Nightclub sensation Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones) murders her philandering husband, and Chicago’s slickest lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is set to defend her. But when Roxie (Renée Zellweger) also winds up in prison, Billy takes on her case as well — turning her into a media circus of headlines. Neither woman will be outdone in their fight against each other and the public for fame and celebrity.Nightclub sensation Velma (Catherine Zeta-Jones) murders her philandering husband, and Chicago’s slickest lawyer, Billy Flynn (Richard Gere), is set to defend her. But when Roxie (Renée Zellweger) also winds up in prison, Billy takes on her case as well — turning her into a media circus of headlines. Neither woman will be outdone in their fight against each other and the public for fame and celebrity.
For thoughts on Chicago, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/GklBQOIHPaE?t=1111]
Video Quality
Chicago returns to Blu-Ray for its 20th anniversary with the same remastered disc that has been floating around for nearly a decade. When this was released by Lionsgate in 2014 (before the Miramax catalog shifted over to Paramount), the hype around this disc was that it had been remastered in Dolby Vision, even though technology was still a few years away from consumers being able to actually experience the format. Now we are many years into the era of 4K UHD Blu-Ray, and we still do not have Chicago on this superior format. Considering we know there is a Dolby Vision master already prepared, it seems like something of a waste to have a new release only be on Blu-Ray when we could be experiencing the film on 4K UHD Blu-Ray. Yes, the Blu-Ray is gorgeous, but there have been major improvements in the last decade that we want on disc.
When we do look at what the Blu-Ray has to offer, the results are admittedly stellar. The film grain present is beautifully natural and consistent while allowing fine details to shine through. Subtle details stand out with great clarity, especially in clothing and elements of the production design. Facial features are likewise detailed with makeup finely textured alongside natural skin tones. Colors are vibrant without being unnatural for the environment. The transfer affords nearly constant opportunities for them to pop off the screen with items such as clothing. Black levels are deep without any noticeable blocking or compression artifacts. This Blu-Ray is a good presentation until we can be blessed with a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release.
Audio Quality
Paramount Home Entertainment brings us this Blu-Ray with a lossless Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix that is a powerhouse. As you would expect, music is of utmost importance to the general aesthetic of the film with these terrific tunes being given great depth within the mix. Every single number sounds lovely as it fills up the surround channels. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely and given a dynamic placement throughout the speakers. The sounds of club chatter and prison noise along with a slew of other sounds bring nuanced life to the rear speakers. This is a track that is as dynamic as you want it to be. A truly mesmerizing experience. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
The main reason for this new release is to get the film in a sleek new SteelBook that is quite fetching in person. The SteelBook features front artwork with Roxie, Velma and Billy, and the rear features some stylized text. The interior sports a still photo of Roxie and Velma on opposing sides of the case. Video of the SteelBook can be found at the top of this review.
- Audio Commentary: Director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon deliver a very entertaining and informative commentary track in which they discuss the movie scene by scene including motivations behind the structure of the film, the precise cuts that were baked into the script, Renée Zellweger insistence on not using a stunt double, the collaborative nature between the departments, finding ways to surprise the audience, using the music as a part of the storytelling, the performances and much more that will make you glad you spent time listening to it.
- Chicago In The Spotlight – A Retrospective with Cast and Crew: A massive 2 hour and 22 minute retrospective is provided here in which many members of the cast and creative team reflect on the production of the film from pretty much every angle you could hope to explore. This is great for fans.
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- Bringing Chicago to Life: Adapting the Broadway Musical to Film (2:06)
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- Developing the Screenplay: Collaborating with Bill Condon (3:54)
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- Casting the Movie: Finding Actors Who Can Sing and Dance (33:05)
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- The Extended Cast: The Great Dancers of Chicago (9:18)
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- Rehearsals: The Best of Times (11:12)
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- Rob Marshall: Born To Direct (22:28)
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- Marty Richards: In Remembrance (5:25)
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- Neil Meron and Craig Zadan: Renowned Musical Producers (5:32)
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- The Magicians Behind The Camera: Colleen Atwood – Dion Beebe – John Myhre (6:13)
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- The Best of Broadway: The Choreographers (3:42)
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- The Director’s Cut: Musical History Is Made (6:50)
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- The 75th Academy Awards: And The Oscar Goes To… (14:28)
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- The 85th Academy Awards: A Walk Down Memory Lane (6:23)
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- The Relevance and Impact: The Aftermath of the Modern Day Musical (11:35)
- Extended Musical Performances: A selection of extended numbers and rehearsals are provided here.
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- “And All That Jazz” (6:07)
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- “When You’re Good To Mama” (3:33)
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- “Cell Block Tango” (8:02)
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- “We Both Reached For The Gun” (6:37)
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- “Mister Cellophane” (4:00)
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- “All I Care About” (4:43)
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- “All I Care About” with Richard Gere (3:30)
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- “Nowadays” with Renée Zellweger (2:08)
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- “And All That Jazz” with Catherine Zeta-Jones (3:03)
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- “I Can’t Do It Alone” Rehearsal (3:46)
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- “Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag” Rehearsal (3:31)
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- “We Both Reached For The Gun” Rehearsal (3:58)
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- “Cell Block Tango” Rehearsal (3:12)
Final Thoughts
Chicago is one of the best musicals that we have ever seen in terms of pure entertainment value. The way the story is framed is an immense coup for creativity in a genre that was believed to be dead not too long ago. The performances are virtually 5-star across the board, and the music and choreography is so inventive and classy. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a stellar A/V presentation and a deep assortment of special features all in a nice new SteelBook package. While a 4K UHD release would have been nice, this release is still strong for those happy with Blu-Ray. Recommended
Chicago is currently available to purchase on 20th Anniversary Blu-Ray SteelBook.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.