Fifty Shades Freed (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Well if I ever wanted to know what it felt like to be stranded on a deserted island, all I had to do was watch Fifty Shades Freed. Why you ask? Because I absolutely loved it!!! I know I am not in the majority here, but I had so much fun with here. I mean who doesn’t want to live vicariously through Anastasia Steele (Grey)? She is getting married to Cristian Grey, a handsome billionaire with “all the right moves” if you know what I mean ;-).
Film 
The beautiful opening scene is of the wedding of Ana and Christian. It definitely brings us into the fairytale world of Christian Grey. However, it doesn’t take long for Christian to show his possessiveness. During their wedding reception he tells Anna that he is ready to get out of there because he is tired of sharing her with everyone. As they pull into the private airport to board a private jet Ana looks at Christian and asks, “do you own this?” I mean, come on Ana, does this really surprise you?? Christian’s response of, “We own it” is a smack of reality to Ana. They jet off to a luxury resort on the beach of France. Right off the bat Ana defies Christian by laying out topless, which as you can guess, is cause for “punishment.”
As they settle into married life and enjoy their amazing honeymoon, their past comes back to haunt them. Jack Hyde, Anna’s former boss is back with a vengeance. Jack’s grudge with Anna started back when he assaulted her in his office when she denied his advances. He ultimately lost his job due to his actions and now appears enraged by more than just the loss of his job. Anna learns that Jack also seems to have it out for Christian as well. We find out how Jack really knows Christian in this movie.
On top of worrying about Jack, Anna finds herself questioning Christians’ fidelity as he finds comfort in an old friend after he is faced with an unexpected announcement. With Jack on the lose Christian decides to hire extra security for his new wife, which turns out to be a great idea, as Jack will stop at nothing to get revenge.
My only negative with this film is that it is based on a series of books about sex and BDSM, and quite honestly it lacks the sexiness and red room action of the previous two. With the R rating I was hoping to see a few body shots of Jamie Dorman and instead all I got was an unnecessary amount of boobs. This is a series for us ladies and I feel cheated!
All in all, I feel that this was a fun movie. Was it perfect? No. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. It has a nice balance of erotica and suspense, but also showed the reality of marriage and the trials and tribulations that come with it. It is worth fighting for in order to be with the one you love.
Video 
- Encoding: HEVC / H.265
- Resolution: 4K (2160p)
- Dolby Vision: No
- HDR10: Yes
- Size: BD-100
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Clarity/Detail: This one was supposedly captured at a resolution of 2.8K and finished here at 2K. So in essence it’s not “true” 4K. Skin is the most prominent visual thing here. Duh! However, stubble, pores, freckles, scars and strands of flowing hair are prominently on display for all to behold including the fabrics and textures in just about everything else.
- Depth: The onscreen characters get a boost with a three-dimensional pop lifting separating them from their intricate backgrounds. The highlight of depth of field though has to be the opening wedding scene. However, most of the exteriors look exceptional throughout here.
- Black Levels: The black levels are deep and inky throughout the presentation. There’s a nice contrast too between the white balance of things.
- Color Reproduction: Colors are very effective here. They are bold and balanced throughout. Reds and blues look outstanding.
- Flesh Tones: Skin is wildly on display here and its both natural and little warm. There may be some innuendo there. Ha!
- Noise/Artifacts: I didn’t notice any noise or other nasty artifacts present in the 4K transfer that would damper your viewing pleasure of this presentation. It’s very digital looking in its overall appearance like an expensive soap opera minus that annoying effect.
Audio
- Audio Format(s): English DTS:X, French DTS Digital Surround 5.1, Spanish DTS-HD High Resolution Audio 7.1, DVS 2.0 (Theatrical Version Only)
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
- Dynamics: The tones, score and sounds employed here accurately recreate the onscreen atmosphere, but that’s about all. Like the previous release the bumping moments in the surround track basically occur whenever a prominent hip hop song happens within a scene, but other than that dialogue is the priority here and it never gets lost in the mix. In other words it’s very front heavy here and the dynamics are all about the atmosphere and the music. While there’s nothing to really write about here the audio surround track is very effective in its overall purpose.
