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Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Spy (Blu-ray) (2015)

Spy (Blu-ray) (2015)

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Released 30-Sep-2015

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Action Comedy Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
Additional Footage
Featurette-Making Of-How Spy Was Made
Audio Commentary
Gallery-Photo
Theatrical Trailer
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production 2015
Running Time 120:06
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Ads Then Menu
Region Coding 2,4 Directed By Paul Feig
Studio
Distributor

Twentieth Century Fox
Starring Melissa McCarthy
Jason Statham
Rose Byrne
Jude Law
Peter Serafinowicz
Miranda Hart
Case Standard Blu-ray
RPI $29.95 Music Theodore Shapiro


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English DTS HD Master Audio 7.1
English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 5.1
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.40:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 1080p
Original Aspect Ratio 2.40:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English
English Audio Commentary
Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits Yes

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     Even though 2013’s The Heat was a word-of-mouth success that earned an inexplicable amount of praise, this reviewer found it tedious - an unfocused action-comedy in need of tighter editing, sharper scripting and a more competent craftsman at the helm. There was not much hope, then, for director Paul Feig’s follow-up effort, 2015’s Spy. Miraculously, though, the resultant movie is a marked improvement over The Heat, even if it falls short of perfection. To be sure, Spy is definitely overlong and crass, not to mention it panders to a handful of “girl power” tropes (it’s more of a feminist action movie than the phenomenal Mad Max: Fury Road). Nevertheless, it is handsomely produced and benefits from the presence of an amicable cast, most notably the always-reliable Jason Statham, the charming Jude Law, and the underrated Peter Serafinowicz.

     Despite being a star pupil in training, CIA analyst Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy) is stuck in an office all day every day, yearning for the chance to become a field agent. She’s a resourceful asset to the team, dedicated to helping the suave Bradley Fine (Law) in every aspect of his life, from helping him through dangerous situations to doing his laundry. During an operation to investigate Bulgarian arms dealer Raina Boyanov (Rose Byrne), it is revealed that the names and faces of all active field agents have been compromised, leaving the CIA unsure of how to proceed. Cooper, however, puts her hand up, volunteering to travel to Rome to provide surveillance on Boyanov. It’s not as easy as anticipated, though, especially with the overzealous Rick Ford (Statham) not taking kindly to being excluded from the assignment.

     As with The Heat, Spy’s narrative is definitely too convoluted, as it meanders around searching for direction before settling on a climax. This episodic structure in itself is not a bad thing, as classic films like The Blues Brothers utilise it, but Feig is not quite talented enough to sustain the movie through to the finish line. It is funny, especially whenever Statham is around, but it’s nothing overly memorable. As evidenced in Bridesmaids and The Heat, Feig’s comedy is derived from the shock value of crass humour and vulgar language to compensate for the lack of actual wit. While an R-rated comedy is to be cherished in this day and age, Feig fails to fulfil the project’s potential. The director also has a tendency to hold onto punch-lines and scenes of improvisation for far too long, displaying too much trust in the ensemble. Consequently, pacing is often fairly sedate, and the issue is exacerbated by the undeniable fact that the movie is over-plotted.

     It’s palpable from the outset that Feig has placed his parody crosshairs on the James Bond franchise, even kicking off with a 007-style opening credits sequence, and establishing an unmistakable spy thriller vibe. Perhaps the king of action-comedy was 2007’s Hot Fuzz, a British romp which managed to be both a kick-ass actioner and a side-splitting comedy. Spy lacks the sparkle of wit that elevated Hot Fuzz, on top of coming up short in the action department. Astonishingly, Spy appears to be the first major motion picture to employ digital muzzle flashes as opposed to actual blank-firing weapons, a baffling choice that’s incredibly distracting, not to mention the CGI blood is some of the very worst ever seen in cinema (The Expendables included). A few brief shots of digital blood puffs would be acceptable, but Feig lingers, using slow motion for no good reason, allowing us to observe the computer-generated viscera in all its phoney non-glory. Admittedly, though, the movie is elevated to an extent by the fight choreography, with McCarthy given the chance to show off some impressive moves. It’s ridiculous of course, but all part of the joke.

