If you blinked twice, you might have missed this at the theaters. However, having a 9 year old daughter I did not miss this at the theaters. From a kids stand point, she loved the film and was ecstatic when she heard I would be reviewing this on Blu-ray. From an adult’s standpoint I must say that it was rather enjoyable. In layman’s terms, that means I didn’t fall asleep. 😉 There’s plenty of comedy and action to keep you interested at these cute characters. Directed by Kelly Asbury and featuring music from Elton John it is slightly based on the Shakespeare play “Romeo and Juliet”. The key voice actors are James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Jason Statham, Matt Lucas, Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan and more.
The movie takes place in modern society in the UK ; in the environment of gardens. Two houses next to each other house the gardens in the back yards, which there by house the Capulet’s on one side and the Montague’s on the other. Obviously they hate each other, not just the gnomes in the backyards but the neighbors too. It’s reds vs. blues in this rivalry and in the midst of each other always trying to best the other comes a relationship between Juliet and Gnomeo. There are plenty of antics and pranks being played and a huge test of revenge after Gnomeo’s lawn mower gets destroyed in a race against the Reds. So between the budding relationship with Gnomeo and Juliet mixed with the determination of revenge spews enough drama and action to flip this movie upside down until … *gasp* You guessed it, a happy ending. Gnomeo & Juliet is a nice family fun flick that can be enjoyed for years with the little ones.
Gnomeo and Juliet’s 1080p transfer is one that just totally pops off the screen. The vibrant colors look amazing on Blu-ray. This film hit theaters pre-Easter (by quite some time) however it’s hard to tell because there is so much pastel colors in this one. Animated films just always tend to look great on Blu-ray and this one is no different. It does its job, and does it well. Children will get to laugh again at this fun film, while parents may be taken back by the clarity of Blu-ray on animated films.
Right from the first scene viewers will be taken aback by the eye popping colors from reds to greens to blues, all stand out in a marvelous fashion. Objects from gnomes, the dirt, surroundings, etc. are all incredibly detailed. Just as expected form a studio like Disney.
Now onto the 3D aspects of the film and I must say that Disney has always set the bar high. Sometimes that sounds like an understatement. But and this is a big but, Gnomeo and Juliet didn’t reach that high bar. It looks good and they did a good job with the title, but it just didn’t quite impress me. The 3D effects were good for the most part, but there are a few issues that linger throughout the film. Ghosting appears to be the biggest problem here more than anything else. Depth also suffers throughout; objects do not show as much deep space in between. It could be me, but there seems to be some blurriness in the background of some scenes. Disney did a good job, but it certainly didn’t reach the high standard of other 3D release.
Gnomeo and Juliet comes your way with a punch packing DTS-HD Master 7.1 lossless audio track. Voice clarity is high and the tunes of Elton John and 7.1 lossless are just amazing. For a film of this nature, I don’t think you could ask for more when receiving a 7.1 lossy track. Hell I was surprised to hear it got that, but happy as it seems someone had his or her head screwed on right. Why? Because they spent a small fortune on contracting Elton so you might as well do the audio track right on the home video release. Although rather front heavy, it’s an engulfing experience when listening in 7.1.
The supplements mirror the Gnomeo and Juliet 2D release plus the digital copy. The features are listed below:
Elton Builds a Garden: A detailed look at Elton John’s involvement in this flick.
Alternate Endings With Filmmaker Introductions: A nice piece, be sure to watch it.
Deleted and Alternate Scenes With Filmmaker Introductions: Quite a few to indulge in.
Frog Talk with Ashley Jensen: Voice actor Ashley Jenson chats it up as the Frog.
The Fawn of Darkness: The casting of Ozzy Osbourne
Crocodile Rock music video: Nelly Furtado featuring Elton John
The bottom line is simple, it’s a great kids movie. The video quality is awesome and the audio quality isn’t far behind. You should already know if this title needs to be added to your collection based on your family’s movie watching history. It’s funny, cute, and has some good music. The supplements have a nice array to sort through and thus the film has plenty of replay value for kids. Recommended.
