The realm of Nic Cage only continues to grow more each year with the fantastic roles he steps into. With The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage dives into a fictionalized version of himself that works on so many levels. The film feels like two movies in one where it's half biopic, half action flick, and all Cage which results in some engaging entertainment and yet another amazing performance from Cage himself. There's a lot of fun to be had within the walls of Cage and with this supporting cast, there's no doubt that big smiles will be earned by everyone by the end.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent feels like the more energetic and less serious version of the film JCVD starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. That movie took a fictionalized version of JCVD and revealed some of his real-life struggles while pitting him inside a heroic scenario that he's known for in his action movies. The feel and tone of JCVD were never meant to be a comedy, but instead, a melodramatic semi-biographical drama with heart. With The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the Workaholics co-creator Kevin Etten, and director Tom Gormican lay into the absurdity and high entertainment value that comes with Nic Cage and makes for an action-packed, funny film.
Nic plays himself who is having family struggles while failing to capture major movie roles for tons of money. His agent (Neil Patrick Harris) tells him he could make one million dollars by being a guest at a birthday party for a wealthy man. This guy is named Javi (The Mandolorian himself Pedro Pascal) who idolizes Nic Cage and all his talent. The two hit it off and become friends, but meanwhile, Nic is brought into the CIA to go undercover with two agents (Tiffany Haddish, and Ike Barinholtz) to help them bring Javi in for arms dealing and kidnapping. Cage doesn't believe a word of this, but he goes along and begins a grand misadventure with himself, Javi, and his family that crosses into Bad Boys 2 territory.
In its first half-hour or so, the film explores the inner psyche of Nic Cage and all the turmoil in his life. His ex-wife, estranged daughter, and lack of Hollywood clout have been weighing on him for a while and he deals with his current lot in life the best way he can. It's not exactly the best state of affairs as Cage tries to put on a good face despite a string of bad luck that has been thrown his way. But then, Cage's '90s star power in action movies comes into play as he is forced to be the action hero the whole world thinks he is and it's as brilliant as can be expected. The story keeps everything flowing at a quick pace with its comedy and action beats and the performances are nuanced to a tee. The chemistry between Cage and Pascal is astonishing and let's all hope there are future films with these two having a grand old time with one another.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is yet another perfect film for Nic Cage and hits all of the right notes for being one of the better movies set in a metaverse where actors play versions of themselves. If there is another reason to love the man, the myth, the legend Nic Cage - this movie is one more reason to do so.
Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent screams its way to 4K + Blu-ray + Digital Copy via Lionsgate. The discs are housed inside a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork features Nic Cage and Co. where Cage is featured no less than six times on the artwork. There is an insert for a digital code.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent comes with a fantastic-looking 2160p UHD 4K transfer with Dolby Vision. This is a great upgrade from the already wonderful 1080p HD Blu-ray.
The colors are very natural, bright, and somewhat warm as this movie is comedically inviting and fun. The amber and orange-like settings of Mallorca look excellent with the contrasting blue and green ocean water that shows up. The Dolby Vision enhances these more nuanced colors in the water and warmer settings with varying shades of teal and browns that make for a beautiful image. Primary colors of reds, blues, greens, and other vibrant colors in costumes are fantastic looking, even in darker sequences. Black levels are inky and rich with no evidence of bleeding or murky shadows and the skin tones are natural.
The detail is sharp and vivid as well with closeups that reveal facial pores, individual hairs in beards, and mustaches. Beads of sweat, blood droplets, debris, and textures in clothing all look amazing. The practical makeup effects are great and the CGI that is used might look a little weird and funny, but it's never soft or pixelated here. Instead, it feels like a comedic stylistic choice more than anything. Wider shots of the palatial estate look great and all of Cage's past props and costumes look amazingly detailed here. There are no instances of banding, aliasing, or noise to speak of.
This release comes with a good Dolby Atmos track that kicks in in the last half of the film. The first segments of the movie are more dialogue fueled and don't have all the bells and whistles that the more action-packed second half does. That being said, atmospheric sounds of the city and mansion noises do come through nicely in the surround speakers. The dialogue is clean, clear, and easy to follow as well.
The big action spectacular in the last part of the movie though brings robust and large sound effects with gunshots, explosions, vehicles revving their engines, and more energetic set-pieces. The low end of bass comes through with a big rumble that never crosses into the rocky territory and creates an immersive experience with Mark Isham's score along with all of the sound effect elements. The dynamics are wide and the LFE is excellent throughout.
And of course, when Nic Cage fully Cages, the dialogue never flattens out but instead racks up some great bass with his voice in the best ways. The height speakers bring down debris, gunshots, and other atmospheric elements nicely as well. This is a great-sounding Dolby Atmos track when it kicks in the latter half of the movie.
There are about 52 minutes of bonus features with an additional commentary track by the filmmakers. Interviews and behind-the-scenes snippets with Cage and the crew are a lot of fun, plus a hilarious montage of Nic Cage auditions are here and worth the time.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a super fun film that navigates all the traits and quirks of the legend himself - Nic Cage. While the first half of the movie has a dramatic tone, the second half transforms into the big '90s Nic Cage action spectacle everyone is clamoring for. It's a wild, fun ride. The 4K UHD transfer with Dolby Vision looks great and the Dolby Atmos track kicks in nicely late in the movie. The bonus features are worth watching too. Highly Recommended!
