A Star is Born is a well made music-drama and although I can’t compare it to the other versions, I thought this one had some great music to go along with solid performances from Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in her feature film debut.
A Star is Born
(2018)
Genre(s): Drama, Music
Warner Bros. | R – 136 min. – $44.95 | February 19, 2019
Date Published: 02/19/2019 | Author: The Movieman
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Jackson Maine (BRADLEY COOPER) is a seasoned musician who discovers — and falls in love with — struggling artist Ally (LADY GAGA). She has just about given up on her dreams to make it big as a singer… until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jackson fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons. Review: Should be mentioned, I have not seen any of the previous incarnations of A Star is Born, the first one released in 1937, remade in 1954 starring Judy Garland and James Mason, again in 1976 with Kris Kristofferson and Barbara Streisand and now the 2018 version. While I had not seen the others, I can say, this Star is Born is pretty damn impressive, if only for the catchy and superbly written songs, but also two incredible performances from Bradley Cooper (showing his musical side) and Lady Gaga (showing her acting side).
Along with starring, Bradley Cooper also handled directing duties in his debut after Clint Eastwood’s attempts to get the remake off the ground stalled (apparently Beyoncé was originally rumored to co-star with Cooper). For his debut, Cooper did an admirable job especially for a film that does have a compilation of live concert music videos. As I said, the performances from both Cooper and Lady Gaga were rather impressive. Cooper for his part is a damn good singer and overall musician while Gaga, of course has an incredible voice, but acquits herself nicely as an actress, though I’m not sure she’s going to segue into acting and probably be along the lines of Cher or Beyoncé, perhaps starring in a movie or two, but mainly continuing her focus on music; but she does have some wonderful charisma and hope to see her in a role that doesn’t require her vocals. The film does feature an interesting supporting cast. Sam Elliot appears as Cooper’s older brother who also basically was a father-figure; Dave Chappelle has one scene playing a former band mate to Cooper; and the most interesting one, and I didn’t realize it until I read the credit block on the back cover, Andrew Dice Clay plays Lady Gaga’s father. Not going to say ADC is a great actor, but does show a bit more range than he had in the past where he more or less was playing himself.
A Star is Born is a well made music-drama and although I can’t compare it to the other versions, I thought this one had some great music to go along with solid performances from Bradley Cooper, who did a wonderful job in his directorial debut, and Lady Gaga in her feature film debut. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.5/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy slip cover and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. All of the features are in high-definition. The Road to Stardom: Making A Star is Born (30:02) is a semi-lengthy behind the scenes featurette with interviews by the cast and crew including Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga and others going through the prep work for the singing aspects. Jam Sessions and Rarities:
Music Videos:
Musical Moments (28:33) allows you to go directly to the songs. Previews – Crazy Rich Asians, The Mule, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald |
4K VIDEO – 4.75/5, BD VIDEO – 5.0/5 |
| Warner Brothers releases A Star is Born presented with a 2160p (on 4K) and 1080p (Blu-ray) high-definition transfer and shown in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio. This is a brilliant looking movie on both formats, detail is sharp and colors vivid thanks to the included HDR (and Dolby Vision but I do not have the set-up to test it). In addition, there weren’t any obvious signs of banding so there are smooth transitions of the color spectrums. The Blu-ray meanwhile, looks equally amazing in high-definition, detail is still amazingly sharp and colors, albeit perhaps not as bold in comparison as on 4K, still shined bright. |
AUDIO – 5.0/5 |
| Both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray come equipped with a Dolby Atmos track and this kind of track is made for a movie like this. There is a great balance between the quieter, more introspective scenes and the concert sequences where the track really comes to life with amazing clarity and every speaker gets utilized. |
OVERALL – 4.0/5 |
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Overall, A Star is Born is a well made music-drama and although I can’t compare it to the other versions, I thought this one had some great music to go along with solid performances from Bradley Cooper, who did a wonderful job in his directorial debut, and Lady Gaga in her feature film debut. This 4K UHD/Blu-ray combo pack is on the lighter side with the features (would’ve liked a more in-depth making-of documentary and commentary track) but the video/audio transfers are both top notch. |
The screen captures came from the Blu-ray copy and are here to add visuals to the review and do not represent the 4K video.