Blu-ray Review: Rush

STUDIO: Universal | DIRECTOR: Ron Howard | CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
BLU-RAY & DVD RELEASE DATE: 1/28/2014 | PRICE: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $34.98
BONUSES: deleted scenes, featurettes
SPECS: R | 163 min. | Biography Drama | 2.40:1 aspect ratio | 5.1 DTS-HD audio | English, Spanish subtitles

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

It’s a shame that Rush didn’t get more attention in theaters, but if you missed it on the big screen, take this Blu-ray as an opportunity.

The drama movie tells the story of the driving and yet often destructive competition between 1970s Formula One racers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth, Thor: The Dark World) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl, The Fifth Estate). Hunt is the typical driver, good-looking and a player off the circuit. Lauda is the opposite, having to push and work at everything to get to the top, but a brilliant engineer who helps build himself a faster car.

The biography film shows the ups and downs for both drivers, as well as the other people in their lives. We also see how they push each other but also build a solid respect for each other, on and off the track.

The performances are top notch all around, with kudos to Hemsworth, Bruhl, Olivia Wilde (The Words) as Hunt’s wife and Alexandra Maria Lara (Imagine) as Lauda’s wife.

Rush looks and sounds fabulous in Blu-ray’s high-definition. 7.1 DTS-HD would have been nice with the racing sounds, but the 5.1 isn’t bad.

The special features are also worth a watch. There’s a bunch of deleted scenes that are quick and don’t really add much — except the fun one with Lauda’s surprise gift to Hunt. But on the featurette side, there are two collections that are both interesting and well produced.

“Race for the Checkered Flag: The Making of Rush” goes into all the aspects of the movie’s production, with interviews by the stars, director Ron Howard (American Graffiti) and even the real Niki Lauda. Howard talks about how he got into the project and we learn that the cars that were raced were actual vintage Formula One cars from the 1970s.

In “The Real Story of Rush,” Olivia Wilde and others talk about the real characters they portray in the film, and Howard discusses the similarities between Rush and his other movies.

Buy or Rent Rush
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