The Fabelmans [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Steven Spielberg

Cast: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen

Release Date: February 14, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9.5/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s own childhood, rediscover the magic of movies in THE FABELMANS, a coming-of-age story about a young man uncovering a shattering family secret and the power of film and imagination to help us see the truth about ourselves and each other. With a star-studded cast featuring Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea, My Week with Marilyn), Paul Dano (The Batman, There Will Be Blood), Seth Rogen (Steve Jobs, An American Pickle), Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator, “American Gigolo”) and Academy Award® nominee Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems, Ordinary People), THE FABELMANS tells a timeless tale of heartbreak, healing, and hope for the dreamer inside all of us.

Please Note: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

Inspired by the real-life childhood of legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, ‘The Fabelmans’ accompanies a young boy and his family and through his coming-of-age story sees the boy discover the magic of cinema only to become infatuated with creating his own films thereafter. Through struggle, family difficulties and moves to new towns that come with bullying and other difficult situations for a young boy, Sammy Fabelman somehow manages to see the world more clearly than many at times through the lens of his camera; both for good and bad.

Directed by Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Saving Private Ryan) from a screenplay that he additionally co-wrote with regular collaborator Tony Kushner (Munich), Spielberg does a marvelous job at the helm of ‘The Fabelmans’ guiding this very personal story along with beauty, heart and style. The film’s cast includes Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea), Paul Dano (The Batman), Seth Rogen (Long Shot), Gabriel LaBelle (The Predator), Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems) and many more, with nearly all offering noteworthy performances in their respective roles and each helping in their own right to make this powerful tale work as beautifully as it does.

‘The Fabelmans’ is a beautiful, touching and carefully crafted look at a young boy’s coming-of-age story through the years and the wonder and heart he’s able to find through the magic of film, even when things around him don’t always go the right way. Inspired by the real life childhood of iconic filmmaker Steven Spielberg and tackling everything from the struggles he faces in school to the problems at home revolving around his family, with his father a dedicated engineer who is often tied up by work and the actions of his mother which aren’t always easy to confront; not to mention some input and advice by others that along the way help him to escape into the world of film as he expands his talents and slowly progresses into the filmmaker we know he will eventually become.

Carefully guided along by Spielberg who does a great job bringing his own tale to life and his capable work at the helm is only greatly complemented by an impressive attention to detail in bringing the era to life not only in clothing, but in vehicles, the cinema and much more; and all only further benefitting from a talented cast that almost never disappoints. If you’re a fan of Spielberg’s work or are just intrigued by this tale alone, then I would strongly encourage finding the time to give this one a chance whenever possible.

Overall, ‘The Fabelmans’ is a wonderful tale celebrating the love of cinema and of family, both for better or worse that follows a young boy growing up beginning in the 1950’s and follows the course of his young life as he tackles the various things life throws at him while showcasing his love for film and how he was able to find a new love and escape through creating it; all guided along beautifully by director Steven Spielberg with a powerhouse cast to help excel it to near perfection. ‘The Fabelmans’ easily earns one of my highest possible recommendations. It’s a magnificent film that’s brimming with heart, beauty and a true passion for film. If you’re already even somewhat intrigued by this one or if you’re a diehard fan of Steven Spielberg and his work over the years, then ‘The Fabelmans’ should be well worth your time and the price of a rental to give a shot.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Fabelmans’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks magnificent as a whole and delivers a clean, sharp and richly detailed presentation from start to finish with no unexpected issues to be uncovered along the way. It captures everything within beautifully from backgrounds and surroundings down to character and clothing specifics looking sharp and clearly defined throughout, while offering a smooth, filmic presentation that is a definite improvement over the Blu-ray which itself is also quite solid. The Dolby Vision addition only improves upon nearly all of it with a gorgeous color palette that’s perfectly complemented by deep, impressively rich blacks. Overall, this is a wonderful Ultra High Definition presentation that more than holds up every step of the way and should easily satisfy the masses.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack provides a rewarding complement to the film and offers a clean, crisp and occasionally quite immersive audio presentation throughout. It takes advantage of all seven available channels on multiple occasions in order to send the music, nature effects and some other fitting audio elements and effects throughout the various speakers without any dialogue or other simultaneously occurring audio elements ever becoming distorted or rendered inaudible in the process. Overall, this is a solid 7.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack that may not be overly aggressive but certainly does its job well and should not disappoint.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘The Fabelmans’ includes a few notable extras in the way of Behind the Scenes Featurettes that explore different aspects of bringing the semiautobiographical tale to life and including interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. They include ‘The Fabelmans: A Personal Journey’ (running 11 minutes in length), ‘Family Dynamics’ (running approximately 15 minutes) and ‘Crafting the World of The Fabelmans’ (approximately 22 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and 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 the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 9.5/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

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Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ Arrives Home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD February 14, 2023 & is Now Available to Own on Digital from Amblin Entertainment & Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

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