Sex Tape Blu-ray Review

The 1080p transfer of "Sex Tape" on Blu-ray presents an inconsistent visual experience. While the movie was shot digitally using Arri Alexa equipment, the resulting image oscillates between impressive and problematic. The transfer displays an evident warmth throughout, with some scenes leaning towards an excessive saturation that imparts an almost orange hue to the actors' skin tones. This tendency particularly detracts from night scenes, where black levels suffer from frequent black crush, rendering backgrounds nearly indistinguishable and creating a deep purple tinge instead of true black. Despite these shortcomings, brightly-lit scenes manage to deliver clean and accurate details, contributing to erratic overall quality.

Sony's usual reputation for excellent Blu-ray transfers seems to falter with this release, as the oversaturation and inconsistent rendering of details compromise the visual fidelity. Several scenes exhibit flat and pasty textures, lacking the clarity and sharpness expected in high-definition content. Yet, in better-lit sequences, such as the business meeting between Cameron Diaz's character and Rob Lowe's character, detail reproduction is significantly improved, showcasing the potential quality hindered by the warmer scenes. These moments highlight the disparity within the transfer and underscore the inconsistency.

Overall, while "Sex Tape's" Blu-ray transfer never falls into complete disrepair, the persistent issues with black levels and oversaturation prevent it from achieving the standard usually seen in Sony titles. The visual presentation fluctuates enough to be noticeable, with some segments appearing as subpar as DVD quality and others showcasing what could have been a more uniformly high-caliber transfer.

"Sex Tape" features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, which, although not groundbreaking, provides a clear and balanced auditory experience. The track is primarily dominated by music and dialogue. Music is presented with a pleasing spread across the front channels, complemented by a gentle but discernible surround presence. Clarity and balance are consistently maintained across the spectrum, ensuring accurate and satisfactory audio delivery. Dialogue is crisp and centrally focused, ensuring intelligibility throughout. However, the soundtrack lacks significant action elements or immersive environmental ambience, with only minor inclusions such as an aggressive dog and light background noises.

The English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track avoids any notable issues, delivering a well-balanced mix that remains glitch-free. Despite this, it falls short of offering the immersive qualities or directionality that distinguish top-tier tracks. Rear channels do activate occasionally, particularly during sequences featuring the film's music tracks, but overall, the audio presentation remains middle-of-the-road in terms of impact. Additionally, the Blu-ray includes French 5.1 DTS-HD MA, Spanish 5.1 tracks, and both English and French Audio Descriptive Service tracks. Subtitles are provided in English, English SDH, French, and Spanish, enhancing accessibility for a broader audience.

In summary, while "Sex Tape's" audio presentation via DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is adequate for casual viewing with clear dialogue and balanced music integration, it lacks the depth and engagement that might elevate it to a higher echelon of Blu-ray audio experiences.

The Blu-ray of "Sex Tape" offers a diverse range of extras that provide both humor and insight into the film's production. The featurettes and deleted scenes create an engaging viewing experience, showcasing behind-the-scenes moments and extending the fun beyond the main film. Noteworthy inclusions are humorous outtakes and insightful discussions with the cast and crew, enhancing the viewer's understanding of the movie's creative process. The mix of technical commentary on character interactions and real-life relationship parallels adds a layer of depth to the extras.

Extras included in this disc:

• Bloopers: Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Deleted & Extended Scenes: Additional scenes featuring Rosie, The Mailman, and Bi-Athlete.
• Line-O-Rama: Choice dialogue from the film.
• Capturing the Moment: Discussion about the bond between Director Jake Kasdan and actors Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel.
• Romance Reboot with Dr. Jenn Berman: Licensed psychotherapist discusses real-life sex and relationships parallels.
• Meet Hank Rosenbaum: Rob Lowe in character showing unique Disney-themed artwork.
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

Sex Tape's premise may initially intrigue, but its execution falls short, relying on worn-out tropes and predictable hijinks. The central plot—an intimate video accidentally disseminated via cloud syncing—leads to a series of supposed comedic situations involving awkward interactions, blackmail, and unfathomable naivety about data security. Jay's character, particularly, is depicted as absurdly plot-friendly, distributing personal information-laden iPads in a manner that feels contrived and implausible. The frequent reliance on uninspired gags and the portrayal of familial discord do little to elevate the film beyond mediocrity.

The narrative structure also suffers from an overdrawn setup, fixating on the couple's once-lively sex life contrasted against their current plight. The concept becomes repetitive, with the intent to justify the sex tape endeavor feeling unnecessarily belabored. Performances by Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, while earnest, struggle to navigate the thin line between raunchy comedy and relatable marital dynamics. Their attempts at humor often falter, overshadowed by redundant scenarios and a script insufficiently robust to infuse genuine mirth or cleverness.

Despite these shortcomings, there are scattered moments of levity, primarily featuring charismatic performances from supporting actors like Jack Black and Rob Corddry. These fleeting instances underscore what 'Sex Tape' could have been with more consistent comedic writing. Ultimately, 'Sex Tape' might find an audience among die-hard fans of the leads or those with a tolerance for low-brow humor, but it fails to make a lasting impression as a standout comedy. The potential shown in isolated scenes only highlights how much is missing from the larger narrative.

"Sex Tape" is a film that elicits mixed reactions. It attempts to blend romantic comedy with a touch of raunch, but the result is underwhelming. The plot revolves around a couple who make a personal video that accidentally gets distributed, leading to predictable hijinks. Unfortunately, the film struggles with a lack of genuine humor, charm, and originality. The character decisions often feel contrived, more for advancing the plot than serving the story or developing depth.

The performances of the leads demonstrate some enthusiasm, and there are a few notable supporting roles that add a semblance of life to the proceedings. However, these moments are few and far between. The overall tone of the film veers towards the mundane, never fully committing to its comedic potential or exploring its raunchier aspects in an innovative way. Technically, the Blu-ray release is competent but unremarkable, offering passable video quality and decent audio.

In conclusion, "Sex Tape" is a film that misses its mark. It's not an outright disaster, but it certainly doesn't rise above mediocrity. There's a certain sweetness and earnestness that can be appreciated in small doses, but this isn't enough to save it from its predictability and bland execution. While there might be an audience who finds it worth a single viewing, it’s not something you'll likely want to revisit. Rent if curious, but it's not essential for your collection.