IF (UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: August 13, 2024
Rating: PG
Film: 4/5

Plot
Starring Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, and John Krasinski, IF is a heartwarming and hilarious tale about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends, known as IFs. She embarks on a magical journey to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids, before they disappear. An adventure you'll need to believe to see, IF is perfect for the whole family. Written and directed by John Krasinski, the film also features a stellar voice cast including Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Steve Carell.

My Thoughts
I had zero expectations going into this film and really didn’t know what it was about having never seen the trailer. I requested it for two reasons—first, I like Krasinski and his other original work, The Quite Place, was fantastic. Second, my wife is always on the lookout for “clean” films that aren’t filled with violence and foul language, so I figured I could score a few points by having this in the queue. What I didn’t expect was to love the film so much—it's a gem.

The story isn’t real deep and begins with a video montage of a young girl and her family as they spend time together, but you soon see that Mom is battling cancer and spoiler alert, it doesn’t go well. Fast-forward seven years later and the protagonist, Bea (Fleming), is back in New York City staying with her grandmother since her father (Krasinski) is in the hospital battling his own illness. It’s during this trying time that Bea discovers that there’s a secret world of Imaginary Friends that have been abandoned by their kids out growing them and she intends to set things right and in the process learns a lot about herself and her past.

As much as we enjoyed the film, the presentation is just as impressive. I was floored with the amount of detail in the digitally captured image and it features vivid detail in both the foreground and background. Furthermore, the depth is some of the best you’ll ever see and the CGI blends seamlessly. The Atmos track doesn’t disappoint either with plenty of effects coming from throughout the room and the LFE is surprisingly robust when called upon.

Video 10/10
Audio 9/10 (Dolby Atmos)

Special Features:

• The Imagination Behind IF
• Imagining Imaginary Friends
• Giving Ifs a Voice
• Blending The Real and the Imaginary
• Tina Turner Forever!
• The Imaginative World of IF
• Gag Reel
• Learn to Draw Blue from IF
• UHG + Digital Code

Conclusion
I wasn’t sure I would enjoy this film and it sat on my desk for more than a week before we decided to give it a try. Thank God we did because it’s one of the better new releases we’ve watched in a while. For the life of me I can’t understand how half the critics panned it, but I guess it wasn’t woke enough or they are too cynical to just let themselves go and see things through a kid’s eyes. Highly recommended.


Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 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
 Dual Rythmik FV15HP2
 Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[SRW1000]

Thanks for the review, David.  I've had this one on our list for a while; the trailer looked very intriguing when we caught it during the Super Bowl.

Krasinski is one of those rare Hollywood people that seems to have both oodles of natural talent and yet remains grounded.  It's refreshing to see something aimed at a family audience, but unfortunate that it didn't do well at the box office.  I wonder if that hurts our chances of seeing more of these kinds of films in the future.  I hope not.  Maybe it can find a new audience on disc or streaming.

Great A/V quality is icing on the cake.  I'm eager to see this one.

[David Vaughn]

Thanks for the review, David.  I've had this one on our list for a while; the trailer looked very intriguing when we caught it during the Super Bowl.

Krasinski is one of those rare Hollywood people that seems to have both oodles of natural talent and yet remains grounded.  It's refreshing to see something aimed at a family audience, but unfortunate that it didn't do well at the box office.  I wonder if that hurts our chances of seeing more of these kinds of films in the future.  I hope not.  Maybe it can find a new audience on disc or streaming.

Great A/V quality is icing on the cake.  I'm eager to see this one.

I think you'll enjoy it as much as Lori and I did. Very touching. 

[SRW1000]

I think you'll enjoy it as much as Lori and I did. Very touching.

Alas, I'm one of the people that just didn't enjoy it very much. I do applaud them making something that is still aimed at the entire family, but I just couldn't engage with the film.  Maybe it works better on people who have raised kids?

I will say that the opening was a nearly perfect emotional montage, somewhat reminiscent of Disney's Up. Seeing the shot of the mother with the scarf on her head, and the realization of what it meant, hit really hard.  It started to lose me shortly after that, though.  Krasinski's performance was just too consistently goofy.  I know what he was trying to do with the character, but maybe just a touch of seriousness, even out of sight of his daughter, would have given the movie an extra dimension for the audience.  on the other end, Louis Gossett Jr.'s performance as Lewis was the single standout character for me.  Even though it was just a bit part, he was wise and warm, making it both memorable and poignant; a combination that's not all common.

The other thing that really hurt the movie for me was Michael Giacchino's score.  He did such an effective job with the aforementioned Up, but this one feels too treacly for almost the entirety of the film, as opposed to just breezy or whimsical.  The interjection of Khachaturian's Spartacus ballet piece offered a welcome respite from the rest of those pieces. 

The Blu-ray quality was pristine, and the disc also came with an Atmos track.  Both big wins for the AV community, and worth checking out, just for those merits.

My wife did like it a lot more than I did, and I'm happy to see that they're still making movies like this, even if it didn't hit home for me. 

[David Vaughn]

Alas, I'm one of the people that just didn't enjoy it very much. I do applaud them making something that is still aimed at the entire family, but I just couldn't engage with the film.  Maybe it works better on people who have raised kids?

I will say that the opening was a nearly perfect emotional montage, somewhat reminiscent of Disney's Up. Seeing the shot of the mother with the scarf on her head, and the realization of what it meant, hit really hard.  It started to lose me shortly after that, though.  Krasinski's performance was just too consistently goofy.  I know what he was trying to do with the character, but maybe just a touch of seriousness, even out of sight of his daughter, would have given the movie an extra dimension for the audience.  on the other end, Louis Gossett Jr.'s performance as Lewis was the single standout character for me.  Even though it was just a bit part, he was wise and warm, making it both memorable and poignant; a combination that's not all common.

The other thing that really hurt the movie for me was Michael Giacchino's score.  He did such an effective job with the aforementioned Up, but this one feels too treacly for almost the entirety of the film, as opposed to just breezy or whimsical.  The interjection of Khachaturian's Spartacus ballet piece offered a welcome respite from the rest of those pieces. 

The Blu-ray quality was pristine, and the disc also came with an Atmos track.  Both big wins for the AV community, and worth checking out, just for those merits.

My wife did like it a lot more than I did, and I'm happy to see that they're still making movies like this, even if it didn't hit home for me.

Glad at least your wife liked it  It does look and sound good though....you should see the 4K!