The Thing with Feathers Blu Ray Review (Universal)

The Thing with Feathers is a 2025 drama written and directed by Dylan Southern (Shut Up and Play the Hits, No Distance Left to Run, Meet Me in the Bathroom, and Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive). It’s based on the novel “Grief Is The Thing with Feathers” from author Max Porter (Steve). It was produced by Adam Ackland (The Roses, We Live in Time, The Mauritanian, The Current War, and The Courier). It grossed $752,705 during it’s limited theatrical run. Left to raise two young sons (played by: Richard Boxall and Henry Boxall) after the unexpected death of his wife. The Dad (played by: Benedict Cumberbatch from Sherlock, Doctor Strange franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers franchise, 1917, and Black Mass) struggles with grief and he’s haunted by his own thoughts. It all takes form in an unhinged houseguest, a mysterious Crow (played by: David Thewlis from Harry Potter franchise, Kingdom of Heaven, The Omen, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Afraid of the Dark, Justice League, and The Big Lebowski) starts taunting him from the shadows. He’s slipping away from reality as he suffers in pain. He tries to distract himself with some art at home. Things really spiral out of control for the widowed father but that insanity could be exactly what he needs. Can he get back to his normal life after all of this trauma???? The Thing with Feathers kinda has an Edgar Allen Poe vibe to it. It’s a very unusual and bizarre feature. Director Dylan Southern puts his unique visual stamp on this psychological drama. It shows a man that’s suffered a massive loss starting lose his grip on sanity while trying to raise his two children on his own. Benedict Cumberbatch is so talented, he can make anything interesting. If the wrong person was cast in this, it would have been a disaster because it requires skill due to it’s concept. The Dad is trying his best to keep living his life and making sure his kids are taken care of. The performance is kinda a theater or play portrayal, it’s the type of heavy wordplay that mainly focuses on main person and the subject in this madness. The source material doesn’t seem like something that could be displayed as a full length feature but Dylan Southern manages to pull it off. David Thewlis really elevates The Thing with Feathers as the voice of the Crow. He’s fantastic as the one that continues to challenge Dad. He is an odd companion that distracts him during his self destruction. The rest of the supporting cast includes Richard Boxall, Henry Boxall, Sam Spruell (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Eric Lampaert (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Tim Plester (Kick-Ass), Leo Bill (28 Days Later), Claire Cartwright (Benny Loves You), Vinette Robinson (Sherlock), Lesley Molony (Doctors), Garry Cooper (House of the Dragon), and Adam Basil (Return to Silent Hill). I’ve seen this called a horror film but I don’t really think it is. It has it’s darker moments but it’s more of a drama. It’s a quality character study grief and loss. It feels like a resurrection of a human adjusting to a different view of the world. It’s a small and rather isolated vibe, there’s only a few recurring rules in this. I can see why this was a limited type of release and it was treated more like an independent despite being backed by a major studio. The Thing with Feathers won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but regardless it should be appreciated on pure skill. The writing and acting from it were excellent. It stays with you after experiencing it. It really puts pain in perspective and it’s hard to spotlight a grim scenario like this. It’s worth looking forward into, keep an open mind and let it just progress as it plays. It’s a brave work of cinema!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from Universal Pictures! This 1080p (1.33:1) transfer looks amazing on Blu Ray for it’s home video debut. The Thing with Feathers is all about it’s visuals. It’s locations, lighting, cinematography, production design, and fx just pop from the screen. It’s a very stylish production. It has an English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the disc. It’s one of those movies where the score is almost like a character of it’s own, that’s the biggest stand out when it comes to the audio. The confrontations with the Crow are highlights also. The dialogue is crisp, the drama is elevated, and the music has a huge boost to it. It has English SDH and Spanish subtitles. There’s no special features on this release. It comes a digital code. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!