Blu-ray Review: All Things Fall Apart - Page 2

A running theme throughout All Things Fall Apart is a trite, cliché theme that the United States is not taking care of its own people. Deon and his friends’ college professors are textbook socialist extremists, constantly slamming the capitalistic U.S. for it resistance to redistribute the wealth. The political message of this movie (which it poorly articulates) is that America should provide everyone in the country with an equal share of everything. Yet the movie endorses a system in which one single doctor (not even an oncologist, for that matter) should be able to advise a cancer patient to give up hope and let the disease claim his life without a fight. What kind of mixed message is that?

All Things Fall Apart is presented on Blu-ray in a 1080p transfer. The movie was shot digitally and looks extremely clean and focused. The picture is always sharp and fine detail is well defined, especially during audience footage during the football sequences. The only problem is that black levels are extremely shallow, with nighttime or dark scenes looking more like gray than black. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is overkill for a movie like this. While the football games provide a relatively immersive experience, most of the movie is dialogue. The dialogue is sometimes a little on the quiet side. 50 Cent’s mumbling could’ve benefitted from boosted levels. But the mix is free of distortion.

The only extra included on this bare bones Blu-ray release is a standard definition trailer. All Things Fall Apart is a downbeat movie that is unlikely to inspire anyone. Curtis Jackson displays considerable dedication to the role. He transforms from a 200-plus pound athlete into a scrawny weakling after Deon's initial chemotherapy treatment. Somewhere deep down, I think Jackson, his co-screenwriter Brian Miller, and Peebles all had good intentions for this movie. The end result proudly boasts a message of hopelessness that some may consider realistic. I found it to be a highly unpleasant viewing experience.

Article Author: The Other Chad

My name is Chaz. A former co-worker (Dave) always misheard my name as "Chad." Complicating matters was a third co-worker, who was in fact named Chad. So Dave habitually called me the "other Chad."

Contact: chazlipp3@gmail.com

Visit The Other Chad's author page — The Other Chad's Blog