A comedic tale of suburban adventure, 2018’s Game Night introduces us to married couple Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams). They bonded over their shared competitive spirit, and they still host regular game nights for friends.

Matters intensify when Max’s semi-estranged brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) crashes game night and ups the ante. This leads Max, Annie and their pals on a crazed, violent evening.

To be sure, Game Night takes on well-trodden story territory, as we've gotten roughly 10,000,000 "suburbanites stuck in action peril" movies over the years. Anyone who expects a wholly fresh tale here will encounter disappointment.

That said, movies rely more on execution than originality, and that’s where Game Night excels. Any potentially stale qualities do no damage, as the end result delivers a giddy comedic romp.

Jason Bateman essentially just plays "the Jason Bateman character": low-key, stoic, and slightly acerbic. However, like Jeff Goldblum, he plays his signature persona so well that I don't care how little he deviates from his norm.

McAdams doesn't provide a revelation, as she's always been good, but she seems to let loose more than usual so she holds her own. She delivers a lot of good comedic moments and she meshes well with Bateman.

The supporting actors add a lot of spice - especially Jesse Plemons as Max and Annie’s lonely neighbor. He underplays his sad sack character wonderfully and creates hilarity in all his scenes.

Does the movie hold up to any form of logical scrutiny? Of course not, but it doesn't really matter. Game Night delivers a brisk, fun farce with more than enough laughs along the way to excuse its absurdity.

Footnote: stick around through the end credits for a fun tag scene.

Game Night appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This became a pleasant Dolby Vision presentation.

Sharpness was always positive. Virtually no softness crept into any shots, so the image remained tight and well-defined at all times.

I noticed no issues with shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes failed to appear. Print flaws also failed to mar the presentation.

Game Night went with a palette that heavily emphasized the usual teal and amber. Within the movie’s color design, the tones seemed solid, and HDR added impact to the hues.

Blacks were dark and deep, while shadows demonstrated nice smoothness. HDR gaves whites and contrast extra pep. This was a consistently satisfying image.

As for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix of Game Night, it showed scope generally typical of the comedy soundfield. That said, the film’s action orientation occasionally allowed it to open up in a satisfying manner.

These added a lot of immersiveness, as did a few other exteriors, but those instances remained somewhat infrequent. The mix did use the score in a broad, engaging manner, though, and the whole package fit together smoothly.

Audio quality seemed good. Speech was distinctive and natural, without edginess or other issues.

Music seemed warm and lush, while effects showed nice clarity and accuracy. Again, nothing about the mix dazzled, but it suited the story and kicked into high gear when necessary.

How did the 4K UHD compare to the original Blu-ray? Both came with identical audio.

Though finished 2K, the Dolby Vision 4K showed slightly superior delineation than its Blu-ray predecessor. HDR gave it the greater edge, though, as that element allowed colors and blacks to shine. This allowed the 4K to become a decent visual upgrade.

A featurette called An Unforgettable Evening runs three minutes, 48 seconds and presents comments from production designer Michael Corenblith and actors Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Sharon Horgan, Billy Magnussen, Kylie Bunbury and Lamorne Morris.

They touch on a mix of production topics like cast/performance, locations, and the like. We get a couple of decent thoughts but “Evening” is way too short to give us much substance.

Next comes a Gag Reel. It fills six minutes, 48 seconds with the usual goofs and giggles. It seems decent and nothing more.

At no point does Game Night threaten to become an innovative, creative comedy. However, it delivers the laughs, as a lot of fun situations and a terrific cast milks the tale for a great deal of amusement. The 4K UHD brings us excellent picture along with good audio but it lacks notable supplements. Game Night delivers a hilarious romp.

To rate this film visit the prior review of GAME NIGHT