The Girl On the Train appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a satisfying image.
From start to finish, sharpness looked good. Only a little softness affected wide shots, and those examples occurred too infrequently to cause problems. Instead, the film looked concise and well-defined. No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and edge enhancement was absent. I also failed to detect any source flaws.
In terms of colors, the movie featured a palette that favored a mix of orange and teal. Across the board, the hues looked fine within those parameters. Blacks were dark and deep, while shadows appeared clear and smooth. I thought the movie consistently looked positive.
As for the movie’s DTS-X soundtrack – which downconverted to DTS-HD MA 7.1 on my system – it seemed fine but it didn’t excel due to a lack of ambition. Like most character dramas, the movie featured a limited soundfield that favored the forward channels.
The mix showed nice stereo spread to the music as well as some general ambience from the sides, with an emphasis on train sounds. Panning was strong, and the surrounds usually kicked in basic reinforcement, though again, trains added a fair amount of involvement.
Audio quality appeared good. Speech was natural and distinct, with no issues related to edginess or intelligibility. Effects sounded clean and accurate, with good fidelity and no signs of distortion. Music was perfectly fine, as the score and songs showed positive dimensionality. This track was good enough for a “B-“ but didn’t particularly impress.
As we shift to extras, we open with an audio commentary from director Tate Taylor. He presents a running, screen-specific look at story and characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, costumes, music, cinematography, and connected domains.
Expect a bland commentary from Taylor. While he touches on the basics, he does so without a lot of insight, and he tends to sag as the movie progresses. That means a fair amount of dead air – and a lackluster chat.
14 Deleted and Extended Scenes fill a total of 17 minutes, 38 seconds. Given the shortcomings of character exploration in the final film, I hoped the added footage would expand the roles well.
It doesn’t. Instead, we get some minor plot and character beats without anything of real substance. These don’t go much of anywhere and would’ve made the movie even less interesting than it already is.
Two featurettes follow. The Women Behind The Girl lasts five minutes, four seconds and includes notes from Taylor, author Paula Hawkins, producer Marc Platt and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson. “Behind” examines the source novel and its adaptation as well as story and character areas and Taylor’s impact on the production. A few decent notes emerge, but “Behind” seems too short to tell us much.
On Board The Train goes for 11 minutes 25 seconds and features info from Taylor, Platt, director of photography Charlotte Bruus Christensen, and actors Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Allison Janney, Edgar Ramirez, Justin Theroux, and Luke Evans. The featurette examines story and characters, cast and performances, camerawork, and Taylor’s work on the set. “Board” presents a fairly ordinary “making of” promo piece.
The disc opens with ads for Loving, Bleed For This, Desierto, Snowden, Split and Nocturnal Animals. No trailer for Girl appears here.
A second disc provides a DVD copy of Girl. It includes the same extras as the Blu-ray.
As an erotic thriller, The Girl On the Train seems neither erotic nor thrilling. Instead, it presents a sluggish, banal affair with little to sustain viewer interest. The Blu-ray presents strong visuals along with acceptable audio and a smattering of bonus materials. Girl becomes a mediocre suspense story.
