Emma (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Universal  
Release Date: May 19, 2020
Rating: PG
Film: 2.5/5

Plot
Handsome, clever and rich, Emma Woodhouse (Taylor-Joy) is a restless “queen bee” without rivals in her sleepy little English town. In this glittering satire of social class, Emma must navigate her way through the challenges of growing up, misguided matches and romantic missteps to realize the love that has been there all along.

My Thoughts
Based on the classic novel by Jane Austen, Emma has been reimaged plenty of times for the big screen, but I can’t say this one met expectations. Directed by Autumn de Wilde, the film is technically sound and has beautiful sets and costumes, but neither my wife, daughter, or I, connected with the main character. The first act was a snore-fest but do admit the film got better in the second half, but by that time none of us really cared enough to get emotionally invested. 86% of the critics loved it according to Rottentomatoes.com, so we are definitely in the minority. 

While the screenplay didn’t lure me in, the fantastic AVC encode did. This is a beautifully shot film that’s bright and vibrant. Even the darker sequences teem with detail and depth. The soundtrack is a mixed bag though as the score is a bit hot compared to the dialog, so we struggled to find the right balance with the volume control being heavily utilized.

Video 5/5 

Audio 4/5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)

Special Features:

• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel
• A Playful Tease
• Crafting a Colorful World
• The Autumn Gaze
• Feature Commentary
• Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

Conclusion
While the performances were decent, none of us really liked Emma enough to buy into the entire premise of the story. Maybe that was the point and we just missed it, but to a person we all thought she needed a good ass whoopin’. At least the video quality was reference from beginning to end.

[AVSCraig]

It seemed to get good critic and audience reviews, but I've been on the fence about this one. And you didn't help move me off the fence !

[Ralph P.]

Greetings,

Totally agree regarding the slow start but, I connected with it during the second act and liked it more than you Dave.


Regards, 

[David Vaughn]

Greetings,

Totally agree regarding the slow start but, I connected with it during the second act and liked it more than you Dave.


Regards,

I agree it got better as it went along, but not enough to save it. The version from 24 years ago with Gweneth Paltrow is superior.