Chicago is an adaptation of the musical Chicago, which debuted in 1975, and has since become an iconic Broadway show. In addition to its success on the stage Chicago is an acclaimed film, which took away six Academy Awards at the 2002 showing, including Best Picture. I’ll admit I’m not one for musicals so I wasn’t exactly looking forward to watching this movie for the first time, but I went in with an unbiased mind and hoped for the best.

Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is a famous celebrity who is just as well known for her double murder of her cheating husband, and her sister. On murderesses row Velma meets Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger), a nobody who dreams of fame and fortune who herself is behind bars for the murder of her abusive “boyfriend”. The two hire Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) Chicago’s most successful defense attorney, who basically turns the trials into a celebrity murder trial and attempts to get the two acquitted. Once he gets to know the two, Billy realizes the star potential of Roxie and escalades her newfound fame into super stardom. A jealous Velma competes for the spotlight with Chicago’s newest starlet Roxie. From here we are introduced to Kitty (Lucy Liu), a wealthy woman who killed her husband and both of his adulterous partners, who turns the tables on both Roxie and Velma. The feud between Roxie and Velma continues while Kitty mingles in, and turns out to be semi-interesting.

As previously admitted I wasn’t looking forward to this movie from the get go, and ultimately I didn’t enjoy it as much as others but it was in fact better than expected. At times it was predictable and boring, but if you’re into these sorts of Moulin Rouge type movies you would really enjoy Chicago. Singing and dancing isn’t my sort of thing, but the costumes, the cinematography and the acting were deservingly well commended at the Academy Awards, because they were quite impressive. Aside from what I thought was a dismal story everything else was pretty flawless, and is a sure to be enjoyed film for fans of the genre.

Video

Chicago is presented in a 1080p 1.85:1 aspect ratio and provides another fine transfer for Blu-ray owners. First I must say that the most impressive aspect of the transfer is the beautiful color palette showcased throughout the movie. From the beautiful costumes to the elaborate sets, every color jumps off the screen. The film is dark and grain is apparent throughout a good portion of the film, however it rarely softens an otherwise sharp and detailed picture. These scenes aside there is still no denying Chicago is a great looking film, another impressive transfer from Buena Vista.

Audio

Chicago features both Dolby Digital 5.1 and (more importantly) PCM 5.1 audio tracks; and as one would expect they sounds fantastic. Even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the film itself, I still found the music catchy. Absolutely every song in this film utilized every speaker flawlessly, even the dialogue scenes sounded perfect; I can’t praise this track high enough. Fans of the film will be in heaven as this is the best the film will likely ever sound. Even if you’re looking for disc to showcase your audio system, look no further.

Special Features

Fans should be pleased with the amount of special features on this disc. However if you already own the DVD then you will not find anything new on this disc.

• Audio Commentary -A commentary track featuring Director Rob Marshall and Screenwriter Bill Condon.
• Behind-The-Scenes Special – A twenty- eight minute making of feature that includes interviews with the cast and crew. It is impressive that all the cast did all their own singing and dancing.
• Deleted Scene -We are given a four minute deleted scene titled “class” starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Queen Latifah. Nothing special but I’m sure fans will enjoy any additional footage.
• From Stage To Screen – A twenty-seven minute look on the history of Chicago, from its early Broadway release to its big screen release. If you are a fan of this play or film then this feature is a must see.
• Musical Performances – Six extended performances, four rehearsals and three in depth looks at the songs in the film.
• An Intimate Look At Director Rob Marshall – A twenty minute look on Director Rob Marshall and how he got his vision on screen. His background in theatre was clearly influential in creating this picture.
• When Liza Minnelli Became Roxie Hart – A look at how Liza Minnelli actually helped Chicago from closing prematurely when the Actress playing Roxie was unable to continue. Fans of the actual production of Chicago will find this feature interesting as it provides an interesting piece of history on the musical.
• Academy Award Winning Production Designer John Myhre – A six minute look at the elaborate set designs used in the film. The sets used in this film really are fantastic and this feature does a good job discussing them.
• Academy Award Winning Costume Designer Colleen Atwood – A five minute look at the beautiful costumes used in the film. Includes interviews with Director Rob Marshal, Costume Designer Colleen Atwood, and Actress Renee Zellweger.

Final Thoughts

This kind of movie may be dubbed as a chick flick, but I can see how it would appeal to other audiences, just not me personally. The acting is superb, the sets are gorgeous, and the movie plays out pretty flawlessly for fans of the genre. This disc offers great video transfer and a superb audio track. If you are a fan of this movie, the Blu-ray title is a sure buy, but if you’re not a fan of the genre, chances are you won’t like the film. Albeit, this movie is better than I expected, but it still isn’t one I’ll be watching again anytime soon.