Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Juno (Ellen Page) is a confident and candid teenage girl facing an unplanned pregnancy. Instead of taking the expedient way out with an abortion, she sets out to find the perfect parents to adopt her baby. With the support of her family and friends, she struggles with the physical changes that her body undergoes as well as the challenges of the social stereotypes associated with teenage pregnancy.

Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody tackles the subject of teen pregnancy in a way that is both serious and hilarious at the same time. Page's portrayal of Juno is what really makes the movie work, and the character is perfectly suited to her personality, even though I have never met a 16-year-old with the maturity or sense of humor that she exhibits. There are a few occasions in which the writing is perhaps a little too witty, but taken as a whole, this is a fabulous film worthy of its Best Picture Academy Award nomination.

Juno was a sleeper hit in 2007, and Fox Searchlight has given the film an "A-list" treatment for its release on Blu-ray. The AVC encode is very detailed except for the opening scene, which is very soft. Luckily, this is the only scene with that problem—the rest of the film is razor sharp. Colors are oversaturated a bit, but this is consistent throughout, which leads me to believe it was done for artistic reasons. The film grain is well preserved, although there are signs of some noise reduction, specifically in some waxy-looking flesh tones.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is dialog-driven and presented across the front soundstage, sounding clean and natural. The surround channels are employed for ambience exclusively, which fits the genre of the film. I really enjoyed the soundtrack, which never overpowers the action on the screen.

Fox Searchlight has included a plethora of bonus materials, such as deleted scenes, a gag reel, an obligatory commentary with the director and screenwriter, and some behind-the-scenes featurettes. Also included is a DVD with a digital copy of the movie that can be downloaded to a computer or portable player for those who like to watch movies on a 2-inch screen.

Because of the media hype surrounding this movie, my expectations were high when I sat down to watch Juno, and they were easily exceeded. The film is well written, acted, and directed, and it gets my highest recommendation.

Release Date: April 15, 2008

Film: 9 out of 10
Picture: 8 out of 10
Sound: 7 out of 10

Review System

Source
Sony PlayStation 3

Display
JVC DLA-RS1 projector
Stewart FireHawk screen (76.5" wide, 16:9)

Electronics
Yamaha RX-Z11 AVR
Belkin PF60 power conditioner

Speakers
M&K S-150s (L, C, R)
M&K SS-150s (LS, RS, SBL, SBR)
SVS PC-Ultra subwoofer

Cables
Monoprice HDMI cables (source to pre/pro)
Best Deal analog-audio cables
PureLink HDC Fiber Optic HDMI Cable System (15 meters) from pre/pro to projector