DVD Corner

Fruitvale Station Blu-ray Review

While “Fruitvale Station” is a powerful film, the screenplay comes up short.

In case you aren’t familiar with the story of “Fruitvale Station,” the film retells the tragic true life story of Oscar Grant’s final day in life before he was unjustly shot dead by BART police officers after Oscar was involved in a quarrel on a BART train (the horrific real video of which exists on the internet).

While ‘Station’ does take some creative liberties (and displays some distracting foreshadowing moments to Oscar Grant’s fate), the movie is primarily a straight retelling of the story as it happened. There’s a sense of realism throughout the entire running time as Oscar goes about his day conversing with his girlfriend (Sophina), his mother, and his daughter all while trying to find work. Just as we (the audience) learn about Oscar’s mistake filled (but ultimately VERY human) life, his time on Earth is sadly cut short after an act of senseless violence. It’s an undeniably haunting and gut wrenching tale, but at the same time, the film is frustrating in its storytelling approach because it doesn’t take a stance. Writer/director Ryan Coogler doesn’t get to the heart of the issues of racial prejudice and police brutality nor does he ever dig deep into them. Coogler merely states the obvious which is disappointing as this story of injustice is more deserving of a deeper exploration.

From an acting perspective, there are some fantastic performances here from Octavia Spencer (who shines as Oscar’s mother) and rising star Michael B. Jordan (who portrays Oscar). Both actors give incredibly naturalistic performances which makes the film all the more believable.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.78:1 1080p. How does it look? The gritty, handheld cinematography style looks even more effective in hi-def.

Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? The audio is generally low and somewhat flat which is fine since this is not the type of film that you would expect a loud track for.

Extras:
* The Weinstein Company trailers.
* “Fruitvale Station: The Story of Oscar Grant”- An excellent and important featurette that primarily covers the tragic true story and Ryan Coogler’s film.
* “Q&A With Filmmakers And Cast”- Journalist Davey D moderates a Q&A with Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Forest Whitaker, and Nina Yang Bongiovi in Oakland. Discussions range from acting, themes, producing, etc.
* DVD copy and Ultraviolet digital copy.

Overall Thoughts: “Fruitvale Station” is an important film to see, but I can’t help but feel like the story (and subject matter) is more deserving of a richer film.

January 6, 2014 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Fruitvale Station Blu-ray Review, Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer