iReview | Movie Musical RENT 20th Anniversary

Available now on 4K Ultra HD

The movie-musical based on the prolific, landmark Broadway musical arrives on 4K Ultra HD for its 20th Anniversary, continuing to inspire and remind us of the strength in its art.

When blockbuster filmmaker Chris Columbus set out to bring the literary world's best-selling fantasy adventure, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, to the big screen, the Home Alone director was plagued with some resistance. In the end, Columbus launched one of the most profitable franchises in cinematic history. He even bet his hedges on striking at the well to bring Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief to audiences. After two sequels set in the Wizarding World, the director turned his attention to a new property, one that wasn’t geared to a younger audience, but still spoke to young people.

Columbus stunned the entertainment industry by announcing he would be adapting Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent to film. The Tony Award-winning musical reveals the personal lives and struggles of a group of friends (based on Larson’s own experiences) in New York City seeking inspiration and aspiring to survive as the HIV/AIDS epidemic hits the creative community. Their friendships are tested as tragedy weighs in, and hope becomes a commodity. It’s a story that spoke to a generation and shook audiences to the core. It inspired a fandom of phenomenal proportions that hasn’t been seen since, at least not until recently, with the advent of Wicked on the scene.

For its “20th Anniversary” release, the film was released in 4K, featuring a richer High Dynamic Range with sharper, brighter images and a more immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack. It feels revitalized, and as prescient as ever. Critics feared that Larson’s story, which was engineered for the stage, would be lost to the expansive cinematic trappings of a Hollywood makeover. Columbus tenderly approached his interpretation, opening the lens, but never forgetting that the material and focus were always on the characters and the lyrical rock opera that poured from their souls.

Several of the original cast members from the live stage show were reinstated into the film, including Star Trek’s Anthony Rapp, Taye Diggs, and Law & Order veteran Jesse L. Martin, with some changes that left many diehard fans scratching their heads. The inclusion of Star Wars actress Rosario Dawson, who substituted for Daphne Rubin-Vega in the role of Mimi, was a sore spot for some. However, the presence of Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who originated the part of Angel on Broadway, made up for it.

Wicked and musical vet, Idina Menzel, also returned to reprise her role of fan favorite Maureen.

The cast celebrates the roles and embodies the souls of a series of unique characters, unlike any ever brought to the stage, and poured into Rent for a cinematic interpretation that will undoubtedly prove the template for turning stage to screen.

Special Features

Along with the newly restored 4K Ultra HD presentation of the film, the package includes several legacy Special Features (mostly in HD, though some remain in their original DVD standard format releases) that profile the humble origins of the musical from its workshop days and its journey to Broadway. Commentary from Chris Columbus and select cast members also takes the audience behind the curtain with personal anecdotes and inspired stories. The full-length documentary “No Day But Today” reveals the private life of Jonathan Larson and follows his inspiration and determination to bring “Rent” to life, and its evolution to the big screen.

Chris Columbus wanted to bring Rent to audiences everywhere, especially those who didn’t get to experience it on stage. That effort will forever endear this version of the core material and hopefully inspire future generations to dream, and especially to measure love in their lives, in the lives of friends, and the families that we create for ourselves, rather than the ones we are born into.

RENT 20th Anniversary | is available in 4K Ultra HD and on Digital platforms and includes bonus Special Features. The 4K Ultra HD is priced at $32.01 on Amazon and is also available on Digital via Apple iTunes Store here.