Jules follows Milton (Kingsley) who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a close relationship with the extra-terrestrial he calls “Jules.” Things become complicated when two neighbors (Harris and Curtin) discover Jules and the government quickly closes in. What follows is a funny, wildly inventive ride as the three neighbors find meaning and connection later in life – thanks to this unlikely stranger.

For in-depth thoughts on Jules, please see my colleague Michael Cook’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Decal Releasing brings Jules to MOD Blu-Ray with a fetching 1080p video presentation. The image is mostly crisp and clean with the rich rural landscapes radiating off the screen. Flesh tones are natural with a significant amount of detail present in close-ups. The makeup work that brings the titular character to our screen provides so many interesting facets that are practically brought to life. The presentation allows for a significant amount of depth on display, especially when out and about in the world. The production design and the outfits provide clear textural details. Black levels are appropriately deep with no egregious instances of digital noise. There is some light banding and other minor digital hiccups that pop up in the transfer. Overall this is a pleasing release from the label.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a very good DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that translates the narrative intentions of this film wonderfully. Dialogue is the featured element of the film, and it always comes through clearly without being overshadowed by any competing sounds. The gentle score flows through the speakers with crisp fidelity. There are a few fleeting moments in the film that add texture to the low end, but this is not a kinetic movie by any means. Environmental sounds of the world perk up the surround speakers in a nice manner. Ambient sounds are considerately placed in the rear channels for a fully three-dimensional experience. The audio track accomplishes exactly what it needs to. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

Becoming Jules: A seven-minute featurette that takes a look at the hours of prosthetic work that goes into creating the titular character with insights from the performer and the makeup team.

Final Thoughts

Jules is the type of low-key drama that we should be championing. The story may be “out of this world”, but it touches on something very human that too few stories are able to convey properly. Ben Kingsley delivers one of his most affecting turns in years, and Jane Curtin and Harriet Sansom Harris are truly delightful counterparts. If you want something utterly charming in your life, do not let this one slip by. Decal Releasing has released a Blu-Ray featuring a pretty strong A/V presentation and a decent supplemental feature. This one is primed for a rewarding second life of having people discover its charms. Recommended

Jules can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Decal Releasing 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.