Why So Blu?

Silent Night (Blu-ray Review)

In SILENT NIGHT, Nell and Simon have invited their closest friends to join their family for Christmas dinner at their idyllic home in the English countryside. As the group comes together, it feels like old times – but behind all of the laughter and merriment, something is not quite right. The world outside is facing impending doom, and no amount of gifts, games or Prosecco can make mankind’s imminent destruction go away. Surviving the holidays just got a lot more complicated. Read our Silent Night Blu-ray review now!

Film

Add one part: people that hate each other, two parts: end of the world shenanigans and you have Silent Night. Silent Night stars Keira Knightley (Domino, Atonement)  and Matthew Goode (Watchmen, Stoker) and revolves around a group of friends and family gathered around a nice Christmas Eve feast. Everyone discusses their upper crust but trivial lives in great detail. Oh, the rub is that there’s a virus out there that’s wiping out humanity while our hosts and families indulge in the festivities.

Now if this Silent Night Blu-ray review sounds snippy, it’s not really meant to, but the film does a great job of grating the viewer with the first act featuring some unlikable and annoying people. The world is ending by a biological hazard of unknown origin, while some of these people carry on like it’s just another day. I don’t know if it’s due to them being in denial (even oblivious), or them being too rich to care. Maybe a bit of both I suppose.

Once we get past the first wave’s annoyances then reality finally sets in and the film takes a dour turn. Parents and family members begin to realize that no one is getting out of this one alive and plan on the least painful way to die. It seems that the government, and as best as I can figure, has given the affluent a suicide kit with cyanide pills. They’re to take a dose to end their lives should they become infected by the virus. There is no cure for the virus and most of the country is cut off from one another. The virus also causes one to bleed out from every orifice and liquifies the internal organs. It’s not pleasant.

I think this final act of film redemption works much better because the material turns into a bleak tale of survival. It’s post-apocalyptic, with some horror film flourishes thrown into the mix. More focus should have been given to the societal implications that are brought up. There’s a nugget of information in which the children ask why poor people are not given suicide pills of their own. Even in this film, with inevitable death looming, the rich are still better off than the poor folks out there. Silent Night is definitely worth a view but taper those expectations carefully.

 

Video  

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Clarity/Detail: Silent Night on Blu-ray looks terrific. It had a nice and balanced quality, with no obvious signs of contrast or sharpness boosting to be found.

Depth: The film is set predominately indoors, but things do shine in the various scenes that take place outside. The lush countryside benefit from this Blu-ray transfer.

Black Levels: Black levels are deep and inky, free of crush and other anomalies.

Color Reproduction: The color palette is rich and free of banding/pixelation.

Flesh Tones: Everyone looks nice and healthy until they start hacking their guts out.

Noise/Artifacts: Clean

Audio 

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Dynamics: Matching the stellar video specs, the lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack on the Silent Night on Blu-ray do not disappoint. The impending doom is bright and lively in full lossless 5.1 surround sound.

Low Frequency Extension: The LFE subwoofer channel is quite reserved but kicks it up a slight notch in a dangerous scene in the final act. Previously, there was a scene that was music heavy and the subwoofer gave it some added kick, which was nice.

Surround Sound Presentation: Ambience is the name of the game and you can discern the wildlife that inhabits the English countryside. There are a few scenes in the treacherous outdoors that also use the surround sound channels to great effect, as well.

Dialogue Reproduction: A dialogue driven film for the most part, everyone sounds clean, clear, and crisp. No issues here.

 

Extras

There are only two sets of special features and they are listed below. Out of the endings provided, there’s one in particular that I liked more than the ending used in the film, due to how cute it is.

• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Alternate Endings

 

Summary

Silent Night is not for everyone and this Blu-ray review highlights some of what works and what doesn’t. It’s a black comedy wrapped up in a post apocalyptic blanket. The video and audio specs are great. The special features are light and the alternate endings are worth checking out. Silent Night is for fans only.

 

 

Silent Night is released

on Blu-ray March 8, 2022!

ORDER NOW!

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