IT ENDS WITH US, based on the global phenomenon by Colleen Hoover, tells the empowering story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively). Grappling with a painful past, Lily embarks on a new life in Boston, embraces her artistry, and passionately pursues her dream of opening her own flower shop. A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, Lily begins to see sides of Ryle that remind her of her dangerous father. With the support of her friends and allies, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar) and Alyssa Kincaid (Jenny Slate), Lily must find her own strength to break the pattern or the pattern will break her.
For in-depth thoughts on It Ends With Us, please see my colleague Brandon Lewis’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings It Ends With Us to Blu-Ray with a fetching 1080p video presentation that is every bit as brilliant as a modern movie should look on the format. The skin tones remain natural with an enviable amount of detail present in close-ups, especially when it comes to the stubble of some facial hair and the texture of makeup. The modern production design along with the fabrics of clothing provide stellar textural details. The presentation delivers a strong amount of depth on display both in the interior shots and when out in the open air. The image is crisp and clear with a radiant color palette that saturates the frame. The film injects some notable splashes of colors within the clothing, production design, and locales which never disappoint. Black levels are stable with no serious instances of digital noise or crush, and highlights are firm with no blooming at play. This Blu-Ray adopts the ultimate level of quality you expect from Sony.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a nice DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that materializes every minor element to perfection. The dialogue emerges flawlessly without being overshadowed by any parallel sounds. Some pugnacious moments sneak up on you and dynamically engage the surround speakers. There are countless examples of really ambient details expanding the setting. The soundtrack carries a lot of emotional weight as it flows from the speakers in a full, well-balanced way. The low end of the track comes alive when it needs to. The audio track is a first-rate presentation for this feature in all respects. There are an array of optional subtitles provided including English, English SDH, French, Spanish, and more.
Special Features
- Previews
Final Thoughts
It Ends With Us is a watchable outing, but numerous things keep it from being a good movie. The weakest aspect of this journey is the writing – both the source material and screenplay adaptation to the screen. The Colleen Hoover novel is written with next to no nuance when it comes to the portrayal of abuse, as everyone feels like a caricature of a “good guy” and a “bad guy” in a Lifetime movie. The charisma of the performers keeps you engaged with the material, yet it all feels rather rote. The feature also does not justify its lengthy runtime. We have a high tolerance for cheesy drama, but this feels more messy than we like. Sony Pictures has provided a Blu-Ray disc that sports a fantastic A/V presentation but no supplements. If you love the novel, you will probably find this to be a fine adaptation, but it has some core deficiencies.
It Ends With Us will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 5, 2024. The film is currently available on Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony 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.
