Anthropoid appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a generally positive presentation, though not a stellar one.
That said, I suspect the filmmakers intended for the movie to offer a less-than-stellar visual package. Anthropoid came with a “vintage” feel that didn’t appear to want to become objectively great-looking.
Sharpness was fine overall. Some softness crept in at times – again, probably intentionally – and the movie rarely betrayed terrific delineation, but definition felt more than adequate.
No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. The film opted for unusually heavy grain – again, likely a stylistic choice – but lacked print flaws.
Colors leaned heavy toward an amber/sepia vibe, along with some chilly blues at times. The low-key hues came across as intended.
Blacks seemed dark and dense, while shadows offered appealing clarity. Nothing here turned into a visual showcase, but the disc seemed to reproduce the image as intended.
As for the movie’s DTS—HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it popped to life mainly when some violent sequences arose. Because they occurred fairly infrequently, much of the movie stayed with general ambience.
That worked fine, as the mix came with a reasonable sense of atmosphere, and the low-key score offered nice spread. When the more active scenes happened, they used the spectrum in an involving manner as well.
Audio quality satisfied, with concise, natural speech. Music felt full and rich.
Effects delivered good accuracy and boasted nice heft during those occasional louder moments. Like the picture, nothing here dazzled but the image suited the story.
The Making of Anthropoid runs 30 minutes, 15 seconds. It brings comments from producers Pete Shilaimon, Mickey Liddell and Krystof Mucha, WWII veteran Generalmajor Jarosloav Klemes, executive producer David Ondricek, production designer Morgan Kennedy, costume designer Josef Cechota, Executive VFX producer Stephen Elson, and actors Cillian Murphy, Jamie Dornan, Alena Mihulová, Anna Geislerová, Mish Boyko, Marcin Dorocinski, Charlotte Le Bon, and Jirí Simek.
“Making” covers the movie’s development, cast and performances, sets and locations, costumes, effects, photography, and writer/director Sean Ellis’s impact on the production.
That sounds like a fine array of topics, and the program includes a decent collection of notes. However, too much of it sticks with praise for the project and all involved, so it doesn’t fill its 30 minutes especially well.
We also film three Storyboard to Film Comparison segments. All together, these fill 15 minutes, 11 seconds.
Instead of the traditional sketched storyboards, these show action figures filmed to demonstrate what the director wanted. This compilation becomes a fun way to see this planning work.
The disc opens with ads for Denial, Jason Bourne, Bleed for This, Kubo and the Two Strings, Bad Moms, Snowden and Hard Target 2.
Previews adds promos for Danny Collins, Eye In the Sky, I’ll See You In My Dreams, Pawn Sacrifice and Trumbo. No trailer for Anthropoid appears here.
Despite a core story that seems ripe for dramatic exploration, Anthropoid only occasionally springs to life. It simply never quite achieves the drama it aims to deliver. The Blu-ray comes with generally positive picture and audio as well as a few bonus features. Antropoid represents a fascinating historical episode but doesn’t get there as a film.