Magic Mike (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Jul 15, 2024
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Steven SoderberghRelease Date(s)
2012 (May 14, 2024)Studio(s)
Nick Wechsler Productions/Iron Horse Entertainment/Extension 765 (Warner Home Video)- Film/Program Grade: A-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A-
- Extras Grade: D
Review
Back when filmmaker Steven Soderbergh was making his lo-fi, star-studded thriller Haywire, Channing Tatum brought him the idea to make a film based around Tatum’s days as a 19-year-old stripper in Tampa, FL. Tatum had previously convinced Nicolas Winding Refn to direct the project, but he dropped out due to scheduling issues. And while Refn would have been capable of making Magic Mike every bit as sweaty and moody as it is currently, I doubt he could make it as much about the joy of watching something erotic live than Soderbergh did. Thus, a modern classic was born, and it was born wearing glitzy thongs, but with a pervading sadness underneath all the joy.
I bring up sadness and Magic Mike because Soderbergh was one of the few contemporary filmmakers who not only dealt with The Great Recession in a few of his films, but he also had the upper hand of understanding that the gig economy was born out of the economic stability caused by the recession. Magic Mike is every bit about how mentally and physically draining having to perform for others became in the wake of good-paying jobs in Tampa just flying out the window. The world changed rapidly, and financial institutions stopped funding exactly the kind of personal, entrepreneurial ideas that the titular Mike Lane (Channing Tatum, 21 Jump Street) wanted to pursue. It’s these kind of real-world connections that someone as obsessed with humanity as Soderbergh is was able to refine into living, breathing story points that hit you in unexpected ways.
Magic Mike follows Mike Lane (Tatum) as he’s shut out of another construction job because of budget cuts, immediately after meeting Adam (Alex Pettyfer, I Am Number Four), a young construction worker who’s also struggling to find work. Unbeknownst to Adam, Mike is a male stripper at the local Xquisite Strip Club in Tampa, run by the wily and unpredictable Dallas (Matthew McConaughey, True Detective). Mike convinces Adam to start stripping for cash while also developing a crush on Adam’s protective sister, Brooke (Cody Horn, End of Watch). Soon Adam is introduced as “The Kid” on stage and the glitz, glamour, and drugs take over. Will Mike be able to save this young upstart from a downfall, and will he ever be able to fully realize his passion of building custom furniture? These are very corny, human questions that make Magic Mike feel genuine and directly connected to the world that dictates just how successful or unsuccessful these characters are allowed to be.
Since Soderbergh is more than a bit of a tech fetishist as well, this lower-budgeted feature sings thanks to its unfussy framing and those absolutely gorgeous strip club scenes. To Soderbergh, the thing he should be focusing on during a strip act is the relationship between the dancer and the leering audience. The sequence in which Brooke (Horn) is exposed to a strip club for the first time plays out in real time, allowing the actress to tell us everything we want to know by how she interacts or doesn’t interact with the space. Her hushed breathing denotes erotic joy, but her face is of a person working through what it’s like to be turned on in public. It’s exactly the kind of instinct that Soderbergh has that few filmmakers do not; as the beleaguered filmmaker has admitted that the entire sequence was devised by him and Cody Horn, by putting trust in the characters and Horn’s performance to tell us everything we needed to know.
Full disclosure: As much as I do love Magic Mike, because I truly do, its sequel is about as close to utopian entertainment as it gets. Not because everything is hunky dory and perfectly serving the characters, but because it creates a world that’s so full of warmth and joy as we watch this ragtag group of strippers do what brings them joy, and finding joy in watching others experience it as well. It’s a terrific companion piece to Magic Mike, which is much more concerned with how all of these people survive. In Magic Mike XXL, they’re just concerned with having a good time.
Magic Mike may have been shot in 2011, but that didn’t stop Soderbergh (and cinematographer Peter Andrews) from capturing the entire film in 5K using the Red Epic camera with Hawk V-Lite, V-Plus and V-Series lenses. The film was finished as a 4K Digital Intermediate and printed on 35mm for theatrical showings where applicable. The film makes its Ultra HD debut encoded on a triple-layered 100GB disc with data rates hovering between 70-80Mbps.
Based upon the description above, it should come as no surprise that this is a really pleasing upgrade from standard HD to 4K. Soderbergh served as the film’s cinematographer as well and shot the majority of it (save for the club scenes) using a double straw camera filter, which enhances the raw image with a bold yellow-gold color wash. The filter used doesn’t really mar any fine detail, and the slight lack of sharpness was definitely a deliberate choice by Soderbergh since it gave a more real-world feel. All that said, the new 2160p presentation and HEVC encode shows off the source remarkably well, pulling gorgeous color and detail out of each sequence. The club sequences in particular look terrific with that moderate purple color push giving way to flashing lights, glitter in the air, sweat on dancers’ bodies, and fog rolling across the stage. The High Dynamic Range grade (HDR10) does wonders to the smooth, realistic look of the film and honors the stylized color palette without blowing out any highlights. Some complained that the original Blu-ray presentation looked too smooth and sharpened, but it’s clear here that’s because the source had a lot more to offer when fully exposed to 2160p and from the source master rather than a downscale to 1080p.
The included English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is the same that was included on the original Blu-ray, and while some may be disappointed with no Atmos upgrade, this is still a very pleasing track that honors the film. It’s mostly a front-focused track for exteriors with heavy dialogue, but I did notice during the scene on the beach where Mike runs into his ex-girlfriend that the audio is pleasingly directional as she walks into the frame and back into the story. The club scenes have terrific LFE and show off that bouncy soundtrack perfectly; bass is tuned very well to situate you in the club as if you were a member of the audience. The source seems to be in great condition with no damage or encoding issues to note.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s single-disc 4K Ultra HD release of Magic Mike drops the French and Spanish audio tracks and the French subtitles from the previous Blu-ray release, but retains Spanish subtitles for the English-language audio track, as well as English SDH captions. One lone supplement is included in HD:
- Backstage on Magic Mike (6:42)
Unfortunately, this new UHD release drops both the 9-minute Extended Dance Sequences and 19-minute Dance Play Mode featurettes from the Blu-ray, leaving only the EPK-style Backstage on Magic Mike featurette. It gives you a very brief background into the production, behind-the-scenes footage, and a couple of quick interviews with key talent.
If you’re reading this review, then you’re probably already a fan of Magic Mike or just looking to upgrade your old 2012 Blu-ray. If you’re hoping for anything new, set your expectations much lower. But for those purchasing this new 4K Ultra HD edition for the video upgrade, the artist Ginuwine said it best: “Come and jump on it.”
- Sam Cohen
(You can follow Sam on social media at these links: Facebook, Instagram, and Letterboxd.)