Blindspotting Blu-ray Review

Lyrically waxing

by Casimir Harlow
Movies & TV Shows Review

5

Unmissable
Blindspotting Blu-ray Review
MSRP: £14.99

Blindspotting Film Review

The lyrical drama Blindspotting affords an impressively balanced blend of comic irony, social satire, tense drama and poetic prose.

Rapper Daveed Diggs and his partner in crime Rafael Casal had been working on the story to Blindspotting for almost 2 decades, wanting to reveal an alternative view of the San Francisco Bay area to what they felt was commonly portrayed, and formulating a tale of social community, impinging gentrification and colourful eccentricity.

The story follows Diggs' parolee Colin, who has just 3 days to go before he's a free man, but who repeatedly finds himself in trouble - not least thanks to his best friend, Casal's Miles - and finds that a shocking act of violence leaves him haunted and with nowhere to turn.

So poignant that you wonder why nobody had the idea of blending poetry and PTSD before

Tonally, Blindspotting takes a few minutes to finds its feet, but once it hits its stride you really get swept up in the intoxicating blend of palpable chemistry (these two feel like the real best friends that they clearly are), compellingly exploited backstory (why he's on parole), social and racial commentary, and stark - extremely tense - drama. How they managed to squeeze some rapping into the mix is a wonder, but some of the lyrics are so heart-shatteringly poignant that you wonder why nobody had the idea of blending poetry and PTSD before.

Very worthy of the praise it's received on the Festival Circuit, Diggs is really the star of the show and deserves the spotlight off the back of this, not least for a few minutes of rap monologue which - in an ideal world - would have actually snuck in for some Oscar recognition.

Blindspotting Blu-ray Picture

Blindspotting
Lionsgate deliver this Region B-locked UK Blu-ray release of Blindspotting, what looks to be a port of their strong US release from last year, afforded a 1080p/AVC-encoded High Definition video presentation framed in the movie's original (limited) theatrical aspect ratio of widescreen 1.85:1. Considering the piece was shot for just a few million, it's surprising that it actually looks this good, delivering a far from perfect but still frequently pleasing image which may not be demo quality, but is pretty impressive nonetheless.

It's surprising that it actually looks this
good

Night shoots and low level lighting abound, leaving grain wavering and some light crush evident, but the colours pop with a vibrant intensity - particularly on little touches like the purple neon running lights on the modded car. Streetlighting bathes the night in sickly yellowy overtones which suit the mood of the piece, whilst daytime shots impress the most and afford the best clarity and detail - both of faces and finely nuanced background flourishes.

Blindspotting Blu-ray Sound

Blindspotting
Perhaps more surprising is the presence of a full fat 3D object-based immersive audio High Definition Dolby Atmos track, which is a nice touch from Lionsgate - who similarly surprised with a DTS:X mix for Kin. It may seem like an unlikely target for such treatment, but the end result is outstanding, with the fantastic soundtrack providing a throbbing heartbeat to the production, maintaining LFE intensity almost throughout.

An excellent soundtrack and an excellent aural presentation

Dialogue is afforded fine prioritisation across the frontal array, coming across clearly and coherently throughout, whilst effects bring presence to thunderous gunshots, rumbling truck engines, and bustling parties. It's the music that often defines the piece - as well as that persistent thrumming bassline - giving character to an excellent soundtrack and an excellent audio presentation.

Blindspotting Blu-ray Extras

Blindspotting
A couple of informative Commentaries, hefty Featurettes and some Deleted Scenes make for a great extras package

Conclusion

Blindspotting Blu-ray Review

Blindspotting
One of the lost gems of last year

Criminally overlooked, the low budget drama Blindspotting is one of the lost gems of last year, earning itself a surprisingly impressive Blu-ray release from Lionsgate, complete with strong video, outstanding Atmos-enhanced audio and a solid salvo of extra features. Highly recommended.

Scores

Movie

.
.
8

Picture Quality

.
.
8

Sound Quality

10

Extras

.
.
8

Overall

.
9
9
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

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