Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Blu-ray review

Jan 14, 2020- Permalink

When Maleficent: Mistress of Evil was in cinemas last year, I said that though it shied away from fully exploring some of its themes (genocide anyone?) it was anchored by strong performances by Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfeiffer. You can judge it for yourself as it’s now available for your home collection. I had the opportunity to review the Blu-ray combo pack.

The 1080p AVC-encoded Blu-ray transfer is in the theatrical release’s 2.39:1 aspect ratio. If Jolie and Pfeiffer are the stars of the story, then the colour palette is the star of this video presentation, boldy and cleanly popping off the screen. The lush greens of the fairy forest, the rainbow of royal attire, and the striking red of Maleficent’s lipstick against her pale screen are all visually stunning. Excellent black levels are matched with great shadow detail in the movie’s darker moments. Textures, whether it be skin, fabric or fortress, are all perfectly and clearly detailed. Real and CGI characters and settings blend seamlessly. It’s an excellent video presentation with no noticeable digital noise or compression artifacts.

On the audio side, your ears have the choice of an English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack, an English 2.0 Descriptive Audio track, and French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Subtitles are available in English SDH, French and Spanish. Like many recent Disney home releases, you may need to increase the volume above its reference level to fully feel its dynamic range. The soundscape makes great use of the surrounds in both ambient and directional effects and the low frequencies provide a solid floor when needed. The orchestral score is lush and clear and dialogue is centred and well-prioritized.

The Blu-ray combo pack also comes with a DVD copy and Movies Anywhere digital code. There are a few short featurettes exploring things like characters and visual effects, as well as outtakes, extended scenes and a music video by Bebe Rexha.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil has a stunning video presentation, very good audio, and a smattering of extras. Fans of the film, Disney collectors and fans of Jolie and Pfeiffer will want to add it to their home entertainment library.