From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes this incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation. Also starring Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott and Jerrod Carmichael, “Poor Things” was written by Tony McNamara, based on the book by Alasdair Gray, and produced by Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone.
For in-depth thoughts on Poor Things, please see my colleague Brandon Lewis’s review from its original festival release here.
Video Quality
Poor Things arrives on Blu-Ray with an AVC-encoded 1080p presentation in 1.66:1 that does a brilliant job of bringing this world to life. Shot on film and finished to a 4K digital intermediate, the visual brilliance of Robbie Ryan’s varied cinematography is immediately clear and stunning. From beginning to end, the disc delivers stable contrast within the black-and-white photography and dazzling colors in the complementary footage. There is so much personality within the lighting, production design, and costumes that takes your breath away. Skin tones have a natural appearance with crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores and within the Oscar-nominated makeup.
The range of the color spectrum is nuanced within the world Lanthimos has concocted with moments of vibrant hues within a veritable palette of different experiences and color grading. Elements in the film taking place in the cover of shadows remain vivid and stable. Black levels are robust in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. The highlights in the film are crisply delineated with whites pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found even in the most intense examples. This Blu-Ray release pushes the format to its limits in terms of technical excellence. There is a title that would have looked astounding on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, but this sadly did not make the cut.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a fantastic DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that gives this experience the nuance it needs. From the opening moments, the soundscape declares that you are in for an immersive experience suitable for the journey. Ambient details are persistent and effective in the surround channels that stretch around the room. The sterling score from Jerskin Fendrix permeates the room with a sound that keeps you a bit off balance. Dialogue is presented clearly without ever being drowned out by any of the competing sonic elements. Sounds are rendered with impeccable directionality from the more active locales to interpersonal moments of dialogue. The low end is engaged when necessary, but it is not a spotlight part of the experience. The disc offers a track that accomplishes some great things. The disc provides numerous optional subtitles.
Special Features
- Possessing Beauty – The Making of Poor Things: A 21-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the origins of and inspirations for the film, adapting it for the screen, the expansive nature of the story, the qualities of the various characters, the creation of this unique world, the themes the film attempts to tackle, the visual aesthetic, and more.
- Deleted Things: There are three unused scenes totaling three minutes which include the brothel being visited by a doctor that Bella finds unacceptable, a transition moment, and Bella finding her old diary.
Final Thoughts
Poor Things is another unique and unpredictable venture into the mind of Yorgos Lanthimos that almost does not feel real. Studios attempt to play things so safely these days that you have to wonder how they were convinced to sign off, even if the talent seemed promising enough to make things happen. The faith in the production has paid off to date, especially when you factor in the career-best performance from Emma Stone. While there are some pacing issues heading into the final stretch of the film, there is so much to admire from other vantages that you cannot help but love the film. Searchlight Pictures has given this film a Blu-Ray release featuring a fetching A/V presentation and a couple of supplemental features. A 4K UHD Blu-Ray option would have been unbelievable, but fans of the film should be pleased by the quality of this presentation. Recommended
Poor Things will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 12, 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: Searchlight Pictures 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.
