Central Intelligence appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-Ray Disc. This became a satisfying presentation.
Overall definition remained good. A smidgen of softness affected the occasional wide shot, but not to a substantial degree. That left this as a mostly accurate, distinctive image. No shimmering or jaggies appeared, and I saw no edge haloes or print flaws.
To my surprise, Intelligence went with a fairly cool palette – which meant it didn’t opt for the usual teal and orange. Oh, it came with a minor blue/amber feel, but not the cartoony orientation typical of so many modern movies.
Given the visual choices, the colors didn’t stand out as great but they achieved their goals and looked fine. Blacks seemed dark and deep, and low-light shots offered positive clarity. I felt happy with the transfer.
While the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack started slowly, it kicked into life well as the story progressed. The story’s early moments concentrated in character beats but after the first act, the action became more dominant.
Those sequences brought excitement to the mix. Gunshots, explosions and various vehicles zipped around the room and created a fine sense of place and action. General ambience also remained fine, and music showed nice stereo spread.
Audio quality seemed good. The score was lively and full, while speech appeared natural and concise. Effects came across as accurate and dynamic, with nice low-end response. This was an above-average soundtrack.
The Blu-ray includes two versions of the film. We get both the theatrical (1:47:37) and unrated (1:56:26) cuts of Central Intelligence.
Because the Blu-ray marks my first viewing of the movie, I can’t detail specific differences. I’m guessing the longer version offers more explicit violence, and it definitely comes with additional profanity. In any case, I wanted to note the presence of the two cuts even if I can’t list all the changes.
Alongside either version of the movie, we get an audio commentary from director Rawson Marshall Thurber and editor Mike Sale. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/character areas and editing, cast and performances, stunts, sets and locations, music and related areas.
With Sale in tow, editing/story construction issues come to the fore, and those topics become fascinating. Thurber and Sale dig into their choices with gusto and explain these decisions well. Add to that a good dollop of details about other areas and this becomes a terrific commentary.
The disc provides two collections of Alternate Scenes: “rated” (10 sequences, 18:07) and “unrated” (18 segments, 1:09:51). No, I didn’t goof – that 69-minute running time for the unrated compilation is correct, so we really do get 50 minutes more from the “unrated” set than from the “rated” package.
How do the two collections differ? The 10 “rated” sequences also appear in the “unrated” area, and they’re identical there. This means there’s no reason to watch the “rated” package, as it includes nothing not found in the “unrated” set.
As for the material itself, the scenes tend to amuse. Even though we get more than an hour of footage, I can’t point to any major narrative/character areas that fail to appear in the final movie.
Instead, we get a lot of additions and minor comedic beats. These wouldn’t add to the story but they’re often entertaining, so I’m happy with this extensive collection of scenes.
In addition, we get two flavors of Line-O-Rama. Again, we locate “rated” (2:27) and “unrated” (2:31), both of which offer alternate takes. They’re nearly identical except for a little more profanity in the unrated one. Some funny material arrives in these collections.
Should you expect two version of the Gag Reel as well? Yup – once more, we see “rated” (5:38) and “unrated” (6:18) compilations. Most of the time, we see goofs/giggles, but we also get some alternate lines, and those make the “Reels” better than average. The unrated package uncensors some comments and adds a few bits not found in the rated version.
Two featurettes follow. Dance Off goes for two minutes, 26 seconds and shows footage of Sione Kelepi as “Young Robbie” before face replacement effects were used. We also view a “dance off’ between Kelepi and Dwayne Johnson that took place at the end of the shoot. “Dance Off” provides a forgettable reel.
Finally, we locate a Couch Time Lapse. It lasts 41 seconds and shows how the crew rapidly cleaned a room in real time. This makes more sense if you see the film first – it’s a minor but fun little extra.
The disc opens with an ad for Sully. No trailer for Intelligence appears here.
Due to the chemistry of its lead actors, Central Intelligence manages to deliver a moderately amusing experience. It lacks a lot of creativity but still capitalizes on the connection between Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. The Blu-ray brings us very good picture and audio as well as a nice set of supplements highlighted by a great commentary and a slew of deleted scenes. Intelligence doesn’t dazzle but it entertains.