4K Limited Edition Steelbook Review: MATILDA

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Sep 09, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Matilda is based on Roald Dahl’s children’s book of the same name, following the adventures of a bright young girl named Matilda. Matilda (Mara Wilson) discovered at an extremely early age that she was going to need to take care of herself. Her father Harry (Danny DeVito) is a smarmy used car salesman who has a side business selling stolen car parts, while Matilda’s mother Zinnia (Rhea Perlman) spends all of her time away playing Bingo. So at the age of 2, Matilda was already making her own meals on the stovetop, and walking to the library to devour books, since her parents wouldn’t buy her any—they didn’t understand why anyone would want to read when there’s a perfectly good TV set that would get you the same information, and faster! Now 6 and a half, Matilda’s parents still haven’t sent her to school, since they need someone at home to sign for any packages that arrive.

It’s one day when Matilda’s father makes the comment that “when a person is bad, they need to be taught a lesson”, that she gets the idea to make her parents pay for their behavior. She starts to play pranks on her vain father, like putting peroxide in his hair oil, or gluing his hat to his head. In the process, Matilda discovers that she has telekinetic powers, and starts to use that to her advantage. When her parents finally do send her to school, it’s to Crunchem Hall Elementary School—which is ruled with an iron first by principal Agatha Trunchbull, a massive woman built like a tree trunk. Trunchbull is a former Olympian in the sports of shot put, the javelin and the hammer throw. She carries around a riding crop, and believes in using the rod, not sparing the child. Trunchbull constantly threatens to lock the children in a small windowless room she calls the choky.

Matilda’s new teacher, Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz) couldn’t be any more the opposite. She is one of the first people to actually show Matilda any love and attention. Miss Honey is a sweet woman, who quickly recognizes Matilda’s aptitude and wants to encourage it. Though when she tries to speak to the Wormwoods about this, she’s met with complete indifference.

Matilda is a fun, comical romp following the adventures of this magical and intelligent young girl Matilda, who manages to thrive despite her loveless upbringing. Matilda’s parents can’t even remember her name or age half the time, and don’t give her the affection and attention that a child deserves. So she starts to use her newfound powers to teach those who are being bad a lesson—whether that be her father, or trying to bring to an end Trunchbull’s reign of terror at the school. Along the way, she makes a true connection with Miss Honey, and wants to help her right some wrongs from her own past. She also makes new friends, and learns to help herself.

The cast is great. Mara Wilson is delightful as the young Matilda. Real-life couple Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman are also great as her lazy and indifferent parents, but they play these characters in a way that makes them still quite likeable and fun—it’s not that they hate their daughter, it’s just that they don’t seem to care, and have more important things on their mind. Pam Ferris gives a memorable performance as the larger-than-life villain Trunchbull, and Embeth Davidtz makes Miss Honey the caring teacher we all wished we had. There are also some fun cameos in the film, such as Paul Reubens as an undercover FBI Agent who’s always watching the house—Matilta is constantly warning her parents about him, but they completely believe his cover story of being an Ace powerboat salesmen.

The film’s mix of the fantastical and the bad guys getting their comeuppance makes this a satisfying watch. There is quite a bit of violence in the movie, especially involving Trunchbull, but it is more over-the-top and cartoony. For example, there’s a scene where Trunchbull grabs a young girl by the pigtails and throws her across the schoolyard like an Olympic hammer, and another where she throws a different student out the window like a javelin. But there’s no blood, and no one actually gets hurt, and it’s done in a more of a comedic way. Danny DeVito also provides a fun narration throughout the film.

For this new 4K disc release, the feature has been scanned from the original camera negative, and is presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, along with an all-new Dolby Atmos audio track. The previously-remastered Special Edition Blu-ray release of Matilda already looked terrific. Comparing the video presentation of this new 4K release to the previous Blu-ray release (which is also included), there’s a slight uptick in quality and detail, but it’s not very drastic. The special effects for the film hold up really well, and look very natural and believable.

The audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to give an immersive viewing experience. This is especially noticeable as Matilda uses her powers to make things fly around the room, or when she’s outside at Trunchbull’s home during a storm. The movie also has some great music, like Rusted Root’s “Send Me On My Way” as a 2-year-old Matilda cooks herself breakfast after everyone else leaves the house, and Thurston Harris’ “Little Bitty Pretty One” as Matilda practices and hones her powers, causing objects to fly around her room. These both sound fantastic in the new Atmos track.

