Your Highness Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "Your Highness" features a robust and vibrant 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that fully encapsulates the film's rich and colorful aesthetics. Detail is consistently sharp, with intricate textures such as the chainmail armor and lush Irish countryside standing out remarkably well. The colors are bold and beautifully rendered, with lifelike skintones and striking landscapes that deliver an immersive viewing experience. The contrast is applied with precision, ensuring that even scenes set in low light, such as the campfire conversations, maintain clarity and depth. The black levels, while occasionally appearing slightly elevated, generally exhibit good dynamic range and discernible gradational highlights.

The transfer showcases stable edge definition and excellent overall clarity, although there are minor instances of softness and infrequent bursts of noise that minimally detract from the quality. The film's expansive shots reveal impressive delineation, draping shadows naturally over castles, forests, and labyrinths, enhancing the sense of depth and dimensionality. The print itself is in pristine condition with a light layer of grain that adds a cinematic texture without detracting from the image.

Overall, Universal's transfer does an exceptional job of presenting "Your Highness" with almost no significant artifacts or issues such as banding or smearing. While the depth and detail may occasionally fluctuate depending on the shot and lighting conditions, the video quality remains consistently impressive throughout. This Blu-ray presentation maximizes the visual appeal of the film with its vibrant imagery and effective contrast, providing an engaging visual experience for viewers.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment's Blu-ray release of "Your Highness" showcases an impressive and dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Each element of the audio presentation has been meticulously designed to envelop the listener in the uproarious medieval adventure. The LFE channel performs admirably, providing robust low-end support that enhances thundering carriage chases and visceral bar brawls. Directional effects are assertive and detailed, ensuring that the immersive experience is maintained throughout various magical spells, slashing blades, and galloping horses. While certain scenes may appear front-heavy, they quickly transition into a balanced soundfield filled with rich, smooth pans.

The audio mix also includes French DTS 5.1, Spanish DTS 5.1, and a DVS Dolby Digital track for the visually impaired, with English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitle options. Dialogue is consistently clear and intelligible, maintaining precision regardless of the chaotic background noise. Dynamic range is robust, delivering piercing highs and deep, impactful lows without distortion. However, there is a common modern action film caveat—occasional disparities between dialogue and effects volumes may require minor adjustments.

Overall, "Your Highness" provides an unexpectedly lively and fun audio experience, thanks in large part to its well-executed directional effects, powerful LFE channel, and flawless dialogue representation. The balance between the elements showcases excellent technical prowess, resulting in an engaging sonic landscape that complements the film’s rambunctious and humorous tone.

The Blu-ray release of "Your Highness" features a robust selection of extras that enhance the viewing experience through insightful commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and entertaining deleted scenes. The commentary track, led by director David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, James Franco, and Justin Theroux, is exceptionally engaging, balancing humor with in-depth discussions on the film's production and creative process. The 30-minute featurette, "Damn You Gods: The Making of Your Highness," is particularly notable for its comprehensive and candid exploration of the filmmaking journey. Additionally, viewers can enjoy a compilation of deleted, alternate, and extended scenes that provide further context and entertainment. All in all, the supplementary materials are well-presented in high-definition and contribute significantly to appreciating the film's nuances.

Extras included in this disc:

• Feature commentary: Insights from director David Green, Danny McBride, James Franco, and Justin Theroux.
• Damn You Gods: The making of Your Highness: 30-minute in-depth featurette.
• Alternate scenes: Two minor scene variations.
• Deleted scenes: Six scenes offering additional content.
• Extended scenes: Four lengthened sequences.
• Gag reel: 5 minutes of humorous outtakes.
• Line-O-Rama: 4-minute montage of alternative jokes.
• Perverted visions: 2 minutes of outtakes with the Great Wise Wizard.
• A vision of Leezar: 3 minutes focusing on the character of Leezar.
• BD-Live: Online content access.
• Pocket Blu: Mobile app for enhanced interaction.
• My Movies: Selection of favorite Universal rentals.
• Digital Copy

Your Highness: Movie Review

Set in a fantastical medieval world, 'Your Highness' chronicles the misadventures of two royal brothers – the valiant Fabious (James Franco) and his slacker sibling Thadeous (Danny McBride) – as they embark on a perilous quest to rescue Fabious’s fiancée from an evil sorcerer (Justin Theroux). Despite a promising premise and a star-studded cast including Natalie Portman as a warrior ally, the film struggles to find its comedic groove. The action sequences, though entertaining and reminiscent of '80s fantasy films, can’t wholly compensate for the inconsistent humor and the often crude, repetitive jokes.

The movie attempts to straddle the line between sincere homage to classic sword-and-sorcery flicks and raucous modern comedy but lands inconsistently between both genres. The script's reliance on vulgar punchlines becomes tiresome, detracting from the cleverness one might expect given the talent involved. While McBride’s antics occasionally hit the mark, they often descend into mere crassness without wit. Franco, stuck in a relatively straight-laced role, doesn't get much room to showcase his comedic abilities. However, the supporting cast, notably Theroux’s maniacal sorcerer and Portman’s fierce warrior, provide much-needed energy and levity, rescuing several scenes from monotony.

Visually, 'Your Highness' offers genuine thrills with its imaginative set pieces and well-executed action sequences. Director David Gordon Green brings an energetic style that shines during battles and chases, blending practical effects with CGI to evoke a nostalgic 1980s fantasy aesthetic. Despite its inconsistency in tone, the film delivers occasional bursts of creativity that align with its genre inspirations. Nonetheless, the uneven mix of earnest fantasy and broad parody ultimately makes ‘Your Highness’ a mixed bag; engaging at times but falling short of its potential as either a heartfelt homage or a sharp comedy.

"Your Highness" offers an attempted parody of 1980s swords-and-sorcery fantasy films, merging crude humor and genre conventions into one uneven package. While it doesn't quite reach the comedic heights of similar movies such as "Pineapple Express," the film retains a level of entertainment value that may appeal to fans of retro fantasy flicks. Despite its inconsistent humor and occasional fizzle, the movie manages to keep the viewer engaged with its quirky cast and absurd scenarios.

Universal's Blu-ray release shines far brighter than the film itself. The video transfer demonstrates strong visuals that manage to capture both vibrant and dim sequences with satisfactory clarity. Complementing the impressive visuals, the DTS-HD Master Audio surround track delivers a dynamic auditory experience, enhancing both dialogue clarity and background soundscapes. The supplemental package, while standard, includes several entertaining features that provide added value for viewers.

In conclusion, while "Your Highness" may not be universally appealing and suffers from uneven comedy, the solid technical presentation on Blu-ray significantly elevates the home viewing experience. For those with a nostalgic fondness for '80s fantasy or an appreciation for offbeat humor, this film might be worth a rental and potentially a purchase.