Blu-ray

Ben Stiller's latest directorial outing sees the Hollywood funnyman take a break from the farcical humour of Zoolander and Tropic Thunder for something a little more heart-felt.

Using James Thurber's famous 1939 short story of the same name as its springboard, the film stars Stiller as the titular Mitty, a socially awkward magazine employee [sounds familiar – Ed] who regularly escapes from his mundane life through fantastical daydreams. Yet when the negative for the cover photo of the final issue of Life magazine goes missing, Mitty must leave his dreams behind and embark on a real globetrotting adventure to track down photographer Sean O'Connell (Sean Penn).

While it's definitely not short of laughs, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty's celebration of the everyman is a much smarter and more dramatic film than you might expect. And unlike most feel-good movies, under Stiller's guidance this one manages to deliver plenty of breathtaking spectacle that helps bring its escapist fable to life.

Picture: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has been art designed to within an inch of its life and looks absolutely superb in hi-def. Framed at 2.40:1, the AVC encode delivers a lush viewing experience populated by bold colours, dramatic blacks, superb depth of field and pixel-perfect detailing. There is a tendency for the colour grading to push a blue tint to the fore, but this is nothing more than a stylistic concern and has no impact on any other part of the film's 1080p presentation.
Picture rating: 5/5

Audio: This BD's audio is equally enthralling. Naturally, Mitty's flights of fantasy provide the biggest playgrounds for the DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack, with the explosion in Chapter 2 and an almost superheroic street fight in Chapter 9 delivering a potent mix of zippy positional effects and room-shaking bass.

However, the soundtrack also impresses when it comes to the 'real world' elements, whether it's something simple like surrounding you with the hustle and bustle of an office or something rather more exciting, like the roar of a helicopter as it flies across the soundstage. And the finely judged balance of dialogue and music, alongside these more expansive and atmospheric elements, ensures it gets our five-star seal of approval.
Audio rating: 5/5

Extras: 20th Century Fox's Blu-ray platter hosts an interesting selection of bonus features, kicking off with a series of five deleted scenes, two extended scenes and two alternate scenes. Following this comes a collection of nine behind-the-scenes featurettes – The History of Walter Mitty, The Look of Life, That's a Shark!, The Music of Walter Mitty, Icelandic Adventure, Nordic Casting, Titles of Walter Mitty, Skateboarding Through Iceland and Ted-Walter Fight.

Rounding things out are a pre-viz reel for Walter and Ted's elevator fight, a gallery of a dozen location reference photographs and the music video for the song Stay Alive by José González. Not a bad little bunch.
Extras rating: 3.5/5

We say: Ben Stiller's latest packs in plenty of heart alongside some majestic AV spectacle on Blu-ray

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 20th Century Fox, All-region BD, £25 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 4/5