BLU-RAY REVIEW

Dope

Featured In Issue 202, December 2015

Picture4.5
Sound4
WSR Score3
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
55171525
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Language, drug content, sexuality/nudity, and some violence––all involving teens.
(Retail Price):
$$34.98
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
104
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
(Disc Release Date):
10/13/2015
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Rick Famuyiwa
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD High Resolution 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(Subtitles):

In Dope, Malcolm (Moore) is a straight-A high-school senior into old-school rap who finds himself in the middle of an adventure involving shady drug deals, offbeat weirdos, and a backpack that can make or break his chance of getting into Harvard. (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurettes Dope Is Different (HD 03:21) and Dope Music (HD 03:29), upfront previews, and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 2.40:1 1080p AVC picture exhibits a crisp and clean digital appearance with a bright, vividly saturated color palette. Hues pop with rich and vibrant hues. Fleshtones are perfectly natural throughout. Contrast is well balanced with deep blacks and revealing detail in the shadows. Resolution is finely detailed, with features of faces, hair, clothing, and object texture nicely resolved. This is a visually pleasing picture that looks terrific. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is conventionally produced with essentially a monaural frontal presence sans the music score, which aggressively extends to the surrounds. The music is a highlight and is well recorded with excellent fidelity. Atmospherics and sound effects, while sonically natural, also are frontal focused. Dialogue sounds intelligible and natural. Forest Whitaker's narration is well balanced with a forward presence. Overall, this is an undistinguished soundtrack except for the high-energy music. (Gary Reber)