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Ultra HD : Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: April 11th, 2017 Movie Release Year: 2016

Hidden Figures - Ultra HD Blu-ray

Overview -

The incredible untold true story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) – brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

OVERALL:
Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Region Free
Video Resolution/Codec:
2160p HEVC/H.265
Length:
127
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.39:1
Audio Formats:
Urdu Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, French, German, Greek, Italian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese
Special Features:
UltraViolet Digital Copy
Release Date:
April 11th, 2017

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

By now, most, if not all, moviegoers know the story behind Hidden Figures, the biggest surprise sleeper hit of the year earning various accolades and nominations, all of which are very well deserved. Set during the height of the Cold War while the U.S. was in the middle of the Space Race against the USSR, the film highlights the contributions of the three women in the NASA program who assisted in safely putting a man in space and other missions. The film's title is in reference to their mathematical input and calculations that eventually made it possible for John Glenn to orbit the Earth. Of more interest, the title also refers to the fact that their contribution has largely remained unknown for five decades until one of them received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 and Margot Lee Shetterly's 2016 non-fiction book, on which Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi based their script. Their involvement has remained ignored and hidden long enough, and there is perhaps no better time than our current political climate to recognize these women's importance.

Of course, as is typical of most all Hollywood productions inspired by real life, the biographical drama takes a great deal of artistic license and liberty with certain events, starting with Dorothy Vaughan (an excellent Octavia Spencer). By 1961, the year this story is set, Mrs. Vaughan was already working as a supervisor of the West Area Computers for over ten years. But since the filmmakers want to also include the invaluable accomplishments of Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), it's necessary to tweak a few details for the sake of a more poignant narrative. Some staunch history buffs are likely to be aggravated by this, but it's a common practice in fiction storytelling. It's essential for giving Mrs. Vaughan the recognition she deserves as the first African-American woman in such a position and portraying some of the obstacles she faced, such as being undervalued by Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst). Her actions led to also being the first in teaching herself complex computer programming and then teaching it to her coworkers, saving the jobs of other women under her supervision.

Meanwhile, Monáe delivers a surprisingly moving performance as Mrs. Jackson, the aerospace engineer who also marked a first just a few years shy of when this plot takes place. Not only fighting her employers but the system at large, there is a genuine feeling of misery and disappointment in Monáe's eyes as she argues for the right to advance her education at a time when segregation stood in her way. In a span of a couple years, the singer/songwriter-turned-actress has demonstrated a commanding talent in front of the camera. However, the standout of the entire cast is Henson as Mrs. Goble Johnson, on whom most of the plot orbits and the primary reason for the drama being situated in 1961. Her advanced calculations plotted the trajectories, launch windows and navigational charts for the astronauts' missions of the entire year. And during that time, she not only endured the eyes of racial discrimination from fellow engineers like Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons), but she had to also overcome the painful judgments of being a woman. Henson's harrowing portrayal is as heartbreaking as it is satisfying, particularly when displaying her gift in a boardroom full of men.

And in spite of all these minor changes to real-life events so that audiences better grasp the significance of these women's achievement during the Jim Crow era, director Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent, Going in Style) nonetheless calculates formulaic devices into the equation. While Dunst and Parsons play the typical silent white gaze coldly staring at these women as a threat to the status quo, Kevin Costner joins the cast as the familiar white savior trope in Alan Harrison, the director of the space program, and all three are fictional characters. Pointing this out is not meant as a fault to the production, quite the contrary because they encapsulate the thinking and sentiments the ladies struggled against. Rather, it's to simply show that for all its positives, Hidden Figures tends to rely on some cliched hurdles worth noting. Nevertheless, the bio-drama remains a harrowing tale of overcoming a system and culture that normalizes discrimination. Given the current political climate that sometimes feels as though in danger of repeating history, Melfi's film is the feel-good story we need for uniting all people in celebration of the accomplishments made by these ladies.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment brings Hidden Figures to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with a flyer for a Digital HD Copy. At the moment, we are unable to verify if the correct size of the content, but the dual-layered UHD66 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region Free, BD50 disc inside a black, eco-cutout keepcase. At startup, the UHD goes straight to a main menu screen with full-motion clips, the usual options along the bottom and music playing in the background

Video Review

Ranking:

The ladies make their complex calculations on Ultra HD, and the numbers add up to a lovely HEVC H.265 encode, offering a nice improvement over its Blu-ray counterpart.

