Joe Pendleton (Beatty) is a Los Angeles Rams backup quarterback ready to lead the team all the way to the Super Bowl, but the afterlife has other plans. It seems an overzealous guardian angel has prematurely plucked Joe from the living. When he’s returned to Earth in the body of millionaire industrialist Leo Farnsworth, he inherits a world of challenges, including winning the love of a woman (Christie) who already hated “him.”
For thoughts on Heaven Can Wait, please see my previous article here.
Video Quality
Heaven Can Wait gets a much-needed Blu-Ray upgrade with a stellar 1080p transfer sourced from a full restoration and remaster of the Original Camera Negative supervised by director Warren Beatty. This presentation is a knockout that preserves the filmic look with proper film grain and texture throughout. The level of clarity and detail on this release is truly something to behold. There are very subtle details in the production design that are visible here for the first time from minute details on outfits to some of the complexities of the environments. The black levels are extremely deep and allow for true detail to come through. There are a lot of bold colors in the film that pop off the screen with an immaculate vibrancy. Skin tones are natural and lend themselves to showcasing an amazing amount of detail. Paramount has done an excellent job of restoring this, as all print damage has been cleaned up without messing with the natural look of the film. Those who have been waiting for this one to be treated with the proper respect on Blu-Ray should feel it was worth the wait.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a restored Dolby TrueHD 2.0 mono soundtrack that sonically represents the film exactly as needed. The activity focuses heavily on the center channel with the thematically evocative score from Dave Grusin filling the room appropriately. Music is used skillfully throughout the presentation, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. The classic dialogue comes through clearly and never falls victim to any digital anomalies. Environmental sounds help evoke some activity with ambient noises, but it is not a standout in that regard. There is next to nothing in the way of low end support for this film. This track accomplishes everything it needs to do really well.
Special Features
There are no special features provided on this disc.
Final Thoughts
Heaven Can Wait is a genuinely moving tale from the great Warren Beatty which harnesses his charms and channels them into one of his more dynamic characters. The film boasts a very impressive supporting ensemble which brings a lot of life and heart to the picture. These types of movies rarely get Best Picture nominations these days, but this is just as worthy of being talked about among the great films as many others. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a 5-star A/V presentation and no special features. Fans should be thrilled to finally own this one in such great quality. Highly Recommended
Heaven Can Wait is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
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.
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