Here Blu-ray Review

Sony's Blu-ray release of "Here" offers a compelling and visually appealing 1080p AVC-encoded video presentation that ensures viewers enjoy a rich and vibrant visual experience. Cinematographer Don Burgess delivers a striking color palette, with rich mahogany reds, vibrant blues and yellows, and lush greens and browns. The film's dynamic range, although not in HDR, remains impressive with excellent contrast and sharp clarity. Edges are finely sharpened and naturally defined, while fine textures are revealed with meticulous detail. Despite being created from a 4K digital intermediate using the Red V-Raptor camera, the high-definition transfer effectively brings out each aesthetic element within its 1.78:1 framed aspect ratio.

The expert use of lighting and lens techniques shine through in this presentation. Although the film was shot digitally and completed at 4K, Sony has opted for a Blu-ray format which unsurprisingly highlights some limitations. Blacks occasionally lean towards dark grey and some highlights appear slightly muted. However, the film’s encode makes optimal use of the BD-50 layer space, resulting in no discernible artifacting or banding issues. The deliberate narrative framing captured by static cameras reinforces depth perception across different living room scenes, ensuring visible detail both in the foreground and background without any loss due to crush or poor shadow detailing.

Color reproduction throughout the film admirably reflects the passage of time within the house's various domestic phases. From early green hues depicting prehistoric settings to modern greys, the transformation is visually lucid. Flesh tones maintain their appeal aside from a few less natural appearances due to CGI de-aging efforts. Overall, despite minor contrasts that suggest a 4K digital counterpart would be a notable enhancement, this Blu-ray release succeeds in delivering a clean, detailed, and engaging visualization of "Here".

The audio presentation of "Here" on Blu-Ray strikes a harmonious balance between dialogue precision and environmental immersion, catering to the film's dialogue-driven nature while providing a rich acoustic landscape. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is adept at delivering dialogue with transparent realism and lucid texture, ensuring clarity and balance within the front soundstage. The mix effectively employs spatial ambience and musical extensions, supporting the narrative flow and engaging the audience with directional cues that enhance the film's realism.

Alan Silvestri's score, a prominent element in the audio mix, is delivered with orchestral grandeur across the entire soundfield, with swells and crescendos that exhibit low-end power. While LFE usage is minimal, it does manifest with occasional potency, effectively supporting key scenes. The surround channels contribute to creating a seamless auditory environment, filled with naturalistic elements such as insects, birds, and wind, along with subtle indoor ambiances. The immersive quality of the track draws listeners into the world portrayed onscreen, making viewers feel as though they are amidst the unfolding events, accentuated by precise sound design.

Overall, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix provides a meticulously crafted soundscape that integrates well with the film's thematic elements. Dialogue maintains its front-and-center priority, remaining clear and intelligible throughout. Musical elements and offscreen sounds bring depth to the surround experience without overwhelming the film’s primary narrative focus. Together, this creates an engaging and enveloping auditory experience that aligns perfectly with the visual storytelling of "Here".

The Blu-ray of "Here" offers a concise yet meaningful selection of extras, providing insight into the film's production choices and visual techniques. Central to the package is the featurette "How We Got Here," which delivers an engaging behind-the-scenes look at the film's creation, highlighting director Robert Zemeckis’s innovative use of AI technology for aging actors and discussing the narrative challenges of maintaining a static camera style. The suite of nine deleted scenes clocks in at roughly nine minutes, offering intriguing moments that were likely omitted for pacing reasons. Accompanying these features, the disc includes a digital code for a Movies Anywhere redemption. Overall, while the supplementary content is minimal, it successfully deepens the viewer's understanding of the movie's crafting process.

Extras included in this disc:

• How We Got Here: In-depth featurette on production, focusing on AI technology and static camera challenges.
• Deleted Scenes: Nine scenes that enhance understanding of narrative decisions.
• Digital Code: Provides a Movies Anywhere digital HD copy.

Robert Zemeckis's "Here," adapted from Richard McGuire’s graphic novel, is a bold cinematic venture that subverts traditional storytelling through its fixed perspective technique. The film chronicles the life of a specific American house over generations, offering an intricate tapestry of interconnected family narratives led by Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. It explores universal themes of love, loss, and life’s brevity, albeit through a nonlinear lens that jumps across time—from prehistoric eras to the modern day. This disjointed, vignette-like structure challenges viewers, interweaving historical snippets with poignant human experiences in ways that are both poetic and frustratingly incoherent.

The film captures the cyclical nature of existence, evoking nostalgia and introspection, yet its ambitious scope occasionally trips over its own complexity. It features innovative aging techniques, employing real-time AI-crafted visual effects that mostly hit their mark but occasionally distract with waxy inconsistencies. These technological achievements underscore Zemeckis's commitment to pushing cinematic boundaries, although they sometimes overshadow the narrative’s human element. Some scenes seem overly reliant on CGI, at times detracting from character authenticity and emotional resonance, particularly when entire sequences feature rendered characters.

Thematically, "Here" revels in its philosophical musings but struggles with pacing and cohesion. While Zemeckis succeeds in crafting a technically interesting piece, the static camera framework—intended to lend focus—becomes cumbersome, leaving the film feeling like a staged play with fleeting emotional connections. Despite commendable performances by Hanks and Wright, the screenplay, written by Eric Roth, underdelivers on character depth due to its scattered narrative threads. Ultimately, "Here" is a visual and thematic experiment reflecting Zemeckis’s ongoing quest for innovation. It's a mixed bag of technical prowess and narrative shortcomings, eliciting varied responses depending on viewers' appreciation for storytelling risk over traditional clarity.

"Here" on Blu-ray presents a complex cinematic experience, characterized by its polarized reception and richly detailed audiovisual presentation. The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring a reputable cast including Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, delves into an ambitious narrative conveyed through a subtle yet poignant delivery. The Blu-ray version stands out due to its exceptional video transfer and remarkable audio quality, as the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track captures dialogue with pristine clarity and accurately encapsulates environmental acoustics through immersive surround sound. The technical execution complements the film's emotional depth, although the additional extras are limited, comprising primarily a behind-the-scenes feature.

While "Here" is not without its flaws, it attempts to tell an expansive story with surprising resonance. The film challenges audiences through its unique narrative style, making it an intriguing selection for those interested in narrative exploration rather than conventional storytelling. The performances are strong, but the innovative use of technology might alienate viewers unacquainted with such cinematic endeavors. Despite mixed reactions, the work attempts to tread new creative ground, much like Zemeckis's other ventures. It evokes emotions tied to personal perception more than universal acclaim and is often appreciated in retrospect for its conceptual objectivity.

In conclusion, "Here" is a film that warrants attention for its conceptual audacity and technical prowess on Blu-ray. It occupies the space between success and experimental art, being more of a curiosity than a masterpiece. Ultimately, it's an experience shaped by viewer expectations and preferences. For cinema enthusiasts intrigued by ambitious storytelling and technical execution, the Blu-ray release provides a high-quality viewing experience that enhances Zemeckis's unique vision, even if audience reception may vary widely.