‘Materialists’ Blu-ray Review
Stars: Chris Evans, Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Zoe Winters, Marin Ireland, Dasha Nekrasova, Emmy Wheeler, Louisa Jacobson, Eddie Cahill, Sawyer Spielberg | Written and Directed by Celine Song
A24 has been rolling out Blu-ray releases of its latest films, and we’ve already had the pleasure of reviewing the outrageous comedy Friendship and the haunting horror gem Bring Her Back! But this time, it’s a shift in tone — a move toward romance with Materialists. Following its successful theatrical run, writer/director Celine Song’s Materialist now arrives on physical media. And, as expected from A24’s previous Blu-ray releases, this one is another deluxe edition packed with care and quality.
Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a young, ambitious New York City matchmaker who thinks she has love down to a formula. But, when she meets a tall, dark, and handsome “unicorn” (Pedro Pascal) on the same night as a chance encounter with a broke old boyfriend (Chris Evans), she’s suddenly torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.
As the title suggests, this film is about trying to find love in a material world. The film has some good scenes. But there is very little character development in this film. There is no reason for us, as the audience, to care about these characters. And even though this is suggested to be a romantic comedy, there is little comedy.
Materialists has been transferred to Blu-ray in 1080p and is presented in widescreen format in 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is an English Dolby Atmos track, and there is the option for subtitles in English and Spanish. As usual with modern films, the Blu-ray transfer is really good. The colours are nice, the picture is crisp and clean, and the audio is clear. There are no digital artefacts or audio anomalies found on this transfer. Once again, this A24 Blu-ray has some good bonus features included:
Special Features:
- Filmmaker Commentary with Writer-Director Celine Song
- “The Math of Dating: Making Materialists” featurette
- Composer Dep Dive with Japanese Breakfast
- Six Collectable postcards featuring Behind the scenes Photography by Atsushi Nishijima
The featurettes are a very good watch, and the commentary takes you behind the scenes with the director telling us about the making of the film, always a nice listen. And the additional collectable postcards suitable for framing are a very nice bonus.
*** 3/5
If you love romantic films, this new Blu-ray of Materialists may be the perfect addition to your home video library. Head over to Amazon and order your copy today.
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