King Richard (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: January 8, 2022
Rating: PG-13
Film: 4/5
 
Plot
Armed with a clear vision and a brazen 78-page plan, Richard Williams (Will Smith) is determined to write his daughters, Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton), into history. Training on Compton, California’s abandoned tennis courts - rain or shine - the girls are shaped by their father’s unyielding commitment and their mother’s (Aunjanue Ellis) balanced perspective and keen intuition, defying the seemingly insurmountable odds and prevailing expectations laid before them.
 
Based on the true story that will inspire the world, “King Richard” follows the uplifting journey of a family whose unwavering resolve and unconditional belief ultimately delivers two of the world’s greatest sports legends.
 
My Thoughts
I’m a big fan of biopics and especially love them if they’re based on athletes. While this story delves into the development of Venus and Serena Williams, the main focus is on their father, who put into place a plan from before they were born to raise world class tennis players. While I played competitive tennis in high school, it was never the sport that I loved like baseball, football, or soccer, so I can’t say I’ve followed the professional matches throughout my life. Of course, I knew about the Williams sisters, I never knew the story behind their development, so this movie was an eye-opening experience for me.
 
Raising kids is one of the hardest jobs my wife and I ever had in our lives, and we had “normal” kids. I can’t even imagine raising one, or better yet, two world-class athletes. Richard and Brandy Williams should be commended on the work they did with their children. Not only are Venus and Serena champions, but they are also world-class individuals due to their upbringing. Sure, Richard is a piece of work and by the end of the movie you’ll see how he became such a polarizing figure, but even through his quirks his prepared his girls to thrive on the world stage and became role models for countless kids who looked up to their achievements.
 
Sadly, Warner didn’t have 4K copies available for review, but this isn’t necessarily the type of film that shines on 4K anyway. The Blu-ray presentation is very good and has adequate depth and detail, accurate colors, and a clean digital print. The Atmos audio is mainly front loaded throughout the film although the tennis matches bring in some overhead effects.
      
Video 4/5 (AVC)
 
 Audio 4/5 (Dolby Atmos)
 
Special Features:
 

• Following the Plan – The Making of King Richard
• Becoming Richard
• Champions on Screen
• Deleted Scenes
• Blu-ray + Digital Copy

 

 
 
Conclusion
When true stories make their way to the silver screen you have to do a lot of research on what’s actually true versus make believe. What you will witness here is more than 90% true. Sure, there’s some slight changing of events for dramatic purposes. Those small changes aside, this is as real as it gets, and I found it to be one of the most inspiring films I’ve watched in a long time. 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
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
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 F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[bmoney]

I really enjoyed this one on HBo. 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review.

Will check it out.

[Ralph P.]

Greetings,

Thanks Dave. I liked this as well and thought that the cast as a whole were quite good.


Regards,

[David Vaughn]

Greetings,

Thanks Dave. I liked this as well and thought that the cast as a whole were quite good.


Regards,

Thanks for chiming in Ralph. Totally agree!

[Barry]

Just saw the movie last night on your recommendation. (it returned to streaming). Totally agree with you. I do wish that there was a bit more time spent on the girls. That is, I really didn't learn much about their personalities. 

[David Vaughn]

Just saw the movie last night on your recommendation. (it returned to streaming). Totally agree with you. I do wish that there was a bit more time spent on the girls. That is, I really didn't learn much about their personalities.

True, but the story was supposed to be about the man behind their rise to success. The title wasn't Queen Williams

[Barry]

The on;y reason we want to learn about him is because we want to learn about his daughters.

[David Vaughn]

The on;y reason we want to learn about him is because we want to learn about his daughters.

True, but they've been in the public eye for more than 20 years...I found it interesting to see the man behind the curtain (so to speak). We were able to see some of Venus, but Serena was more of a subplot. 

[Barry]

True, but the story was supposed to be about the man behind their rise to success. The title wasn't Queen Williams

Here we can get Siskel and Ebert like!

I didn't give a darn about Richard Williams. I did nit wake up this morning and say, "I want to see a Movie about a total stranger."  Period. I only watched the movie (other than you recommending it) because I wanted to learn about Serina and Venus.

That was the only reason.

I liked the Sopranos, I give it a high rating of very good.
I watched The Many Saints of Newark not learn about Dickie Moltisanti, but to see the history of Tony Soprano. But I saw little of Tony and I would rate this movie far below the Sopranos.  So I said I would have liked to see a bit more of the sisters. It would have made a better movie.

[David Vaughn]

Here we can get Siskel and Ebert like!

I didn't give a darn about Richard Williams. I did nit wake up this morning and say, "I want to see a Movie about a total stranger."  Period. I only watched the movie (other than you recommending it) because I wanted to learn about Serina and Venus.

That was the only reason.

I liked the Sopranos, I give it a high rating of very good.
I watched The Many Saints of Newark not learn about Dickie Moltisanti, but to see the history of Tony Soprano. But I saw little of Tony and I would rate this movie far below the Sopranos.  So I said I would have liked to see a bit more of the sisters. It would have made a better movie.

Should we Siskel and Ebert this one too