     McCarthy’s track record as a lead actress has been shonky, to say the least; she’s insufferable in The Heat, Identity Thief and Tammy. Although Spy makes use of McCarthy’s typical persona, she doesn’t get on the nerves as much here, and she does score a few laughs. But ultimately, Spy works as an ensemble piece, and it helps that McCarthy is surrounded by plenty of talented thespians. This is Statham’s first comedy since Guy Ritchie’s Snatch. fifteen years ago, yet he displays top-notch comedic timing, not to mention he’s completely willing to play an utter cartoon, merrily parodying his own action star image. It’s particularly amusing to see the tough guy trying to disguise himself in various get-ups. He thoroughly upstages McCarthy, and though it’s a shame the movie didn’t centre on him, it’s the element of surprise that makes Statham’s appearances so hilarious. Also of note is British funny-man Serafinowicz, who’s over-the-top in all the right ways, scoring more laughs than McCarthy despite limited screen-time. Australian actress Byrne makes a positive impression as well, shining with her deadpan line delivery and amusing accent. Meanwhile, Law plays a Bond-style secret agent with ample finesse.

     Hidden somewhere within Spy’s bloated two-hour runtime is an adequate ninety-minute action-comedy, and one cannot help but wonder what the film would have looked like if Feig’s script was revised by a more refined comedy writer. And, ultimately, the outlook for Feig’s impending all-female Ghostbusters reboot looks all the shakier, as the helmer exhibits none of the comic timing, wit or innovation of the 1984 original, not to mention it remains to be see if Feig can even handle a PG-13 comedy since his humour almost exclusively relies on profanity.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     Fox presents Spy in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, via an AVC-encoded 1080p high definition transfer that’s solid but falls short of reference quality. Feig and his cinematographer shot the movie digitally with Arri Alexa cameras, explaining in the audio commentary that this decision was made because digital can better handle low-light situations.

     Being a digital production, there’s no grain structure, and as a result a number of shots do look pretty smooth, lacking that pop of fine detail that you come to expect from the best Blu-ray discs. I saw Spy at the cinema, and feel that the Blu-ray falls a bit short. Added to this, there is some minor black crush, especially in a scene set in a dungeon. I also noticed one scene in a restaurant with very poor texture on Susan’s black dress; it looks like she’s wearing a big black blob.

     Aside from these issues, the transfer is fine for the most part. Colour is great, with a palette that looks inviting, bright and natural. The image is also sharp, with well-delineated edges. I did not detect any banding, aliasing or any other encoding anomalies aside from the crush.

     Spy looks adequate on Blu-ray, but it could have looked better. An Ultra HD Blu-ray would be a good opportunity to rectify these flaws.

     There are only two subtitle options; English subtitles for the movie, and English subtitles for the commentary. Sampling both, I had no issues with them.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Carrying a generous DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track, Spy sounds perfectly adequate on Blu-ray, with a professionally-mixed track that carries a suitable amount of oomph. This is an action movie first and foremost, and all the gunshots and explosions do have punch, while the score by Theodore Shapiro sounds wonderful. Dialogue is easy to hear and well-mixed.

     No complaints from me.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

     Fox have pulled out all the stops for this extras package!

Menu

     One of the best menus of recent memory. The main title song "Who Can You Trust" plays over the menu, with many minutes of clips and images from the movie.

Redacted Scenes (3:13)

     Three scenes that didn’t wind up in the movie. Mildly interesting.

Classified Alternate Scenes (31:51)

     Over half an hour of deleted material is included here. Fans will probably be in heaven, but most everyone else will find this to be a bit of a slog.

Top Secret Gag Reel (6:39)

     An intermittently funny selection of outtakes. Worth watching.

Extra Top Secret Behind-the-Scenes Gag Reel (3:43)

     On-set goofing around recorded by the behind-the-scenes cameramen. It’s enjoyable, but I can’t say I laughed much.

Director of Intelligence Feig Makes The Cast Do His Bidding (8:53)

     Probably the best extra on this disc. What we have here is nine minutes of director Paul Feig feeding random lines to his actors, who constantly struggle to compose themselves. Very funny.

Susan and Her Men (8:18)

     A selection of clips involving McCarthy and all of her male co-stars. It’s mostly alternate takes, improv, and outtakes. Nothing much of interest to see here.

