The Fabelmans appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie consistently looked great.
Sharpness appeared positive. Outside of some stylistic choices – and the reproduction of Sammy’s “home movies” – the film seemed distinctive and concise.
I noticed no issues with jagged edges or shimmering, and I witnessed no edge haloes. As expected, no source flaws popped up during the clean presentation – again, outside of those that become organic to Sammy’s creations.
Also as expected of a period piece, Fabelmans opted for a subdued palette. Amber/teal became the dominant tones, with splashes of other hues as well. Given those restrictions, the colors seemed appropriate.
Blacks were deep, and shadows satisfied. All of this added up to a solid “A-” image.
I also felt pleased with the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio of Fabelmans. Given the movie’s character focus, the soundscape didn’t come across as consistently dazzling.
However, sporadic sequences popped to life well. With scenes like a cinematic train crash and a tornado, the mix occasionally became lively.
In addition, general atmosphere felt appropriate and engaging. Despite the low-key approach to much of the tale, the soundscape nonetheless impressed.
Audio quality was positive. Speech seemed natural and concise, without edginess or other issues.
Effects appeared accurate and dynamic, while music was rich and clear. Nothing here created a killer soundtrack, but the audio made sense for the story and worked better than anticipated for a character tale.
Three featurettes appear here, and A Personal Journey spans 11 minutes. It offers notes from co-writer Tony Kushner, co-writer/director Steven Spielberg, and producer Kristie Macosko Krieger.
“Journey” looks at the project’s roots and path to the screen, as well as the script and connections to Spielberg’s life. While not tremendously in-depth, it becomes a worthwhile overview.
Family Dynamics runs 15 minutes, 28 seconds and includes Spielberg, Krieger, and actors Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano, Gabriel LaBelle, Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Chloe East, and Judd Hirsch.
This featurette covers cast, characters and performances. Though it leans toward happy talk, we still find enough substance to make “Dynamics” useful.
Finally, Crafting the World of The Fabelmans lasts and provides notes from Spielberg, Kushner, Krieger, Williams, LaBelle, Rogen, Dano, East, Rechner, Fegley, production designer Rick Carter, costume designer Mark Bridges, director of photography Janusz Kaminski, property master Andrew M. Siegel, editors Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn, and composer John Williams.
“Crafting” focuses on sets and locations, costume design, photography, period details, editing, visual effects, and music. Expect another semi-superficial but generally informative piece.
As a semi-autobiographical piece, The Fabelmans provides an intriguing take on the young life of Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately, it never becomes better than pretty good, as it seems a little too spotty to really hit the mark. The Blu-ray provides excellent visuals and very good audio along with decent bonus materials. This becomes an enjoyable but slightly disappointing effort.