Blinded by the Light (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Warner 
Release Date: November 19, 2019
Rating: PG-13
Film: 5/5

Plot
The film tells the story of Javed (Viveik Kalra), a British teen of Pakistani descent growing up in the town of Luton, England, in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father (Kulvinder Ghir). But when a classmate (Aaron Phagura) introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen, Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in the powerful lyrics. As Javed discovers a cathartic outlet for his own pent-up dreams, he also begins to find the courage to express himself in his own unique voice.

My Thoughts
As someone who didn’t grow up listening to Springsteen’s music, I wasn’t sure this was a movie that I would enjoy. Wow was I wrong. This is now my favorite movie of the year and is one of my top 3 films that I’ve seen in this decade. The performances are excellent all around, but especially from Kalra in the lead role. You can feel his pain and anguish throughout the movie and his conversations with his father are so lifelike and believable, it recons back to some discussions/arguments I had with my own father. This is one of those movies that resonated with both my wife and myself and it’s something we’ll probably revisit soon with family visiting over the holidays.

Video 4.5/5

Audio 4.75/5 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

• Memoir to Movie
• The Most Crazy Thing
• Deleted/Extended Scenes
• Blu-ray+ Digital Copy

Conclusion
Along with The Peanut Butter Falcon, this is definitely one of my favorite films of the year and I had to choose one of the two to watch first, I think this one edges it out by a nose. I really enjoyed the story, the relationships, and especially the characters themselves. Having an Atmos track definitely helped as well. Highly recommended.

Reference Review System:
 
 JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
 Anthem AVM60 Audio/Video Processor
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed ChannelsATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
 System Controller: URC MX-980
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
 HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
 SVS SB-3000 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion D110 Subwoofer x 2 (configured as tandem mid bass modules)
Mini DSP controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will try and check it out hopefully during the holidays if time permits.