Super Villain Rayna Can’t Keep It Together (5:05)

     Rose Byrne struggles to keep a straight face as her co-stars (most notably Melissa McCarthy) constantly improvise and crack her up. Amusing stuff.

Super Vermin (1:34)

     Improvisation featuring characters in Susan’s office and the rats that take over.

The Man Deaths of Anton (0:57)

     A handful of alternate takes of Anton’s death scene. Not especially funny.

The Trouble with Covers (2:28)

     More outtakes and improvisation.

The Great Rick Ford (3:42)

     More improvisation, this time concerning Jason Statham’s character.

For Your Eyes Only: Jokes-A-Plenty (13:25)

     Just in case you thought there couldn’t possibly be anymore improvisation, here’s thirteen minutes of extended scenes with alternate dialogue. It’s getting exhausting now.

The Handsy World of Spies (1:52)

     The actors get handsy in a selection of outtakes here. Yes, more outtakes.

Speaking Is An Art Form (1:57)

     Guess what? More outtakes. Here’s another two minutes of actors flubbing lines.

Super Villains of the Animal World (2:19)

     Yep, more outtakes. The actors deal with the mice on-set, as well as bugs.

How Spy Was Made

     An eight-part behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie. Finally, we’re out of blooper territory. That was an ordeal. Anyway, the featurettes are as follows:

Paul Feig: Alt P (11:01)

     This first making-of featurette is solely concerned with Mr. Paul Feig. The cast and crew all wax lyrical about the director, who shows up to set everyday dressed immaculately in a tailored suit carrying a walking stick. Feig also chimes in with his philosophies about filmmaking and his directorial process. He loves to have tonnes of alternate material, which explains why the special features on this disc mostly consist of extended and alternate scenes.

Indecent Proposals from the Cast (3:04)

     The cast all share their most outlandish ideas, and Feig responds.

Changing Statham (5:45)

     Statham gets his own featurette. On-set footage and outtakes are intermingled with interviews as everybody talks about how great the action star was in a comedy role.

Stuntarama (13:26)

     Spy is an action-heavy movie, so this longest featurette in the bunch is concerned with the action and stunts, covering the fight choreography, stunt driving, and more. Insightful and interesting.

In Da Klub (6:26)

     Behind-the-scenes in Klub Nomad, with 50 Cent’s cameo.

Susan's Disguises (4:31)

     A fun little featurette focusing on Susan’s various disguises throughout the movie.

Odd Couple on Set (4:50)

     The camaraderie between McCarthy and Feig is examined in this featurette. They clearly have a great rapport and love working together.

No Go Gadgets (3:36)

     Some of the actors in character grab random items from the office and talk about how they could be turned into weapons.

The Filmmakers Tell You How Spy Was Made While You Watch The Movie! AKA The Commentary Track

     An audio commentary featuring Feig, cinematographer Robert Yeoman, gaffer John Vecchio, producer Jessie Henderson, and fight coordinator Wally Garcia. The group do have some interesting things to say, especially in regards to cinematography, improvisation, and how they managed to secure Statham. This is a decent track, but it’s not an essential listen.

Gallery

     About 30 images are included here. It’s a mixture of stills and on-set photos.

Theatrical Trailer (1:52)

    A green-band trailer, which seems like a bit of a waste.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     The Region A version includes the extended cut of the movie, which is absent from this disc. However, JB Hi-Fi stocks an exclusive edition with the extended cut, which pushes the rating from MA15+ to an R18+. One supposes that Fox just didn't want to widely release an R18+ disc, as it restricts sales. Well, thank goodness JB stepped up for anyone who wants the extended cut. Consumers have the freedom of choice on this one.

Summary

     I enjoyed Spy to an extent, mainly thanks to the eminently amusing Jason Statham, but it's fairly hit and miss on the whole. Fox's Blu-ray is acceptable, carrying a serviceable if slightly problematic video transfer, and a pretty good audio track. The extras are pretty substantial, more than anyone would have expected for a film like this. Fans should have a good time chewing through the disc. Nevertheless, rent before buying.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Callum Knox (I studied biology)
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Review Equipment
DVDPlayStation 4, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 42LW6500. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
AmplificationLG BH7520TW
SpeakersLG Tall Boy speakers, 5.1 set-up, 180W

Other Reviews NONE