Holmes & Watson appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Expect a top-notch presentation.
Sharpness looked terrific. Virtually no softness materialized, so this ended up as a tight, well-defined image.
Shimmering and jaggies were minor and edge haloes failed to appear. Source flaws were non-existent, as I detected no specks, marks or other blemishes.
The film’s palette usually opted for a light teal orientation or a mild amber tint. Within that design range, the colors seemed well-rendered.
Blacks appeared dark and deep, while shadows showed appealing smoothness. The movie looked great.
Don’t expect fireworks from the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, as we got a mix heavy on music and general environmental material. When the track used the side or rear speakers, it was usually for action scenes.
However, even those weren’t especially involving, so they opened up matters in a moderate way and that was it. For the most part, the soundscape stayed restrained.
Audio quality was fine. Speech seemed natural and concise, and the score demonstrated pretty good vivacity.
Effects did little to tax my system but they were clear and accurate enough. Overall, this ended up as a decent but unspectacular track.
How did the Blu-ray compare with the DVD version? The lossless DTS-HD MA track offered superior range and fidelity when compared to the DVD’s Dolby 5.1 mix.
Visuals gave us the expected format-related improvements, as the Blu-ray seemed better defined and showed stronger colors and blacks. This turned into an obvious upgrade.
Three featurettes appear, and Together Again runs five minutes, nine seconds. It brings comments from writer/director Etan Cohen and actors Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall and Kelly Macdonald.
In this reel, we get notes about the lead actors and their performances/chemistry. The comments tend to be fluffy but some alternate takes add value to the piece.
Seriously Absurd fills eight minutes, 27 seconds with notes from Cohen, Ferrell, Hall, Reilly, Macdonald, producer Clayton Townsend, theatrical pickpocket Lee Thompson, and actors Lauren Lapkus, Billy Zane, Noah Jupe, Scarlet Grace, Billy Jenkins, Bella Ramsey and Colby Mulgrew.
“Absurd” looks at cast and characters. It becomes a pretty superficial overview.
Lastly, Mrs. Hudson’s Men goes for one minute, 12 seconds and provides a comedic bit. It provides notable historical figures who praise the sex appeal of Mrs. Hudson. It’s not particularly funny.
The next two features don’t appear on the DVD, and Line-O-Rama runs five minutes, 35 seconds. These give us alternate lines and offer a bit of amusement – though not a lot.
18 Deleted & Extended Scenes occupy a total of 49 minutes, 38 seconds. That’s a lot of added material – does any of it strike gol?
Nope. We don’t find any strong new plot threads, and the segments tend to just offer more of the same puerile humor found in the final flick.
Some exposition does arrive via Mrs. Hudson’s lovers, and we also spend time with street urchins who help out Holmes on a recurring basis. If you enjoy the movie, you’ll like this footage, but if you don’t, these clips won’t change your mind.
The disc opens with ads for Stan & Ollie, The Front Runner, Miss Bala, The Girl In the Spider’s Web, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Venom. No trailer for Holmes appears here.
Whatever goodwill Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly earned via their earlier efforts largely goes bye-bye with Holmes & Watson. A largely moronic and unfunny affair, the film squanders its leads. The Blu-ray offers excellent positive picture and good audio along with minor supplements. Hopefully Reilly and Ferrell will rebound down the road, but Holmes becomes a massive disappointment.
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