IF [4K Ultra HD]

Director: John Krasinski

Cast: Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski

Release Date: August 13, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Starring Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, and John Krasinski, IF is a heartwarming and hilarious tale about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends, known as IFs. She embarks on a magical journey to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids, before they disappear. An adventure you’ll need to believe to see, IF is perfect for the whole family. Written and directed by John Krasinski, the film also features a stellar voice cast including Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Steve Carell.

‘IF’ invites you to the magical world of imaginary friends and accompanies a girl named Bea who while staying with her grandmother while her father is in the hospital becomes reacquainted with a kindhearted man living upstairs who is plagued by retired IFs (Imaginary Friends) seeking new kids to befriend and discovers that she can see all of the imaginary friends that ordinary folks can’t. Joining the man in his quest to help the IFs find purpose and potential ways to improve the mission, long lost memories soon begin resurfacing from a troubling time when she was younger and also seemingly had interactions with the IFs.

Written and directed by John Krasinski (A Quiet Place, The Hollars) who does a nice job at the helm of ‘IF’ guiding along the magical tale with plenty of heart, humor and wonder around every turn. The film’s star-studded cast includes Cailey Fleming (TV’s The Walking Dead), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), John Krasinski (TV’s Jack Ryan), Fiona Shaw (TV’s True Detective: Night Country), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Louis Gossett Jr. (The Color Purple 2023) and Steve Carell (Despicable Me 4) along with more who each contribute solid and fitting performances (or voice performances) in their respective roles.

‘IF’ is a fun, humorous and heartfelt exploration of the world of imaginary friends as seen through the eyes of a girl who returns to her grandmother’s while awaiting her dad’s release from the hospital and begins to rediscover the wonder and magic she had forgotten all about. It does a commendable job of crafting a world where anything is possible and dives into the idea of what becomes of imaginary friends after the kid who created them begins to grow up. While it can be somewhat predictable and doesn’t always manage to excel too far beyond average in the department of story, it always manages to put a smile on your face while keeping the fun coming in ample quantities. It explores some realistic struggles in the background such as the difficulties of dealing with grief or concern, especially for kids, while also featuring a fair amount of laughs and some visually delightful effects along the way, all coming together into a fantasy-like ride that most kids should find plenty within to enjoy.

It finds a perfect middle ground that keeps things tame and light enough for nearly all ages of children without eliciting any complaints from their parents, while also offering enough story, heart and humor to keep the adult viewers easily engaged throughout its duration. A rare, true family film of the type we don’t see nearly enough these days and even if the film doesn’t hit every mark perfectly and struggles on occasion to find its direction, it’s hard not to applaud a movie that families can enjoy together, something that was very much the intent by John Krasinski who was influenced by the lack of family friendly content of this sort these days.

For those with younger ones at home and those of you like me that appreciate a heartfelt and lighter-toned tale that you can just relax and enjoy after a long day, ‘IF’ is definitely worth taking the time to give a whirl and is recommended, especially if you can go in not expecting a cinematic masterpiece and simply appreciate it for what it is.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘IF’ 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 spectacular as a whole and provides a sharp, clean and beautifully detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any noteworthy issues or faults to be found along the way. Detail is outstanding throughout with everything from character faces and clothing (both human and imaginary) looking sharp and crisp, as do the various city streets, apartment and hospital interiors, along with nearly everything else. The Dolby Vision HDR further complements much of it by providing some vivid and lifelike colors that are perhaps most noticeable on Blue and the other IFs, while other various elements also benefit and are paired with perfectly deep, rich black levels. Overall, this is a wonderful Ultra High Definition video presentation that looks delightful throughout and should excite fans and newcomers alike.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack is quite solid itself and offers a clean, crisp and at times fairly immersive audio presentation throughout. It consistently takes advantage of all seven available channels in order to send music, crowd chatter and other effects whipping throughout the various speakers whenever appropriate, while never allowing any dialogue or other audio elements that might occur simultaneously with one another to become negatively impacted or rendered problematic in the process. Overall, this is a great Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that does its job splendidly and repeatedly contributes some additional fun to the viewing experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘IF’ includes a nice collection of bonus content featuring various Behind the Scenes Featurettes that explore different aspects of bringing the film to life and featuring interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are ‘The Imagination Behind IF’ (running approximately 5 minutes in length), ‘Imagining Imaginary Friends’ (running approximately 5 minutes), Giving IFs a Voice’ (approximately 6 minutes), ‘Blending the Real and the Imaginary’ (5 minutes), ‘Tina Turner Forever!’ (3 minutes) and ‘The Imaginative World of IF’ (6 minutes). Also included is a ‘Gag Reel’ (4 minutes) and the how-to video ‘Learn to Draw Blue from IF’ (6 minutes).

*Please note: The above images were provided by Paramount and are not reflective of the actual 4K Ultra HD release or its quality. A standard Blu-ray copy of the film was not included in the release that could be used for screenshots therefore the above publicity stills were utilized. They are all the property of Paramount Pictures and any other respective owners.

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Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘IF’ Arrives Home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD August 13, 2024 & is Now Available on Digital from Paramount Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘IF’ on 4K UHD at Amazon HERE!

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