The awarding-winning drama was shot with a combination of Super 16mm and traditional 35mm film, and if the HD version showed an interesting mix of varying resolution levels, then this 4K presentation makes it all the more apparent. Only, the stylized photography tends to look a bit softer in some areas, not including the vintage stock footage. In fact, several scenes are noticeably blurrier than others. Thankfully, this doesn't distract from the better moments. The overall picture shows a welcomed uptick in clarity and definition. It may not be by much, but there a bit more detailing in the space capsule, the random office equipment and various other items decorating the walls of the NASA buildings. The lettering and numbers written on chalkboards remain legible from a distance, and viewers can plainly make out the fine lines in the furniture and wood paneling. Facial complexions are definitely a bit more revealing with better, more lifelike and natural textures. Also worth noting, I detected some very mild aliasing around the sharpest edges of light fixtures, various metallic objects, window frames and other random items in the background.

The biggest, most notable improvement comes from the palette looking bolder and more full-bodied. The blue in the skies are more vibrant, the greens of surrounding foliage is richer, and the red lipstick worn by all the ladies really pops. The pastel colors of the dresses, furniture and cars provide the movie a more animated glamorous appeal, with Henson's emerald green outfits stealing the show. The freshly-minted transfer doesn't really look significantly brighter, but contrast remains spot-on. However, whites come with a slightly punchier quality while specular highlights provide a realistic shine around the edges of pieces of metal and the decorative trim of cars. Black levels are also darker and more dramatic, most noticeably in various articles of clothing, the shadows and sequences in space, providing the 2.40:1 image with considerable depth. With an ultra-fine layer of grain showering every scene, the 2160p video is beautiful and appreciably cinematic.

Audio Review

Ranking:

The biographical drama also lands on Ultra HD with the same, excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 soundtrack that surprises on several occasions. Although rear activity is largely silent, the speakers are employed in a few choice sequences where a variety of subtle discrete effects generate a pleasing soundfield. The room sometimes fills with the local wildlife, the chatter of people at a church gathering, the busy commotion of a NASA office or the electronic bustle of machines in the background. But often, the surrounds are reserved for the musical score to engage and envelop the listener.

The lossless mix's best feature is really in the front soundstage, which feels broad and welcoming with superb fidelity and acoustical detail. Thanks to an incredibly extensive mid-range, the original music of Hans Zimmer, Pharrell Williams and Benjamin Wallfisch creates an engaging wall of sound with superb distinction in the orchestration, which nicely bleeds into the front heights when engaging the receiver's DSU function. Channel separation and balance are outstanding with off-screen activity that's terrifically convincing, providing the design a splendid sense of presence, and dialogue is pristine and precise from beginning to end. Although the low-end isn't particularly demanding, bass is surprisingly palpable with appreciable weight in the music while also digging into the ultra-low depths during the explosions of rocket ships taking off, which bassheads are sure to love.

Special Features

Ranking:

Audio Commentary: Director and writer Theodore Melfi sits with star Taraji P. Henson for a somewhat monotonous but nonetheless informative conversation where the two share some thoughts on the story, the performances, working with the rest of the cast and the production.

It All Adds Up (HD, 42 min): A five-piece short documentary detailing the making of the film through a variety of cast & crew interviews, BTS footage and some background history of the real story.

            No Limits – The Life of Katherine Johnson

            The Right People for the Job

            Recreating an Era

A Spiritual Journey – The Music of the Film

            Moving the Decimal – Honoring Katherine Johnson

Hidden Figures: Filming in Georgia (HD, 5 min): A tour through the shooting locations.

Deleted Scenes (HD, 10 min).

Still Gallery (HD).

Theatrical Trailer (HD).

Final Thoughts

The biggest surprise sleeper hit of the year earning well-earned accolades and nominations, Hidden Figures tells the story of the important contributions made by three women in the NASA program during the height of the Cold War. With outstanding performances all around, the biographical drama is the feel-good story we need for uniting all people in celebration of the accomplishments made by these ladies. The Ultra HD Blu-ray lands with a lovely 4K video and satisfying audio presentation. The supplements are a bit on the light side, but the overall package is nonetheless recommended.