Long Shot appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a largely appealing presentation.
Sharpness usually satisfied, with only a smattering of soft shots in a few interiors. Instead, most of the movie seemed accurate and well-defined.
The image lacked shimmering or jaggies, and it also demonstrated no edge haloes. Print flaws remained absent as well.
To the surprise of no one, the presentation presented an orange and teal palette. Though these felt tedious, the Blu-ray executed them in an appropriate manner.
Blacks looked dark and dense, while shadows felt smooth and concise. I thought we got a well-rendered transfer.
A dialogue-heavy affair, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack of Long Shot lacked much breadth to its soundscape. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, music showed good stereo presence and some scenes – like at clubs and parties – boasted a bit of involvement, but not a lot added to the sonic experience.
One notable exception occurred: a scene in which Fred and Charlotte dealt with an assault in Manila. This sequence didn’t run too long, but it became easily the most active and dynamic of the film.
Audio quality satisfied, with dialogue that came across as natural and concise. Music showed nice range and warmth.
Effects didn’t have much to do, but they stayed accurate and lacked distortion. Again, this wasn’t a dynamic mix, but I thought it suited the story.
Expect a slew of featurettes here, and we launch with All's Fair in Love and Politics, a 29-minute, 55-second reel with notes from producers James Weaver and Evan Goldberg, screenwriters Liz Hannah and Dan Sterling, director Jonathan Levine, production designer Kalina Ivanov, costume designer Mary Vogt, and actors Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, and O’Shea Jackson Jr.
“Fair” looks at story/characters and the project’s path to the screen, cast and performances, research and realism, sets and locations, costumes, music, and collaborations. “Fair” offers a fairly deep look at the production.
Seven Minutes in Heaven goes for six minutes, 55 seconds and presents a dual chat with Theron and Rogen. They talk about their collaboration and other aspects related to the movie. It’s an enjoyable and semi-informative reel.
Next comes Epic Flarsky Falls, a six-minute, 12 second piece with notes from Levine, Weaver, Jackson, Ivanov, stunt coordinator David McKeown, and stunt double Tyler Hall. We follow the execution of two stunt sequences in this fun program.
With Secret Weapons, we get a 15-minute, 53-second program with Levine, Jackson, Rogen, Weaver, Theron, and actors June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, and Bob Odenkirk.
“Weapons” examines supporting cast and performances. It can be a little fluffy but we get some decent notes along the way.
A supporting actor comes to the fore via Prime Minister Steward O-Rama. It goes for four minutes, 55 seconds and features Theron, Levine, Rogen, Raphael, and Goldberg.
Here we get thoughts about Alexander Skarsgård’s performance. It seems odd that Skarsgård himself doesn’t appear, but we still wind up with a few useful tidbits.
Hanging With Boyz II Men fills five minutes, 49 seconds with info from Levine, Theron, Jackson, and musicians Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Nathan Morris. As implied by the title, this one looks at the guest appearance of Boyz, and it’s a competent overview.
After this we get Just Kind of Crushing It, a four-minute, 13-second clip that shows various behind the scenes shots from the production. It’s awfully random but it shows some decent outtakes.
Via The First Mister, we see a seven-minute, 25-second segment with Levine, Rogen, and artist Todd McFarlane. “Mister” covers the McFarlane-created art seen at the film’s end. It offers an enjoyable take on the topic.
In An Imperfect Union, we locate a seven-minute, 28-second piece with Rogen, Odenkirk, Theron, Raphael, Levine, Weaver, Jackson, Goldberg, Vogt and Patel. “Union” gives us a general look at aspects of the shoot. Other than some good footage from the set, this seems like a pretty mediocre reel.
Love and Politics. runs five minutes, 15 seconds and includes Rogen, Theron, Sterling, Levine, Odenkirk, and Weaver. The show examines the movie’s mix of politics and romance to become a decent but fluffy show.
Finally, we go to Friends Like These, a three-minute, 56-second clip that features Jackson, Levine, Rogen, Odenkirk, Theron, Weaver, Goldberg, Patel, and Raphael. “Friends” discusses supporting cast and feels repetitive since “Weapons” covers the same ground – and uses some of the same soundbites.
The disc opens with ads for John Wick Chapter 3 and Hellboy (2019). No trailer for Long Shot appears here.
At its core, Long Shot sounds like an appealing rom-com. Unfortunately, it becomes preachy, sloppy and unsatisfying. The Blu-ray offers solid picture and audio along with an informative package of bonus materials. Long Shot winds up as a major disappointment.