BLU-RAY
REVIEW: HEAVEN IS FOR REAL
07/20/2014

OVERVIEW:
The inspirational story of family and faith based on the No. 1 New York Times best-selling book by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL debuts on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD July 22 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by Randall Wallace (Secretariat) and starring Academy Award® nominee Greg Kinnear (Best Supporting Actor, As Good as It Gets, 1997), HEAVEN IS FOR REAL tells the true story of Todd Burpo, a small-town businessman whose young son, Colton (Connor Corum), miraculously recovers from a near-death experience with vivid memories of his visit to Heaven.
The Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD both feature inspirational bonus materials, including six deleted scenes and the “Colton Goes to Heaven” featurette, taking fans behind the scenes for a look at the journey of bringing the book to the big screen. Exclusively available on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack are two additional featurettes.“The Making of Heaven is For Real” gives a look at the production process and talent in the film, and “Creating Heaven” explores the choices in production design that support the film’s religious themes.
SYNOPSIS: Based on the No. 1 New York Times best-selling book, Heaven is for Real recounts the true story of a small-town father who must find the courage and conviction to share his son's extraordinary, life-changing experience with the world. Starring Academy Award® nominee Greg Kinnear (Best Supporting Actor, As Good As It Gets, 1997) as Todd Burpo, the real-life father whose son Colton claims to have visited Heaven during a near death experience. Colton shares the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth ... things he couldn't possibly know.
FILM REVIEW: “Why does this have to be a myth?” asks Todd Burpo with some amount of conviction. For those of us that are Christians, or at least believe in God, it is our ultimate destination, the ultimate goal, the ultimate prize . . . getting to heaven to live with God in his glory forever. So why when confronted with potential proof we are incredulous and doubtful, skeptics of its reality? That is the conflict that Todd, his wife Sonja, and members of the church that Todd preaches at face. It’s like we preach it but we don’t believe it. Well that’s just not good. I can tell you that Christianity, and most religions or beliefs for that matter, are based heavily on faith. So where’s the faith that heaven truly does exist and that maybe some people have had the experience of being there and have come back to tell about it? I mean, why not? Why does it have to be brushed off as some manmade or contrived psychological episode so as to give it a scientific explanation? What is so wrong about having faith? Why so many questions? Okay, I’ll get off the soapbox (Priscilla Style) and get on with the review. The film is moving, inspiring, heart-warming, cute, and enlightening. And did I mention it’s a tear-jerker.
First of all, allow me to mention that we were very pleased to see a really good turnout for the screening. Next, it was nice to see Nebraska life, life in the heartland of this country. Not only is Todd the local preacher, he is a garage door repairman extraordinaire, a volunteer fireman and a high school coach. As the situation unfolds, his life is turned upside down. Greg Kinnear did an excellent job portraying this role. But I really wouldn’t expect anything less from him. Kelly Reilly was also pretty sharp as Sonja. The real star of the show, however, is adorable little Connor
Corum. His innocence and confidence shines through the silver screen and straight into your heart. The performances along with the story are really the biggest, most important aspects of this film. But there are also some decent cinematography and just the right amount of special effects that were not over the top elaborate. Instead they added that extra little touch to give you a more complete picture of the story. It was tasteful and appropriate. Randall Wallace has directed some pretty good work: The Man in the Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers, and Secretariat. This film is not quite as sophisticated as these others in his repertoire, but he still manages to make the film hit the heart of its audience. So the question remains to YOU . . . do YOU believe that heaven is for real?
Review
By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration preserving its
theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the
picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good,
a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement
to the picture. It also includes English,
French
and Spanish subtitles.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (1.85:1) 16x9
AUDIO:
DTS-HD Master Audio
7.1/DVS English,
Dolby Digital
5.1 Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese
Subtitles -
English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Brazilian Portuguese
Thai Korean Chinese (Cantonese) Chinese(Mandarin)
Indonesian/Bahasa
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and hi-def sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
Digital Copy
provides consumers with a choice of formats from a variety of partners, including options to watch on iPhone®,
iPad®, Android, computers and more.
UltraViolet™
is the revolutionary way for consumers to collect their movies and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets
consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States
and Canada.
“Colton Goes to Heaven” Featurette
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes:
o “The Making Of Heaven Is For Real”
o “Creating Heaven”