Connor Bynum // Film Critic
DON’T WORRY DARLING
Olivia Wilde’s sophomoric directorial venture, DON’T WORRY DARLING was undoubtedly the talk of the town for some time this past summer. Whether it was drama behind the scenes or whether Harry Styles did or did not spit on Chris Pine at the premiere, there was an undeniable cloud of intrigue and scandal looming over the film’s release. Perhaps this contributed to the film’s somewhat harsh reception from critics and audiences alike. Fortunately, now that the dust has settled, audiences can see how well the film holds up at home on 4K UHD to know for sure.
Movie Grade: B
From our theatrical review:
“DON’T WORRY DARLING’s biggest flaw is how long it teases out a fairly obvious, surprisingly basic reveal. However, director Olivia Wilde makes sure that the journey and destination are visually arresting and absorbing. The highly-stylized artistic flourishes cloak commentary that, despite its lackluster and thorny aspects, is prickly, piercing and occasionally palpable.
Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) appear to have it all: a steady income, a frisky sex life and an impeccably-kept house in the idyllic, sunny suburbs. Every morning, the men in Victory leave for work, leaving their wives to tend to the home and lead a life of leisure, gossiping and looking glamorous whilst doing so. All of this is courtesy of Frank (Chris Pine), the housing development’s cult-like leader who’s hard at work with the men in town, perfecting the top secret ‘Victory Project,’ which he believes will change the course of history. Everyone in town has bought into his progressive thinking too, surrounded by mind-control propaganda and an absence of free will.
Pugh delivers taut psychodrama, especially as her world crumbles and closes in on her. It’s thrilling to watch it transpire in her capable hands, even as it treads some territory similar to MIDSOMMAR. Styles, whose fresh-faced, under-developed acting skills feel perfectly at home given his character’s arc, gives a strong, subdued performance. He even gets to sing (about potatoes!) and dance (a delirious tap dance!). The duo conjure a decent amount of heat to carry the drama to potent, poignant places when ensuing threats appear, causing marital strife and chasm-like rifts. Wilde, who gives herself an ample featured player role, is wickedly divine. Still, it’s Berlant who’s the film’s MVP, elevating her material, imbuing it with effervescence and levity.
While the mystery at play is treated as a twist, enlightened audiences will emerge the victor if they alter their perspective, viewing the picture as a hallucinogenic mood-piece of our times. Wilde uses it as both a megaphone, not to say anything new or unique (which she really should’ve since she has our captive attention), but to rattle our cages, daring us to rectify our past confining treatment of women with the present regressive era for women.”
Video/Audio Grade: A
On a technical level, DON’T WORRY DARLING honestly doesn’t have very much to criticize. Captured in native 4K by two-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Matthew Libatique (BLACK SWAN and 2018’s A STAR IS BORN), the film is simply stunning on a visual level.
The additional detail in 4K brings out much more texture in the period-accurate set design, props, and costumes, as well as the skin tones and hair detail for the entire cast. The high-quality visual fidelity is made all the more enjoyable with HDR10. The increase in color saturation of the Victory Project neighborhood is all the more contrasted by the harsh desert that surrounds the community. The multiple night scenes are also fairly improved with the increased brightness spectrum.
The Dolby Atmos audio track is likewise outstanding and will make excellent use of the high, side, and rear channels, especially when it comes to John Powell’s intense musical score. The film’s numerous sequences of surreal imagery are paired with jarring, albeit intentional, sound design — and this Atmos mix is just about on par with a theatrical experience, provided you have the setup for it. The disc defaults to a TrueHD 7.1 mix for setups not outfitted for Atmos, and this is a terrific option as well.
Extras Grade: D
For anyone hoping to find out just what on earth happened behind the scenes of this movie, I’m sad to let you know the bonus features will undoubtedly offer an insight to the matter. Considering the multiple reports of a greatly troubled production, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise the people involved don’t seem too excited to talk about it. With a downright embarrassing number of two bonus features included, it’s almost inexcusable that they are (STILL) only made available on the standard Blu-ray disc included in the case. The included features are listed below.
- The Making of Don’t Worry, Darling (17:54)
- Alice’s Nightmare (0:54)
Final Grade: B
Criticism for the special features and the film itself notwithstanding, DON’T WORRY DARLING on 4K UHD is a fantastic watch if you’re looking for a film to show off your fancy new home theater system. While the film’s story and rather predictable conclusion may have left much to be desired, the same certainly cannot be said for this disc’s visual and audio presentation.
