A terrible plague has left the planet’s population divided between zombies and humans. An unusual zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult) sees his walking-dead brethren attacking a living woman named Julie (Teresa Palmer) and rescues her. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and the pair embark on an unusual relationship. As their bond grows and R becomes more and more human, a chain of events unfolds that could transform the entire lifeless world.
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Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Warm Bodies from Lionsgate comes in its original 2.40:1 in 2160p Dolby Vision which is the exact same disc that was released over five years ago in new exclusive packaging. This is fine, though, as this disc is excellent and not really in need of an upgrade. When compared to the old Blu-Ray, this disc offers strong improvements in all respects. This disc provides so much pleasing texture and detail to the transfer including specific nuances that were too unclear to capture before. Elements within the environment are also given much more depth which makes for a much more rewarding experience. The improvements in contrast and overall clarity are outstanding, especially when dealing with any darker environment.
The Dolby Vision presentation allows the film to appear more refined than ever. The UHD disc contains very deep, stable colors throughout which stay natural to the aesthetic intention rather than amping up the vividness. White levels are brighter and offer a greater stability without veering into blooming. Black levels are extremely deep and allow the picture to maintain an excellent amount of depth and detail in darker environments. It cannot be understated how much information is gained in the shadows. Skin tones look natural to their state of mortality and the clarity of the transfer gives you a great amount of facial detail including the cuts and grime from certain altercations. This transfer is a treat for fans of the film. This disc is one of the better catalog releases from Lionsgate during the early days of the format.
Audio Quality
This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release boasts a Dolby Atmos track that is an improvement over the already solid DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio track on the previous Blu-Ray. This disc is pretty powerful throughout, as this movie deserves with its sound design. The narration from R and other dialogue comes through clearly without getting muddied by the music or any sound effects. As you move throughout the decaying world, the sounds of the environment flow out of your side, rear and overhead speakers. Each sound is precisely placed with distinct spatial awareness.
The track utilizes all of the channels with panning effects and sounds of kinetic moments that really makes you feel like you are in the thick of the conflict. Every sequence features some impeccable sound design that comes through flawlessly. The environmental effects such as shuffling zombies and gunfire come through in a natural way. There is a substantial amount of activity in the low end when the scenes call for it, as it often does. The terrific soundtrack utilized in the film comes through with a pleasing fidelity. Lionsgate knocked it out of the park with this track, so those with a good surround sound setup should have a blast with this one. There are English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided
Special Features
Lionsgate has provided Warm Bodies with an optional sleek new Steelbook available exclusively at Best Buy that is truly lovely in person. The case comes with a removable clear slipcase with an animated depiction of R with a cutout where his heart would be. The artwork underneath is an animated depiction of the faces of the two leads with some Boneys beneath them, and the rear features an animated depiction of M and Grigio. The interior sports an animated depiction of R’s eyes on each side of the case. For a full look at the packaging, please see the video above. The on-disc content is as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Director Jonathan Levine and Actors Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer provide a terrific audio commentary in which they jovially reminisce about the production, point out the moments that were tweaked with reshoots, explore the contributions of the different performers, discuss how the script evolved and more.
- Boy Meets, Er, Doesn’t Eat Girl: A ten-minute featurette which explores how this project came to be adapted from the novel, the development of the short story into the novel, preserving the key elements during translation and more.
- R & J: A nearly 17-minute look at the romance of the story, the dynamics between R and Julie, the characteristics of the performers who bring these characters to life, the development of the relationship and more.
- A Little Less Dead: A 17-minute piece which explores the casting of the film in more depth, the qualities that each performer brings to their characters, the camaraderie on set, the physicality of the roles and more.
- Extreme Zombie Make-Over!: A ten-minute look at the work of make-up artist Adrien Morot who brings this world to life so brilliantly by transforming the performers.
- A Wreck In Progress: A 15-minute exploration of the location scouting of the film to bring these distinct locations to life on film. It is really enlightening to see how these spaces were transformed into this crumbling society.
- Bustin’ Caps: A ten-minute featurette which takes a look at the big action sequences that pop up within the film and the toll it took on the performers.
- Beware The Boneys: A seven-minute look at the visual effects utilized to bring these more extreme zombies to the screen.
- Whimsical Sweetness – Teresa Palmer’s Warm Bodies Home Movies: A nearly 13-minute collection of footage captured by the star who discusses her process on set of bonding with the crew and showcasing the atmosphere on set.
- Zombie Acting Tips with Rob Corddry: A hilarious nearly five-minute interview with Rob Corddry that exemplifies why he is the best.
- Deleted Scenes: There are nine unused scenes totaling 11 minutes provided here with optional audio commentary from Jonathan Levine who explains why things were changed or omitted from the final film. Even if they were removed from the film, there is a lot of good stuff in here.
- Shrug & Groan Gag Reel: A five-minute collection of goofing around, laughing fits, flubbed lines and more.
- Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Warm Bodies is a clever and entertaining zombie romance which delicately balances the comedy and romance side of the equation with some genuine thrills that all work together to make something special. Nicholas Hoult pulls off a tricky role that subdues many of his most captivating aspects, but when you are that talented things still shine through. Teresa Palmer is a lovely complement to him that goes beyond the “damsel in distress” role that lesser movies revert to. There is a little bit of something for everyone in here which makes it a nice comfort watch to return to again and again. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a fantastic A/V presentation and a great array of supplemental features all in a beautiful new SteelBook. If you already have the standard 4K UHD, you will have to weigh if the SteelBook is enough to entice an upgrade, but those who do not own it at all should definitely make a point to add this to your list. Recommended
Warm Bodies is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray SteelBook exclusively at Best Buy.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate 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.