.

The supporting cast elevates the film significantly. Jason Statham as the self-aggrandizing Rick Ford provides an unexpected comedic edge, bringing humor to his traditionally tough-guy persona. Rose Byrne, as villainess Rayna Boyanov, showcases her versatility with a role that balances menace and wit. The film also features excellent character bits from Miranda Hart as Susan's bumbling yet endearing friend Nancy, and Michael McDonald as a gadget inventor who humorously underdelivers on spy tech. Their interactions with McCarthy are some of the film's highlights, underpinning a storyline that expertly juxtaposes thrilling spy action with rich comedic elements.

"Spy" doesn't shy away from Feig's signature raunchy humor, coupled with smart, fast-paced one-liners that keep the audience engaged. The film's plot structure incorporates numerous espionage film staples, yet transcends mere parody by offering substantial character development and narrative depth. While some scenes might feel like they meander, the overall experience is consistently entertaining. "Spy" not only stands out as one of the comedy highlights of its release year but also sets a new benchmark for genre-blending films, supporting strong performances and adept direction.

"Spy" stands as another victorious collaboration between director Paul Feig and the immensely talented Melissa McCarthy. The film effortlessly combines elements of comedy and espionage, resulting in a hysterically engaging spoof that rivals the humor and excitement of some of the best films in recent years. McCarthy shines, delivering one of her best performances since "Bridesmaids," with effective support from a humorous Statham and a viciously amusing Byrne. Although Feig occasionally struggles with pacing, the film maintains an excellent rhythm overall, ensuring ample laughter.

From a technical standpoint, the Blu-ray release is top-tier, boasting exceptional picture quality that captures every detail crisply and a lossless audio mix that immerses viewers in the action and humor without missing a beat. The meticulously crafted video presentation ensures a high-caliber viewing experience, complemented by robust audio that accentuates both dialogue and action sequences. The comprehensive extras package, though somewhat exhaustive with numerous alternate takes and gag reels, offers deep insight into the production process, adding to the overall value of the release.

In conclusion, "Spy" is highly recommended for its superb amalgamation of comedy and action, bolstered by standout performances and first-rate technical merits. The Blu-ray's pristine audio-visual quality and extensive supplemental materials make it an essential addition to any collection.