Buy It Now!

Read my original review of UP IN THE AIR.

Paramount brings Jason Reitman’s Oscar-nominated feature to Blu-ray with a quality transfer and interesting features package. The 1080p visuals have a nice balance of tone and film texture. While this isn’t a visual spectacle, this presentation is about as good as it can get. Details really shine in the film’s wider shots, especially in the opening title sequence where we get a bird’s eye view of various American landscapes. The color palette also stands out in the darker lit lounge scenes like the one where George Clooney and Vera Farmiga’s characters first meet. Like the visuals, the soundtrack isn’t one to show off the surround sound with. However, for those who are aware of the subtleties Blu-ray, they will be happy with this disc. While you never feel like you’re lost in the sounds of locations like the airports, the back speaker presence is used nicely to create a sense of location. This is a dialogue-centered film and the lines are crisp and clear.

The special features are interesting. Writer/director Jason Reitman, Director of Photography Eric Steelberg, and First Assistant Director Jason Blumenfeld participate in the film’s commentary. In an enthusiastic fashion, they discuss the challenges and approaches they took to creating the various scenes. It’s interesting to learn how they approached interviews with real life individuals who had been recently laid off. Reitman also delves into his creative process, which will be quite engaging for fans of the director or fledgling filmmakers.

Complementing the commentary track is the deleted scenes package. They also include commentary from Reitman, who explains the reason why the scenes were cut and which ones were the most painful for him to see go. With the commentary track, he shows how directors manage pacing and tone. I particularly liked how he addressed humorous scenes and a fantasy sequence that were cut because they felt like they were from another film. Funny scenes that feel out of place in a film are one of my top complaints. Story has to come before laughs.

“Shadowplay: Before the Story” is a brief featurette on the making of the film’s title sequence. The disc also includes a music video for Sad Brad Smith’s “Help Yourself,” video storyboards for airport sequences, and “American Airlines Prank,” a shot filmed only to scare American Airlines execs on how much turbulence would be displayed in the film.