Concussion appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This was an appealing presentation.
Sharpness worked well, as only a sliver of softness crept into the occasional wide shot. Overall definition remained positive, though, without real intrusions into that area.
I saw no evidence of jagged edges or moiré effects, and the image lacked edge haloes. Print flaws also failed to appear.
Colors tended toward a mix of teal and amber much of the time, and the Blu-ray depicted the hues well. The palette didn’t sizzle, but the tones seemed well-rendered within the design choices.
Blacks appeared dark and tight, while low-light shots demonstrated nice clarity and delineation. I felt pleased with this high-quality presentation.
In addition, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack worked fine, as the mix brought the variety of settings to life. Various environmental bits filled the spectrum nicely, and various action beats used the speakers in a dynamic way.
Audio quality appeared positive as well, with natural, concise speech. Music showed nice range and vivacity.
Effects came across as clean and accurate, with very good bass response. The soundtrack added to the movie’s impact.
A few extras appear here, and we start with an audio commentary from writer/director Peter Landesman. He offers a running, screen-specific look at story and characters, cast and performances, music, sets and locations, facts and historical liberties, and related topics.
Despite occasional lulls, Landesman largely provides an engaging chat. He covers a nice array of subjects and does so in a positive way to make this a pretty useful commentary.
Nine Deleted Scenes span a total of 12 minutes, 52 seconds. These tend toward minor character/expository sequences – with one exception.
In one scene, we see Dr. Omalu’s cousin, Amobi Okoye, a star college football player. The two speak, as Dr. Omalu tries to convince Okoye to quit. It offers good character insight and should’ve made the final film.
Two featurettes follow, and Inside the True Story runs 11 minutes, 10 seconds. It brings notes from Dr. Bennet Omalu, Dr. Julian Bailes, Dr. Cyril Wecht, Dr. Ronald Hamilton, and actor Will Smith.
As implied by the title, “Story” examines the events behind the movie’s fictionalized version. I like this chance to hear from the real people behind the tale.
Crafting Concussion lasts 12 minutes, 55 seconds and involves Landesman, Smith, Dr. Omalu, journalist Jeanne Marie Laskas, producers Ridley Scott, Elizabeth Cantillon and Giannina Scott, executive producer David Crockett, location manager Kent Jackson, production designer David Crank, and actors David Morse, Albert Brooks, Alec Baldwin, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.
“Crafting” looks at the source article and its path to the screen, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations. This veers toward promotional fare, but “Crafting” comes with enough substance to merit a look.
The disc opens with ads for The Walk, Risen, Money Monster, Miracles from Heaven, Moneyball and and Truth. No trailer for Concussion appears here.
At its heart, Concussion involves a compelling tale. However, the movie comes with such a heavy-handed, one-dimensional approach to the subject matter that it fails to deliver an engaging drama. The Blu-ray brings good picture and audio along with a decent roster of bonus materials. I wanted to like Concussion but thought it seemed too cliché.