Elf [Blu-ray]

Product Information

The new HDR10 grade, by and large, offers its own usual brand of improvement but also leads to this transfer's only slight speed bump. First, the

Deleted/Alternate Scenes (SD, 12 minutes) -- Eight cuts and extensions don’t amount to much material, but it’s an amusing collection that will give fans a few additional laughs. Unlike Vince Vaughn, Will Farrell has this silly comedy thing pretty down. He has not been one hundred percent successful in pulling it off, in the case of Bewitched and Semi-Pro, he had nothing to work with in terms of script, nor narrative. In Elf, he innocently captures every nuance of a naïve, genuinely honest, certainly not bashful, underexposed, immature man, clearly out of his element no matter where it is. His performance was so good, I really believed him. Unlike Vaughn, he doesn't appear stupid, silly, or plain trifling just for the effect. While there are plenty of silly moments, they are means to an end in enhancing the characters obvious nature, and the awkwardness of his interaction with his environment. The entire cast, which centers on James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, and Daniel Tay along with Farrell, contrastingly shows a level of dysfunction, alienation, and neglect that is juxtaposed to Farrell's jovial, enthusiastic, innocence, and strong desire to connect with his father. In essence, he just wants to be accepted and loved. All of this is clearly fleshed out with Farrell playing Buddy in Elf. He shows a dynamic complexity which really looks like simple silliness, and he does it without really trying. Then, of course, there's the "bonus" of finally having the film in its proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio rather than the open-matte 1.78:1 version seen on the screenshots were sourced from, albeit reluctantly -- is identical to its 2008 counterpart, see our review linked above for a critique of its ancient VC-1 disc that, like others in WB's New Line catalog, was plagued by digital noise reduction, filtering, and other issues (they're all repeatedly mentioned in

Side guide

night-and-day visual improvements for a major studio home video release in recent memory. It's tempting to award Elf the full five stars for Warner Bros.' new 2160p, HDR10-enhanced transfer quite simply runs circles around their 2008 Blu-ray which, to be fair to our review of that disc, probably looked fine enough on recycled and listed below mostly in name only, although both vintage audio commentaries are helpfully repeated on the 4K disc. Focus Points– You can essentially watch the above features while watching the film. I don’t know why anyone would, though. After several years on TV’s “Saturday Night Live”, Will Ferrell was ready (as so many SNL alumni are) to make the leap from the small screen to the big. He’d had some supporting parts in other movies, most notably in Todd Phillips’ Old School earlier in 2003; but it wasn’t until Elf that Ferrell really came into his own. Ferrell’s comedic talent is off the scale and he’s had me in stitches on more than one occasion. He’s got that kind of humor in which you really don’t know what will come out of his mouth next. Teaming up with director Jon Favreau was a smart move as well. Favreau has had some notable roles in front of the camera, but is most widely known for writing the indie-favorite “Swingers”. Ferrell’s humor and Favreau’s sometimes dark side combine to form a pretty entertaining movie and one that says a lot more about holiday spirit than others that prattle on about it.

The details in all the Christmas decorations, toys, costume trims, and Manhattan storefronts are crystal clear and razor-sharp close-ups showcase pores, hair follicles, crow's feet, tiny facial blemishes, Asner's scraggly beard, and Deschanel's creamy skin. Shadow delineation is excellent, especially in the climactic nocturnal scene in Central Park, instances of crush are minimal, and the special visual effects and animation are seamlessly woven into the film's fabric.

Elf: Other Editions

almost expected for this kind of film -- but unfortunately keeps Elf from flirting more closely with perfection. Had WB included a The 4K disc includes its primary English audio in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio format. The soundstage is surprisingly big and wide up front, particularly for a comedy film—notably bigger and fuller sounding than the previous Blu-ray’s Dolby TrueHD mix—with crystal clear dialogue and a pleasing musicality. Tonally, the mix is robust and natural, with smooth panning, pleasing low end, and immersive use of the rear channels for score and ambience. This isn’t a blustery mix to be sure, but it definitely places you squarely in the middle of its various sonic environments. English Descriptive Audio is also available, as are additional mixes in French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. Optional subtitles are included in English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, French, and Spanish. reddish-orange shadows and, in extremely dark moments, this shift takes over almost completely and stands out a touch too strongly against the appropriate boost such as the North Pole crew, big-city signage, and the colorful Christmas displays at Gimbels department store. Buddy's child-like wonder, boundless seasonal enthusiasm, insatiable appetite for sugar, and genuine warmth make him an irresistible character, and Ferrell plays him with just the right mix of goofiness and sincerity. As a stranger in a strange land (and could there be any stranger land for a sheltered man-child than the Big Apple?), Buddy must adapt to a whole new set of rules and morals, and some of the film's best moments occur when he interacts with a gruff, cynical populace that's as frosty as an icicle.

Production Featurettes (SD, 39 minutes) -- "Tag Along with Will Ferrell" follows the comedian on a typical day of shooting, "How They Made the North Pole" looks at the design and implementation of the arctic sets, "Lights Camera Puffin" examines the use of animation and special effects in the film, and "That's a Wrap" explores the various post-production work and efforts of the filmmakers. The only time ‘Elf’ doesn’t feel like a breezy Christmas classic is when it has to wrap up every loose end in the third act and allow Buddy to emerge as a holiday hero to a variety of people. There are so many things for Buddy to accomplish -- reconnecting with his real father, winning the girl, saving Christmas, inspiring belief in children, and more -- that Favreau is forced to resort to familiar genre resolutions on more than one occasion. Don’t get me wrong, it fits the tone of the film, but the first two acts are so resourceful and clever that its conclusion feels a bit forced and unoriginal.Documentaries–“Documentaries” is pushing it, below are 9 vignettes ranging in length from a few minutes to 20 minutes (“Film School for Kids”).