Sully appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-Ray Disc. The movie came with a pleasing transfer.
Most of the movie brought us satisfying delineation. Some interiors appeared a smidgen soft but not to a distracting degree, so most of the flick looked accurate and concise. I saw no shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes failed to mar the image. Print flaws also remained absent.
Colors tended toward a muted palette. The hues favored teal in a subdued manner, with a little orange as well, and it executed these tones as intended. Blacks were dark and deep, and shadows showed positive clarity. This ended up as a positive presentation.
One note about aspect ratio: shot almost totally on digital IMAX cameras, Sully used a 1.90:1 ratio in IMAX theaters, whereas it played 2.40:1 on “standard” screens. Why did the Sully Blu-ray opt for 2.40:1 instead of 1.90:1?
Answer: I don’t know. Prior Warner Blu-rays such as The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises opened up their IMAX shots to fill the 1.78:1 TV screen, so I can’t understand why Sully wouldn’t optimize for 1.90:1. Director Clint Eastwood chose that ratio for a reason – why not use it?
The absence of the digital IMAX ratio creates a disappointment. Perhaps a subsequent Sully Blu-ray re-release will give us the 1.90:1 ratio I saw at the IMAX theater, but this disc should’ve used it.
No quibbling greeted the movie’s Dolby Atmos audio. Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 on my system, as it worked well. This became especially true during the various airplane or rescue related scenes, all of which opened up the soundscape in a dynamic manner.
These offered a convincing sense of the settings, especially when the material tended toward havoc and disaster. The crashes and mayhem created impactful material that used the spectrum well.
Much of the flick opted for quieter moments, and those seemed satisfactory as well. These lacked the punch of the action-oriented sequences, but they suited the tale and formed a nice feel for the narrative.
Audio quality also worked well. Effects fared best of all, especially when we got louder elements, as those boasted great range and impact. Clarity remained terrific, which meant the material provided strong power and lacked distortion.
Music tended to be low-key, but the score was full and rich. Dialogue always appeared concise and natural, without intelligibility issues. Even though much of the soundfield opted for subdued material, the air scenes worked so well that I felt this became an “A-“ mix.
Three featurettes fill out the set. Moment By Moment: Averting Disaster on the Hudson goes for 15 minutes, 44 seconds and offers notes from Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, air traffic controller Patrick Harten and First Officer Jeff Skiles. They discuss the events that occurred during the eventful January 2009 flight.
“Moment” mixes movie shots with actual air traffic audio of the event. Mixed with the comments from participants, this becomes a quick but terrific overview. While it doesn’t substitute for a long documentary, it offers a fine recap.
During the 19-minute, 49-second Sully Sullenberger: The Man Behind the Miracle, we hear from Sullenberger, Skiles, wife Lorrie and daughter Kelly. The show looks at aspects of Sully’s life, with an emphasis on his career as a pilot and the aftermath of Flight 1549. “Miracle” tends to be fluffy but it gives us an interesting look at its subject.
Finally, Neck Deep in the Hudson: Shooting Sully spans 20 minutes, 17 seconds. The show presents comments from Chesley Sullenberger, director Clint Eastwood, producers Frank Marshall, Tim Moore and Allyn Stewart, executive producer Kipp Nelson, costume designer Deborah Hopper, screenwriter Todd Komarnicki, special effects technician Nick Nicholson, ferry captain Vincent Lombardi, stunt coordinator Doug Coleman, NYPD Scuba Team members Det. Robert A. Rodriguez and Det. Michael Delaney, American Red Cross’s Christopher Mercado, and actors Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Mike O’Malley, Anna Gunn, Laura Linney, Jamey Sheridan and Ann Cusack.
We hear about the project’s roots and development, cast and performances, Eastwood’s work on the set, recreating the plane/crash, and attempts at realism. Like its predecessors, “Deep” doesn’t offer great depth, but it becomes a worthwhile view of the production.
The disc opens with ads for Collateral Beauty, The Accountant, Suicide Squad and Live By Night. No trailer for Sully appears here.
A second disc provides a DVD copy of Sully. It lacks any of the Blu-ray’s extras.
Though not as introspective as I’d like, Sully offers a rousing tale. I’d prefer something deeper but the movie packs a nice emotional punch. The Blu-ray boasts very good picture and audio along with a handful of supplements. Taken for what it is and not what it could’ve been, Sully entertains.
