The Golden Child (1986) (Paramount Presents) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Michael Ritchie

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Charlotte Lewis, Charles Dance

Release Date: December 1, 2020

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Newly remastered from a 4K film transfer, director Michael Ritchie’s hit action-comedy comes to Blu-ray for the first time. Eddie Murphy is “the Chosen One,” a social worker on a madcap mission to find “the Golden Child,” a young boy possessing mystical powers. Joined by Kee Nang (Charlotte Lewis), they’ll battle the countless henchmen of Sardo Numspa (Charles Dance), the mysterious and evil cult leader holding the boy captive. It’s a dangerous quest, complete with obstacle courses and a mythical amulet, sharply combining Murphy’s wit with eye-popping special effects for an unforgettable adventure.

Please Note: Paramount Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

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You can also check out our Blu-ray reviews for the other releases in the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray line by clicking on each title below!

Paramount Presents #1: Fatal Attraction (1987) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #2: King Creole (1958) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #3: To Catch A Thief (1955) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #4: Flashdance (1983) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #5: Days Of Thunder (1990) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #6: Pretty In Pink (1986) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #7: Airplane! (1980) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #8: Ghost (1990) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #9: Roman Holiday (1953) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #10: The Haunting (1999) (Blu-ray Review)

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The enjoyable 1980’s comedic adventure ‘The Golden Child’ features Eddie Murphy portraying a social worker who finds himself dubbed “The Chosen One” and tasked with finding a special child whose fate could be intertwined with that of our entire world. It was a somewhat different yet also in many ways familiar film for Murphy at the time and the lack of vulgar language within was also quite the rarity for him (especially in those days), with the film marking his first PG-13 rated movie to date (and the only one for another decade thereafter until ‘The Nutty Professor’ which was released in 1996). While reception may have been somewhat mixed upon its initial release, ‘The Golden Child’ has undeniably gained a dedicated fan base among Murphy’s fans today and many will surely be outright thrilled to finally see this 1986 classic making its Blu-ray debut at last.

The classic 1986 action comedy ‘The Golden Child’ starring Eddie Murphy arrives on Blu-ray for the first time ever as the eleventh entry in the continuing Limited Edition ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray lineup which celebrates various classics from the studio’s expansive vault in a new line of numbered Blu-ray releases that each include new 4K film transfers, plus collectible packaging and extras. ‘The Golden Child’ makes another great addition to the Blu-ray series, especially considering it somewhat surprisingly has never been released on Blu-ray before now. A unique and enjoyable supernatural detective comedy of sorts, its effects (which were surely quite remarkable for its time) can appear a bit dated throughout yet still hold up far better than many might expect and it still serves up an incredibly fun ride more than three decades after its initial release. The PG-13 Murphy vehicle also looks quite fantastic in its Blu-ray debut thanks to a gorgeous high definition video presentation from a new 4K film transfer and a complementary multichannel soundtrack that do not disappoint. Fans of this comedic mid-80’s adventure who have been awaiting its debut on Blu-ray should at the very least be quite satisfied with the quality of its presentation.

Overall, the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of the 1986 Michael Ritchie directed Eddie Murphy adventure comedy ‘The Golden Child’ brings the film home on Blu-ray for the first time ever featuring a fantastic high definition video presentation from a new 4K film transfer that fans should be thrilled with. Further complimented by a solid 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack and the standard ‘Paramount Presents’ collectible artwork, it may be a tad light when it comes to the bonus content but even so it should still be well worth a purchase for fans that have been hoping to see it arrive on Blu-ray for some time. It’s safe to say that this 1980’s classic has never looked or sounded better than it does here and for anyone already considering a purchase, the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray debut of ‘The Golden Child’ is definitely recommended.

VIDEO:

The ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of ‘The Golden Child’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation of the film from a new 4K film transfer, with a 1.78:1 Aspect Ratio. This newly remastered presentation looks fantastic altogether and provides a sharp, richly detailed presentation from start to finish that still retains some grain and other welcome artifacts representative of its source. It holds up nicely even during the various darkly lit and fast moving sequences throughout, never resulting in anything occurring onscreen becoming negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a wonderful high definition video presentation that should thoroughly please fans of the film that have been anxiously awaiting its arrival on Blu-ray.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack offers a smooth, crisp and clean audio presentation throughout that nicely compliments the onscreen fun. It takes advantage of all five available channels whenever it’s appropriate in order to send music, plus some action and nature effects, along with more throughout the various speakers and never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously to become distorted or rendered inaudible at any point along the way. Overall, this is a nice 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack that sounds rich and clean throughout and shouldn’t disappoint the film’s fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of ‘The Golden Child’ features the standard collectible artwork for the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray line which includes a slipcase that opens up to feature a larger version of the original theatrical poster, along with more photos on the inside of the interior Blu-ray case (see the included beauty shot from the studio included at the bottom of the review for a look inside). The disc itself only includes one real extra of note, the new behind the scenes Featurette ‘The Making of The Golden Child’ (running approximately 13 minutes in length) which includes interviews with members of the cast. The ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (2 minutes) for the film is also included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 7/10

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The Eddie Murphy Classic ‘The Golden Child’ Arrives Home on Blu-ray for the First Time December 1, 2020; Newly Remastered as part of the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray line from Paramount Home Entertainment

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