In The Kings Of Summer, three teenage friends—Joe (Robinson), Patrick (Basso), and eccentric and unpredictable Biaggio (Arias)—decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land. Free from their parents' rules, their idyllic summer quickly becomes a test of friendship as each boy learns to appreciate the fact that family—whether it is the one you're born into or the one you create—is something you can't run away from. (Gary Reber)
Special features include commentary with Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Writer Chris Galletta, and actors Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, and Moises Arias; three featurettes: Alison And Eugene (HD 02:17), The Long Shot (HD 02:59), and Frankly Speaking With Frank Toy (HD 01:21); deleted scenes (HD 14:07); and upfront previews.
The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture was photographed digitally with the Red Epic camera and is naturally rendered with a perfectly balanced color palette and natural fleshtones. Hues are never exaggerated and are nicely saturated, depending on interior or exterior setting. Contrast is well balanced with deep blacks and shadow delineation. Resolution is decently resolved, with fine detail exhibited in close-ups. Overall, this is a nicely executed visual experience that is naturally hued. (Gary Reber)
The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is dialogue focused, with natural settings of atmospherics in the woods. Special effects are effectively enhancing. Disappointedly, the surround immersion is limited to the music score, and otherwise the sonics are entirely frontal focused. Dialogue is unnaturally forward sounding and not particularly well integrated spatially. Overall, this is a serviceable soundtrack, with the occasional bass enhancement and surround spike, but is otherwise undistinguished. (Gary Reber)