Last Christmas appears in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. This became a quality presentation.
Sharpness was strong. Virtually no softness emerged, so the flick appeared concise and accurate.
Jagged edges and shimmering didn’t occur, and edge enhancement remained absent. Source flaws also failed to present any problems, as the movie offered a clean image.
In terms of colors, the film favored a fairly broad palette that matched the holiday theme. The hues were solid within the design parameters and HDR gave the tones added punch.
Blacks seemed deep and tight, while shadows were good. HDR allowed whites and contrast to excel. I thought this was a consistently high-quality presentation.
Downconverted to Dolby TrueHD 7.1, the film’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack seemed satisfactory. It favored the usual “comedy mix” and didn’t present many chances for the soundscape to explode.
As expected, musical sequences added the most to the track, as they used the channels in a satisfying manner. Street scenes also provided some modest engagement. Overall, though, this was a pretty restrained soundfield.
I thought audio quality appeared positive. Speech seemed distinctive and natural, with no rough tones or other issues. Score and songs displayed clear, warm music, and effects functioned well.
Those elements were reasonably realistic and full throughout the movie. Again, nothing here dazzled, but the mix accentuated the tale in a good way.
How did the 4K UHD compare to the Blu-ray version? The Atmos audio expanded the BD’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 a smidgen but the low-key nature of the soundscape limited growth.
As for the UHD’s visuals, it showed improvements in terms of sharpness, colors and blacks. As good as the BD looked, the 4K UHD topped it.
We get a slew of extras here, and these open with two separate audio commentaries, the first of which features director Paul Feig. He provides a running, screen-specific look at how he came to the film, story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, photography, music, costumes, editing/reshoots and connected domains.
A veteran of the format, Feig provides a bubbly, engaging personality as he leads us through his movie. He provides plenty of useful details as he makes this a fun, informative chat.
For the second chat, we hear from Feig and co-writer/actor Emma Thompson. They give us a running, screen-specific discussion of essentially the same topics as Feig’s solo commentary.
With Thompson in tow, though, script and acting issues become more dominant. We also learn more about the film’s influences and inspirations.
It’s probably unfair of me to refer to Thompson as being “in tow” here, for in truth, she turns into the senior partner. Not that Feig shrinks to the background, but the irrepressible Thompson does the lion’s share of the work.
Which is fine with me. We already got 100-plus minutes of Feig via his solo commentary, so I’d rather hear Thompson’s perspective.
And she happily shares, as Thompson and Feig sip gin and chat about the movie. Inevitably, we get occasional tidbits repeated from the Feig solo chat, bit this turns into a likable and lively commentary.
The Blu-ray packs in 10 featurettes. We find “Director In Vision” (1:51), “It’s All So Cold” (2:00), “Try Not to Laugh” (6:04), “A Legacy Revealed” (2:43), “Pure Golding” (1:28), “Emilia Recording Session” (2:14), “Love Letter to London” (3:36), “Santa and Her Elf” (2:47), “Paul Feig Takes Over the Tram” (3:34), “12 Days of Production” (10:21).
Across these, we hear from Feig, Thompson, producer David Livingstone, musician Andrew Ridgeley, production designer Greg Freeman, supervising location manager Bill Darby, and actors Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, and Michelle Yeoh.
The featurettes examine the project’s roots and development, story/characters, music and the involvement of George Michael, cast and performances, sets and locations,
With nearly 37 minutes of footage, one might expect a lot of useful material from these 10 featurettes. Alas, most tend to focus on fluff, so we don’t get much substance.
Not that these seem like painful programs, as they give us some fun material. Still, one shouldn’t expect to learn a lot about the production from these largely superficial segments.
A Blooper Reel spans 14 minutes, 30 seconds. Woof – that’s a lot of goofs and giggles! This reel adds some improv bits, so those can be fun, but I think the “Reel” wears out its welcome well before it actually concludes.
Tons of cut footage appears as well. We get an Alternate Opening (1:11), an Alternate Ending (1:53) and 15 Deleted/Alternate/Extended Scenes (22:45).
With the “Opening”, we see more of a tryst gone awry for Kate. It takes a scene from the final film, adds to it and places it at the beginning. It’d have been an interesting way to open the movie.
The “Ending” gives us a brief epilogue to update Kate’s status and Tom’s impact. It’s cute but unnecessary.
As for all the rest, the math indicates that the scenes don’t tend to last very long. They veer toward small comedic and/or character bits, with nothing that seems important or memorable.
Finally, we locate a Full Performance of “Last Christmas”. This three-minute, 56-second clip gives us what the title indicates, as we see the entire rendition of the title song seen partially at the flick’s end. It does little for me but fans may enjoy it.
A second disc provides a Blu-ray copy of Last Christmas that involves the same extras as the 4K. It also opens with ads for Wild Nights With Emily, Universal Parks and 4K UHD. No trailer for Christmas appears here.
Usually reliable, director Paul Feig goes astray with the awful Last Christmas. Stale, silly and devoid of cinematic merit, the movie turns into an utter disaster. The 4K UHD brings excellent visuals, appropriate audio and a long roster of bonus materials. While this becomes a good 4K release, the film itself flops.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of LAST CHRISTMAS
