The Film
It's been five years since Jodie Foster directed a major motion picture. Her last outing was The Beaver, where she got Mel Gibson to communicate most of his lines through a puppet. Now she's got another killer cast tied up in a completely different level of insanity in Money Monster.
George Clooney plays Lee Gates, the fast-talking, fair-dancing host of the TV show Money Monster. He's part financial wizard, part game show host. During one of his broadcasts, Lee advises viewers to invest in IBIS, a stock that goes belly-up due to some sort of glitch.
While Lee manages to dance his way through the post-crash broadcast, disgruntled viewer Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) poses as a deliveryman, makes his way onto the set, and takes the host hostage during a live broadcast. From there, ratings skyrocket as Kyle's life is exposed, Lee's life is exposed, and the whole financial system gets a poke as well.
Money Monster has some laughs and a lot of suspense for most part, but things do dull down a bit in the last third of the movie. However, Clooney, O'Connell, and Julia Roberts (as Lee's long-suffering producer) keep you hanging in there. I really wish there could have been more Giancarlo Esposito (who plays a cop), but the movie does keep things at a tight 99 minutes.
Want to know more about this movie? Check out Matthew Passantino's theatrical review of Money Monster.
The Picture
Money Monster has an entertaining 2.39:1 image, but it's not exactly the one you'll reach for when demo time comes around. The opening of the film shows off the Blu-ray's abilities, with close-up shots of George Clooney's perfectly combed salt-and-pepper hair. It also has a decent color palette and a fair amount of detail throughout. My one major gripe is that all of the control room scenes with Julia Roberts are less interesting, but that's just because those shots are dimly lit, so they don't show off as much. Like the movie, the image is good but not great.
The Sound
This DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is a perfect match for the film's image. This movie is really about the dialogue, which the mix delivers very well. Otherwise, there are some street sounds, echoes, gunshots, and other atmospheric effects that elevate the track a bit. It's nothing too memorable, but delivers as it should.
The Extras
With so many A-listers attached to this film, it's disappointing that this Blu-ray doesn't have a commentary track. How awesome would it be to hear Jodie Foster, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts sit down and talk through this? Well, forget it -- as well as pretty much anything else that noteworthy. There are three deleted scenes, one music video, and three super-short featurettes included.
Final Thoughts
Money Monster is reminiscent of Dog Day Afternoon and Network, but isn't nearly as memorable as either one of those movies. Like the film, the AV presentation is fine, but just isn't that noteworthy. Despite the A-list cast, a tight runtime, and a good amount of suspense, this is one that doesn't really need to be part of your Blu-ray budget.
Product Details
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