Why So Blu?

Magic Mike’s Last Dance (Blu-ray Review)

The Magic Mike trilogy came to its close this past February. Originally intended as a release that was supposed to be an HBO Max exclusive, the film changed course and did a little theatrical run first that looked pretty fruitful in grosses. Soderbergh has been doing some really solid work there on the streamer and feels to be on a bit of a run. His latest here, pairs him with Channing Tatum again to close the book on their Magic Mike series, Magic Mike’s Last Dance. You’ll be able to purchase the film and own it on Blu-ray when it becomes available on April 18th. The disc will feature a deleted scene and featurette for bonus features. You can use the paid Amazon Associates link below to order yourself a copy and complete your set!

Film

In Magic Mike’s Last Dance, “Magic” Mike Lane (Tatum) takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. For what he hopes will be one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite (Hayek Pinault) who lures him with an offer he can’t refuse…and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, once Mike discovers what she truly has in mind, will he—and the roster of hot new dancers he’ll have to whip into shape—be able to pull it off?

One of the best aspects of the cinematic journey of “Magic” Mike Lane has been just how different and unique each film in the series has been. Not just in the sort of tone and story, but in the evolution of the dancing and how it informs and tells the story of our character (or characters). Its a rather impressive feat that has taken us through individual success and standing up to yourself, to brotherhood/teamwork and healing and now to romance and learning to let go. Each film has come with a specific emotional engagement. All of this in a series that has probably overlooked for being just some silly male eye candy.

Steven Soderbergh returns to the series he helped to usher in and Salma Hayek Pinault joins for this last hurrah. Soderbergh brings a new spin on the erotic dancing routines, while still delivering some of the classic goods. Where they take the film this time is evolving the work into a more traditional artistic arena while doing the same form of expression. The “classy” version of it, as it would be. The character of Mike is push into this once again, but for the first time he is able to see a sort of longevity and extended path in his career of being able to teach, direct and coach another generation and still be able to showcase what he has to offer.

Channing Tatum has been the face of this series and we’ve seen him become an improved performer with each step of the way and as the years go by. Whereas in the first it was a sense of “Hey, this guy might be more than just a pretty face” to now seeing a guy who has mastered who he is as an actor and has an expert level of comedic timing and delivery. The showstopper here in the film is the climactic dance number on a rainy stage set to no music. Its a fantastic close to this story and growth of the characters. Not to mention, its a hell of a choreographed piece with some fantastic displays of athleticism which have been effectively shot and edited here.

Magic Mike’s Last Dance is a pretty powerful new chapter in this series and feels like a wonderful capper to the male strippers in Florida saga. Its original helmer returns for one more. Channing Tatum gives his best performance of the three films and radiates fantastic chemistry with co-star Salma Hayek Pinault. In today’s climate, as movies became far too neutered and non-sexual as can be, its nice to see something like this that offers high quality heat while doing so in such an expressive, artistic fashion, giving it some decent meaning as well.

Video

Encoding: MPEG4-AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Layers: BD-50

Clarity/Detail: Magic Mike’s Last Dance unfortunately only gets a standard Blu-ray release. But, hey, Soderbergh’s last movie only got a DVD. So, I guess we are grateful to be living in under 10 years ago rather than 20. This is about the best you can ask for. It has some really good color touches. The image is sharp, with good texture and fine details about. It takes it about as far s you can go without having to jump formats.

Depth:  Depth of field is pretty terrific and compliments the camera work quite well with a lot of beautiful theater shots as well as hotel/house interiors. Movements are smooth and natural with no issues coming from rapid actor or camera movement causing jitter/blurring.

Black Levels: Blacks are quite deep and inky, flirting with natural levels. There are a lot of dark theater scenes with even clublike lighting that provide a good contrast but also still maintain high levels of information. No crushing witnessed.

Color Reproduction: Colors bold really nicely with a bold flavor to them. Blue is a focus color and pops well as does red. There is a nice good pop and glow coming from neon signs, lights and more.

Flesh Tones: Skin tones are natural and consistent from start to finish of the film. Facial features and textures are strong and easily discernible from any given distance in the frame.

Noise/Artifacts:  Clean

Audio

Audio Format(s): English 5.1 DTS-HD MA, English Descriptive Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Dynamics: Magic Mike’s Last Dance comes with a pretty top tier old school 5.1 track. It has a very nice, loose and balanced mix here. There’s some very good layering and depth that really make every area feel lived in as well as showcasing the music and vocals in the film to a top degree.

Height: N/A

Low Frequency Extension: There’s a good boom from the subwoofer with the music and accentuating some natural sounds like doors slamming or engines humming.

Surround Sound Presentation: A lot of the action here happens up front but the room will be captivate with light ambiance and music contributions from the rear channels. Sound travels is accurate and effective to what is going on onscreen. Rear channels do provide some nice contributions here and there and track off screen activity well.

Dialogue Reproduction: Vocals are clear and crisp. Vocals are actually very present and felt in this mix.

Extras

Magic Mike’s Last Dance comes with the standard DVD edition and a redeemable digital code.

Magic Mike’s New Movies (HD, 6:24) – Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek and the choreographers discuss this third movie, the inspirations and the casting. Its all focused on the dancing and special focus on the finale.

Deleted Scene 44: Edna Expanded (HD, 8:05)

Summary

Magic Mike’s Last Dance is terrific, emotional and impressive capper to this trilogy of male entertainers which has surprisingly proven to be fruitful. Warner Bros sadly only puts it on a standard Blu-ray. However, the picture and audio quality is pretty much the top of the line for the format. Extras are rather light and Soderbergh not appearing anywhere on them is rather disappointing. Wait for it to drop to discounted price point and then add it to complete your Magic Mike Blu-ray collection.

This is a paid Amazon Associates link