REVIEW — “Moonlight” Blu-ray

Moonlight was one of the biggest films of 2016. A critical success with audiences and critics alike, it received the acclaim it deserved. Featuring beautiful acting, cinematography a great score, and a truly touching story, I was highly awaiting to get my hands on the Blu-rays. You can check out my full review here but having seen it 4 more times since then I appreciate the movie a lot more now and while I still have trouble fully getting into it, I can recognize it’s brilliance. This is one of the few 2016 Blu-rays I planned on picking up so let’s get into the review.

Packaging- This version of the film was single disk and VOD and it’s the basic packaging. The slipcover looks very sleek and uncluttered. All the screenshots from the film on the back are tinted different colors which is a nice touch. Other than that, there is nothing remarkable about the packaging. There is no interesting art or alternative poster. This isn’t shocking for a Blu-ray release. It is fitting for the movie and nothing is lacking.

Audio/Visual– This is the good stuff. Moonlight was praised for its visual style when it was initially released and it looks so damn good on Blu-ray. The screen pops with deep blues and light reds, and every shot is visually interesting and a treat for the eye. It is a great transfer and I have no problems with it what so ever. The score pulses through the speakers and you’re fully immersed in the experience. Many scenes had me forgetting to breathe and I felt like I was watching it in a theater. Technically the Blu-ray is a 5/5.

Bonus Features– While there are no quirky Bloopers featured, I found the Bonus features, while scarce, to be great.

• Audio Commentary with Director Barry Jenkins: This was my favorite bonus feature and is the only one I could see myself revisiting. I found everything Barry Jenkins said to be simply fascinating. Every insight and behind the scenes fact he talked about just made the experience so much better.
• Ensemble of Emotion: The Making of Moonlight: This was what’d you expect, a lot of cast interviews, the producers talking, etc. A lot of the time they’re just explaining the movie and it gets a tad bit monotonous but it’s worth watching.
• Poetry Through Collaboration: The Music of Moonlight: This featurette was very interesting to watch because the score, in my opinion, is one of the best aspects of the Moonlight. I was frankly fascinated to hear how Barry Jenkins and Composer Nicholas Britell worked on the score for the film.
• Cruel Beauty: Filming in Miami: This is the shortest feature on the Blu-ray and the most disposable. It’s not necessarily bad, just not very remarkable. They re-use footage from previous featurettes and it’s kinda just tacked on. If you were to skip a Bonus Feature it would be this one
• Trailers: It’s just the trailers for the movie.

Overall this is a great Blu-ray and definitely one to pick up. My only complaints would be that there are no deleted scenes featured and there is a criminally low amount of Bonus Features but other than that it’s definitely worth your money.

Come February 28 will you be picking up Moonlight?