The Movie
Jim Carrey stars as Tom Popper, a slick, successful real estate executive in New York City. The divorced father of two is on the verge of The Big Promotion when life throws him a curveball: His world adventurer dad has just passed away, willing Tom one final souvenir, a live penguin. And before Popper can figure out to do with one, five more arrive, each with its own distinct personality, and they turn his world upside-down.
Mr. Popper's Penguins demand a lot of attention, plenty of cold and more than a few fish, but they soon reveal a caring side of the man that his kids and ex-wife have never seen before. Turns out that the birds are a rare breed though, and a shady zoo official is eyeing them up with the intention of breaking up this unconventional family.
Despite situations familiar from countless family films, some starring Jim Carrey, Popper reveals quite a bit of heart as the story unfolds. It also reveals quite a bit of on-camera pooping, so it should entertain younger viewers who are not easily grossed out. And props to Carrey for getting the most out of his role of the reluctant patriarch, unleashing the wild flailings, contorted faces and bizarre line deliveries we've come to expect.
The Picture
The 1.85:1 Blu-ray image is storybook-perfect, remarkably noise- and artifact-free, and neither is it compromised by any distracting film grain. Little nuances really pop (no pun intended) while the black levels and shadow detail are among the most excellent I've seen in a while, as when for example the lapel is barely but definitely visible against Popper's coat. Perhaps working off of the monochromatic penguins--a successful blend of CGI and the real thing--the palette is somewhat subdued, but those colors that we are given are rich and natural.
The Sound
Popper's DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is highlighted by the frequent darting of the black-and-white critters, flaunting sharp directionality of their sliding and squawking across the 5.1-channel soundstage, with a renegade champagne cork in there, too. There's fun, room-filling bellow when the birds have something to say, and a strong, well-crafted sense of off-camera action throughout.
The Extras
Director Mark Waters, film editor Bruce Green and visual effects supervisor Richard Hollander join together for the audio commentary, with their additional jam insights available on the dozen deleted scenes (but only if we choose to Play All) and over the illustrative series of walkthroughs of an elaborate penguin special effects sequence among the featurettes. There's also a narrated look at the reference footage with stuffed birds standing in for their final CGI renditions, a segment about the live animal co-stars, and more facts about their particular species.
We might crack a smile during the two-minute gag reel, or as we watch the somewhat cheesily-animated six-minute "sequel" cartoon starring cold-weather cohorts Nimrod and Stinky. The enduring 1938 book is briefly explored, and the first few pages are even presented onscreen in an interactive format complete with music and rudimentary animation. All of the video extras are in high definition, and the Blu-ray is BD-Live-enabled with Fox's Live Lookup of vast amounts of IMDB.com data, just a few clicks away.
Disc Two is a standard-def DVD of the movie with a subset of these extras. Disc Three brings a Digital Copy for iTunes and Windows Media.
Final Thoughts
Warming the heart while pleasing the eyes and ears too, Mr. Popper's Penguins is an enjoyable film that the entire family can enjoy together, as long as we keep the PG rating in mind. An easy Blu-ray recommendation.
Product Details
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