Love Actually (4k UHD + Blu-Ray + Digital HD)
Blu-Ray Reviews | Dec 13th, 2023
Starring: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, Bill Nighy, Rowan Atkinson
Written By: Richard Curtis
Directed By: Richard Curtis
Studio: Universal Studios
Buy On Amazon.com
The Christmas rom-com that people either love or hate is celebrating 20 years and it’s available on 4k UHD. I watch the movie every season, despite it being depressing with some awful people in it. Is this worth upgrading though if you already have a Blu-Ray? Ehhh, not sure.
Love Actually intertwines several storylines throughout the movie, some people know each other, some don’t. I’m not really going to get into the plot description since this movie has been around for 20 years. Love Actually…is all around us is pretty much the premise. Oh, I said the title of the movie!
For some reason, I have to watch Love Actually every season. It’s whimsical, it’s funny but it’s also pretty depressing with some awful characters. Every year I find things to pick apart and trash about it, but for some reason – I keep coming back. The cast is outstanding, it’s filmed in London and things are mostly happy by the end of it. The things I pick apart: how many wedding guests were really at this ceremony because to me, there just seems to be random musicians in the audience. You’re telling me no one had any idea that Andrew Lincoln’s character was in love with his best friend’s wife? Maybe they thought he was in love with his best friend which seems plausible too. The part at the end when the kid runs through the airport, bypassing security is the biggest eye roll of the movie, especially after 9/11. The kid would have been tased before taking 5 steps. Also, how quickly Jamie goes from Xmas eve in London to Aurélia’s place of work in another country – in the same night! Come on!
How many people would have gotten sued or fired for sexual harassment at their place of business, etc. I’m trying to figure out who the worst character in the movie is. Andrew Lincoln’s character who’s in love with his best friend’s wife? The woman’s trying to sleep with Alan Rickman’s character who is her boss? The prime minister firing someone because he can’t stop thinking of boning his employee? The writer who’s obsessed with the hired help? The list can go on and on. Should this movie just be called Canceled Actually? Joking aside, I still like this movie a lot for some reason.
The release has a new featurette where some of the actors and Richard Curtis talk about the impact of the movie. It was hard to hear some producers or people since the footage was inconsistent. Curtis talked about how the story came to be, how it was edited and how it worked since there are so many different storylines. Lots of things like that but I enjoyed the new “making of” since I like the movie. The rest of the extras seemed like carryovers from the Blu-Ray release.
The biggest complaint I have with the 4k UHD is the quality of the footage. It definitely doesn’t seem like an upgrade at times with the disc or the streaming. There’s a lot of grain and doesn’t feel like a lot of effort went into upgrading the quality. It’s one of the few times I noticed this when reviewing movies. If you don’t own the movie, then sure get this on 4k but I’d just stick with the Blu-ray honestly.
Features:
Making Love Actually
Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Richard Curtis
The Music of Love Actually with Introduction by Richard Curtis
The Storytellers
Kelly Clarkson “The Trouble With Love Is” Music Video
Billy Mack “Christmas Is All Around” Music Video
Audio Commentary
Video:
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS 5.1
Subtitles:
English SDH, Spanish
Bottom Line: It’s still a movie I watch every year but there’s a lot of questionable characters in the movie to say the least.
Running Time: 135 mins
Rating: R
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:
