Get On Up: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Based on the incredible life story of the Godfather of Soul, Get On Up gives a fearless look inside the music, moves, and moods of James Brown (Chadwick Boseman), taking audiences on the journey from his impoverished childhood to his evolution into one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
I’m not really a fan of James Brown the person because of his arrogance but as a performer and contributor to music history the man is a legend. This film shows a pretty good portion of his life and details just how hard he had it growing up. After watching it you can kind of tell why he would become so sure of himself. He basically was giving himself no other option but to succeed and leave the life he came from behind. It was really cool to see Boseman become Brown. Initially I was too sure if I was going to like him playing the role but after the opening scene you could tell that he really embodied the character. Even his dance moves were pretty spot on which is the thing that everyone remembers from Brown. The film covers quite a bit of his life but they seemed to have skipped over his drug usage in the 80’s. I know the film was made to celebrate his legacy but if it’s a film about his life then I wouldn’t thought they would’ve included the bad with all of the good as well. I think the only thing that I wasn’t too keen on was the breaking of the fourth wall in certain moments. Sometimes talking to the audience can be a cool feature but in a dramatic film it just doesn’t work for me. Thankfully it was only done very seldom. Other than that I thought it was a solid film that is worth checking out and does his legacy justice. 8/10
Special Features:
Long Journey To The Screen – This shows the process and trials that it took to bring the movie to life.
Tate Taylor’s Master Class – Two actors ham it up in an improve dance number.
Chadwick Boseman: Meet Mr. James Brown – The feature shows the transformation that Boseman made to become the Godfather Of Soul.
The Get On Up Family – This goes through the cast of the film and what they bring to each of their roles.
Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes – A fantastic handful of scenes that actually give a bit more to the story.
The Founding Father Of Funk – Various people speak about what James Brown meant to them and his contributions to the music world.
On Stage With The Hardest Working Man – Various people speak about James Brown’s ability to put on a fantastic show.
Full Song Performances
Extended Song Performances
Feature Commentary With Director/Producer Tate Taylor
