Last year’s 3x Oscar-winning drama Roma from Director Alfonso Cuarón will be released to Blu-ray and DVD from The Criterion Collection. The black and white film is noted for its achievements in directing, cinematography, and sound editing, receiving an additional seven Oscar nominations to go with the three wins.
Roma will not get a 4k Blu-ray release, however, even though the film is available to stream in Ultra HD with HDR from Netflix. Criterion has no doubt given the film a proper transfer to 1080p (from a 4k digital master supervised by Cuarón), but one might question why buy the Blu-ray when the film is already available in 4k.
One reason may be the Dolby Atmos soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition that has the potential to deliver a more dynamic audio experience than 5.1 channels. We did a review of Roma after its theatrical debut at a Dolby Atmos theater and found the audio incredibly immersive, making use of the ability of Atmos to deliver sound overhead and around the viewer.
Another reason to pick up the Blu-ray edition of Roma is the new documentary “Road to Roma” that includes behind-the-scenes footage and an interview with Cuarón. There are also other new documentaries about the film’s sound and postproduction, its theatrical campaign, and social impact on Mexico where the film was made. These extras, along with several more, are not available from Netflix.
Roma releases to Blu-ray and DVD on February 11, 2020. The Blu-ray edition is priced $39.95 and DVD $29.95.
