Crazy Rich Asians appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became an appealing presentation.
Sharpness looked good. Virtually no obvious signs of softness materialized, so the film demonstrated appropriate clarity.
No concerns with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and edge enhancement remained absent. Source flaws also failed to create problems.
In terms of colors, Rich tended to stay with a light teal and amber palette. Within those constraints, the colors appeared pretty clear and concise, and some shots in Singapore managed a more dynamic range of colors.
Blacks were deep and firm, while shadows showed good delineation. Overall, this was a pleasing transfer.
I thought that the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Rich seemed fine but it didn’t excel because of a lack of ambition. Like most romantic comedies, the movie featured a limited soundfield that strongly favored the forward channels. It showed nice stereo spread to the music as well as some general ambience from the sides.
Panning was decent, and the surrounds usually kicked in basic reinforcement. A few scenes opened up better, such as those at a party or at an airport. However, most of the movie stayed with limited imaging.
Audio quality appeared good. Speech was natural and distinct, with no issues related to edginess or intelligibility. Effects sounded clean and accurate, with good fidelity and no signs of distortion.
Music was perfectly fine, as the score and songs showed positive dimensionality. This track was good enough for a “B-“ but didn’t particularly impress.
A few extras fill out the set, and we open with an audio commentary from director Jon M. Chu and novelist Kevin Kwan. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific look at the novel and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music, editing and related domains.
This becomes a perfectly average commentary. It covers a reasonable amount of territory and does so in a reasonable manner, but it never digs all that deep.
In particular, I’d like to know more about the novel and the changes that needed to occur to shift it to the screen. We get a decent amount of information here but the track never turns into anything especially memorable.
A featurette called Crazy Rich Fun fills seven minutes, 18 seconds and includes Chu, Kwan, producer John Penotti, and actors Chris Pang, Ken Jeong, Jimmy O. Yang, Awkwafna, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh and Constance Wu.
“Fun” looks at the novel and its adaptation, cast and performances, sets and production design, and the movie’s depiction of Asians. A few useful nuggets emerge but “Fun” remains promotional in nature.
Seven Deleted Scenes fill a total of 12 minutes, 10 seconds. These mix new sequences and extended segments.
Don’t expect a lot from these, as they offer some minor character expansions and little else. None of them seem bad, but they lack much to make them memorable.
A Gag Reel runs one minute, 47 seconds and presents a standard mix of goofs and giggles. Nothing sets it apart from the crowd, but at least it’s short.
The disc opens with ads for A Star Is Born (2018) and Ocean’s 8. No trailer for Rich appears here.
A second disc presents a DVD copy of Rich. It includes the “Fun” featurette but lacks all the other extras.
As much as I admire the cultural impact of Crazy Rich Asians, I can’t find much to like about the movie itself. One-dimensional and episodic, the film fails to develop into a coherent, memorable package. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture with decent audio and a smattering of supplements. Rich ends up as a forgettable romantic film.