A United Kingdom appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The transfer seemed largely good but it could be erratic.
Sharpness became a minor weak link at times, as a handful of shots looked oddly soft. I suspect these concerns came from the original photography, as the movie seemed to desire a diffuse look at times, but the instances still appeared “off”, as they gave the image a distracting lack of definition.
I noticed no issues with shimmering or jagged edges, and edge haloes were minor at worst. Source flaws remained absent.
As for the palette of Kingdom, it went with a bent toward orange and teal. These choices seemed odd for a period piece, but the Blu-ray reproduced them acceptably.
Blacks showed good depth and darkness, while shadows were mainly good. However, darker-skinned actors could occasionally get a little lost in the low-light shots. I found this to be a mainly positive presentation with some drawbacks.
Given the film’s character scope, the DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack of United Kingdom didn’t boast a great deal of dynamic material. Most of the material focused on general environmental information, with little else to note. There wasn’t much to stand out, but the track did what it needed to do.
Audio quality was quite good. Speech was natural and concise, as the lines lacked noticeable concerns. Music showed nice range and clarity, with a pleasing reproduction of the score.
Effects didn’t have a ton to do, but they were full and clear; the occasional louder elements showed positive punch as well. While nothing here impressed a ton, the track still was good enough for a “B-“.
A few featurettes flesh out the disc, and we start with Making of. It goes for six minutes, 19 seconds and provides notes from director Amma Asante, screenwriter Guy Hibbert and actors David Oyelowo, Jack Davenport, Jack Lowden, Terry Pheto and Rosamund Pike.
As expected, “Making” gives us a few production basics. It offers a few nuggets of information but remains promotional in nature.
Filming in Botswana lasts six minutes, six seconds and features Asante, Oyelowo, Davenport and Pike. As expected, they tell us about shooting on location. This becomes another passable but superficial piece.
Next comes The Legacy of Seretse and Ruth. It goes for three minutes, 48 seconds and includes notes from Asante, Pike, Oyelowo, Lowden, Pheto, Hibbert and actors Vusi Kunene and Laura Carmichael. They give us minor thoughts about the real people behind the movie’s characters in this forgettable clip.
Finally, we visit the London Film Festival Opening Night Gala Premiere. This pieces takes up six minutes, eight seconds and offers red carpet notes from Asante, Oyolewo, Pike, Davenport, Pheto, Carmichael, producer Rick McCallum, filmmaker Sarah Gavron and actor Tom Felton. This becomes another superficial puff piece.
The disc opens with ads for Hidden Figures, Jackie and Rules Don’t Apply. Sneak Peek adds promos for This Beautiful Fantastic and Table 19, and we also find the trailer for United Kingdom.
A second disc provides a DVD copy of Kingdom. It includes the same extras as the Blu-ray.
Well-meaning and likable, A United Kingdom provides a largely enjoyable drama. However, it lacks the depth it needs to become better than just “pretty good”. The Blu-ray brings us mostly positive picture and audio along with minor supplements. I’m glad I saw the film but I can’t claim it stayed with me.