Strange But True appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Overall, this was a positive image.
Only a smidgen of softness ever cropped up here, mainly in some low-light shots. Otherwise, the movie showed nice clarity and delineation.
Jagged edges and moiré effects failed to appear, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also stayed away from this clean image.
In terms of palette, True went with mainly teal orientation, with some splashes of amber at times as well. Overall, the hues were fine for their visual choices.
Blacks showed good depth, while low-light shots boasted nice clarity. This was a solid “B+“ presentation.
As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it gave us competent sonics most of the time as well as a little pep on occasion. A drama like this didn’t need to boast a rock-em, sock-em mix, so the audio seemed acceptable.
Usually, the soundfield didn’t have a lot to do. This meant it concentrated on good stereo music and general ambience.
Every once in a while, though, the mix came to life – in a moderate manner, at least. These moments didn’t dazzle, but they gave the mix reasonable breadth.
Audio quality was fine. Speech seemed natural and concise, without edginess or other concerns. Music appeared full, with reasonable definition.
Effects remained clear and accurate, with some pretty solid low-end response during louder moments. This became a fairly satisfying track for a largely chatty movie.
Called Grounded in Reality, a 16-minute, 15-second featurette appears. It involves comments from author John Searles, director Rowan Athale, producer Fred Berger, screenwriter Eric Garcia, and actor Amy Ryan.
“Reality” looks at the novel’s inspirations, story/characters, cast and performances, and aspects of the shoot. Though not a deep program, “Reality” works better than most, and it includes enough insights to be a worthwhile effort.
A preview for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark opens the disc. No trailer for True appears here.
A limp character drama, Strange But True seems too superficial to succeed. Perhaps the source novel fares better, but the movie lacks impact or coherence. The Blu-ray offers very good picture along with adequate audio and a featurette. A potentially compelling tale sputters.