- Height: The overhead channel adds very little because it’s used sparingly and mostly for ambiance , effects and music. However, there was one noticeable moment of rain falling.
- Low Frequency Extension: This is a drama so you shouldn’t expect too much here, but the subwoofer did come alive during the more lively scenes where the pop jams are pumping prominently such as in the club or at a party.
- Surround Sound Presentation: The rear surround speakers employ the normal ambiance and effects you’re accustomed to with a motion picture like this in addition to the score and soundtrack bleeding through you’ll hear some city life, airport hustle and bustle, restaurant chatters shower scene and more.
- Dialogue Reproduction: The dialog rendering and levels are clear, intelligible and well prioritized throughout the presentation.
Extras
In addition to both the original theatrical version (1:45:18) and a steamy new unrated version (1:50:18), Fifty Shades Freed comes equipped with more than 30 minutes of never-before-seen bonus content, including a deleted scene, cast interviews and behind-the-scenes features. Basically you get more passion for the buck here. Ha ha. Interesting thing is everything you see down below is found on both the UHD disc and the Blu-ray one. Just an FYI though all extras regardless of disc are in SDR. It also includes a redemption code for the film in Digital HD. Woohoo!
- An Intimate Conversation with EL James and Eric Johnson (HD, 8:52) – This is a casual conversation between EL and Eric (who plays Jack Hyde) discussing the film, favorite moments, themes, etc.
- Music Videos (HD)
- “For You (Fifty Shades Freed)” – Liam Payne & Rita Ora (4:15)
- “Capital Letters” – Hailee Steinfeld & BloodPop (3:51)
- “Heaven” – Julia Michaels (3:26)
- Deleted Scene (HD, 1:08) – Hickey and Apology
- The Final Climax (HD, 32:39) – Fans can follow not only Ana and Christian, but also both new and familiar characters behind-the-scenes throughout their journey of Fifty Shades Freed in the following 9 segments:
- The Wedding: Take a closer look at the beautiful wedding scene with the production and costume designers – from the breathtaking venue, gorgeous gown and the custom-designed floral arrangements
- Honeymoon: Travel along with the newlyweds and soak up the sun in the gorgeous French Riviera. Discover the challenge production faced with accessing locations, and the search for the perfect honeymoon yacht
- Mr. & Mrs. Grey: After the wedding and the honeymoon, what is it really like to be married? Find out how life in the penthouse changes once Ana moves in
- Ana Takes Charge: Director James Foley and Costume Designer Shay Cunliffe explore Ana’s transformation and growth into a powerful businesswoman
- Ana & Mr. Hyde: Go behind the scenes and find out the secrets about what makes Jake Hyde tick
- Aspen in Whistler: Take a look at how the filmmakers and set decorator used Whistler, Vancouver as a stand-in for snowy Aspen, and discover the famous musician whose home was transformed into Christian’s mansion
- Ana’s Revelation: Ana and Christian face their biggest challenge yet. Author EL James takes us through the choice that Ana must make and how the couple’s power dynamic shifts
- Resolution: The final showdown between Ana and Jack brings the two face-to-face and Ana will do whatever it takes to protect Christian, his family, and her future
- The Meaning of Freed: The cast and filmmakers share what being FREED really means for both Ana and Christian
- Christian & Ana By Jamie & Dakota (HD, 6:02) – Here you can revisit the previous films and learn how both Ana and Christian have changed… and how both actors have lived through the experience.
Summary
Well there you have it. I think you can tell I liked Fifty Shades Freed a lot. This is obviously not going to please most of our readers out here, but at least all my girls know where I’m coming from. Buy this one now!
*
Fifty Shades Freed
Sexes You Up on
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
May 8th
PRE-ORDER NOW!
*
*