Sony’s new 4K Ultra HD release includes both the previous remastered Blu-ray disc as well as a new 4K disc, which are placed in a beautiful new steelbook case. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem a 4K Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film. The bonus material from the previous release can be found only on the Blu-ray, and has not been ported over the the 4K disc. This includes nearly 50 minutes of fun behind-the-scenes featurettes, including a great 17th anniversary reunion of the cast and crew. New to this release is an audio commentary track from director/star Danny DeVito, which can only be found on the 4K disc.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:38:08)

2160p / Widescreen 2.40
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Czech Dolby Surround, French (Parisian) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French (Québécois) Dolby Surround, German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Italian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Polish Stereo, Spanish (Castilian) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish (Latin American) Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Thai, Turkish

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French (Québécois) Dolby Surround, French (Parisian) 5.1, Italian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish (Castilian) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish (Latin American) Dolby Surround
Subtitles:
English, English SDH, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Thai

Digital (Limited time offer):

4K digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu

Extras:

Audio Commentary (1:38:08)
Director Danny DeVito provides a brand new commentary throughout the film. He talks about how the idea for the film first came about, and shares lots of fun and interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the production. You can tell that he’s really proud of this movie, and fondly remembers his time working on it.
Theatrical Trailer (2:22)

Blu-ray:
The Blu-ray disc is identical to the previous 2013 Special Edition release.

Afternoon Tea, A Matilda Reunion (21:01)
The cast and crew get together for a reunion party to celebrate the remastered Blu-ray of the film. They reminisce, share stories about working on the production, and do some fun recreations of scenes from the movie. Includes interviews with director Danny DeVito (“Harry Wormwood”) and stars Mara Wilson (“Matilda”), Rhea Perlman (“Zinnia Wormwood”), Pam Ferris (“Miss Trunchbull”), Brian Levinson (“Michael Wormwood”), Kiami Davael (“Lavender Brown”), Jacqueline Steiger (“Amanda Thripp”), Jim Karz (“Bruce Bogtrotter”), Embeth Davidtz (“Miss Honey”), Tracey Walter (“FBI Agent Bill”), Leor Hackel (“Julius Rottwinkle”) & Sara Magsalin (“Matilda, 4 Years”), casting director David Ruben, composer David Newman, producer Michael Peyser, and costume designer Jane Ruhm.
Matilda’s Movie Magic! (14:14)
The cast and crew discuss how some of the film’s special effects were done, including the flying desserts, the exploding television, Jaqueline’s hammer throw, transforming the actress into the Trunchbull, the cake eating scene, the dance scene, the windy visit to the house, the levitating pitcher, the magic chalk, the eraser attack, the flying book, and more. Includes clips and behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Danny DeVito, stars Rhea Perlman, Pam Ferris & Embeth Davidtz, key makeup artist Ve Neill, and visual effects supervisor Chris Watts.
A Children’s Guide to Good Manners (3:12)
Tongue in cheek guide to good manners, using clips from the film that demonstrate the opposite of what is being described.
Escape to the Library (5:48)
Director Danny DeVito and wife Rhea Perlman talk about how the film came about from reading the book to their children. Then viewers take a visit to a real library to learns about the wonders that can be found there.
My Movie About Making Matilda by Mara Wilson (6:27)
Star Mara Wilson narrates her home video footage from the set of the film in May 1995. She talks to the cast and crew, and shares what it’s been like working on the movie.
Previews (6:19)
Trailers for The Smurfs (2:26), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2:23) & The Swan Princess Christmas (1:30) play back-to-back.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Matilda is a delightful and fun adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl tale. The film holds up tremendously well over 25 years later. Sony’s new 4K release looks and sounds great, and comes in beautiful new Steelbook packaging. The release also includes the previously remastered Blu-ray disc from 2013, and the only new bonus material is an audio commentary from director/star Danny DeVito. The previous Blu-ray already looked fantastic, so it may be a tough decision for those who already own that release to double-dip for an upgrade. Fans of the film should enjoy the new premium packaging and commentary, and this is certainly the version to buy.