BLU-RAY REVIEW

Smile 4K Ultra HD

Featured In Issue 269, September/October 2023

Picture5
Sound5
Immersive4
WSR Score4.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Paramount Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
3000093071
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Strong violent content and grisly images, languade
(Retail Price):
$111.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-100)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
115
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
ABC
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
10/10/2023
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Parker Finn
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Atmos, Dolby TrueHD 7.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(Subtitles):

"Smile" is a title in the Paramount Scares Collection Volume 1. After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can't explain. Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary by Director Parker Finn, "Laura Hasn't Sept –– original short with introduction by Director Finn, the featurettes "Something's Wrong With Rose: Making Smile" (HD 29:07) and "Flies On The Wall: Inside The Score" (HD 08:50), deleted scenes with commentary by Director Finn (HD 11:40) and a digital copy.

The 2.00:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 4K Ultra HD HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed digitally and sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediate. Picture quality is terrific with sharpness and clarity exhibited throughout. The color palette is naturally saturated with warm and rich hues. Natural realism is the picture's look. Flesh tones are perfectly natural. Nuanced hues enhance the realism and color depth. HDR contrast is well balanced with deep, natural blacks and deeply revealing shadows. White levels are naturally illuminated and bright. Resolution is superb with very fine detail exhibited throughout. Facial features are revealing of fine detail in skin pores, lines, lips, eyes hair and beards. Clothing fabrics reveal fine textural depth. This is a wonderfully realistic picture that is mysteriously haunting with upsetting trauma. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is dynamic sounding with a strong unnerving and eerie synthesizer score that creates an emotional foundation. Atmospherics are realistic and sound effects create emotional impact. Bass extension is often powerful and the trauma segments it supports surface with the dark visuals. Bass can extend to sub-25 Hz when enhancing the terrifying suicidal events. The music occupies a wide and deep sound stage with aggressive surround envelopment. Dialogue is intelligible with good spatial integration.

The Immersive Sound element is comprised of an aggressive extension of the music to the height layer, brief dialogue announcements in hospital and police jail and brief eerie sound effects. The music extension is effective but still more height elements could have been supported.

This is a realistic Holosonic® spherical surround soundtrack that builds with intensity and sonic weight as the death events lead up to the end. (Gary Reber)