RENT - 20th Anniversary 4K UHD Blu-Ray

Rating 4 out of 5

Every generation of musical theatre lovers has a musical that defines them, and for many that musical is RENT. Jonathan Larson’s rock opera took the Broadway community by storm shortly after opening Off-Broadway in 1996, but it was a success that Larson would sadly never see having unexpectedly passed away the night before its first performance of an aortic dissection. Quickly transferring to Broadway a few months after it began performances, going on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical and becoming one of Broadway’s longest running musicals by the time it closed 12 years later, few musicals are as legendary as RENT. With the immense success of the Broadway production, a film adaptation was developed and it opened in theatres back in November 2005, featuring six of the eight original Broadway cast members reprising their roles for the film. For the film’s 20th anniversary, it is getting the 4K upgrade from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and will allow audiences once again to experience five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand-six-hundred minutes of Larson’s beloved musical. 

The strength of RENT’s big screen adaptation lies in the cast and their performances, especially with Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Idina Menzel, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Taye Diggs reprising their roles from the musical’s Broadway production. Despite the fact the majority of them are far older than their characters should be, seeing their performances of these iconic roles captured on film is reason enough alone for this adaptation to exist, that when combined with their outstanding vocal performances of Larson’s song and the chemistry they have as an ensemble, makes RENT a must watch for any musical theatre fan. Pascal’s leading man rock persona as Roger oozes with charisma and strength, Menzel’s passionate Maureen is a scene stealer as she flirts her way through life, Martin’s compassion as Tom is beautiful, leading to an emotionally devastating performance of “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)”; Rapp is stellar as Mark, and Heredia brings such life and joy to the film as Angel, becoming the glue that holds not only this group of friends together but the entire film.

Joining the original Broadway stars are Tracie Thoms and Rosario Dawson as Joanne and Mimi respectively, and they are both worthy replacements for Fredi Walker and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Thoms is a standout, matching Menzel’s passionate behaviour as Joanne with a calm and collectedness that grounds her every scene, while having two of the best musical numbers with “Tango: Maureen” alongside Rapp and “Take Me Or Leave Me” as she and Menzel perform one of musical theatres’ most dramatic fights. Dawson is great as Mimi, bringing both a vibrant life to Mimi in the film’s first act while developing a deep heartbreak as her addiction causes her health to deteriorate in the film’s second act, even if her strong singing capabilities do not quite measure up to the rest of the cast. 

Where the film adaptation of this beloved musical falters at times is in the direction of Chris Columbus and his approach to the material. Best known for his beloved family films such as Home Alone and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, a musical about drug addicts, the AIDS epidemic and bohemian New Yorkers living in the East Village is not a story within Columbus’s comfort zone. There is no question that he understands the characters, having lived in New York during the time period in which the film is set, giving him an undeniable insight into them and with his vision as a filmmaker, utilizes real life locations to breathe life into the story that extends RENT beyond the stage. Though, some of his creative decisions of not wanting to emotionally overload the audience, such as cutting the second half of “Goodbye Love” from the film, shows some hesitation by him to truly embrace the themes of RENT. It is puzzling as Columbus clearly understands this story so well and was passionate about making the film, but these decisions lead to some plot holes in the screenplay, which mostly rear their head in the truncated and rushed adaptation of the stage show’s second act that plays out in mere forty minutes. Even though Columbus’s adaptation of the first act seamlessly captures the spirited, artistic heart of the central friendships and the dazzling energy of both the stage and Larson, the film never comes fully together in its darker and more emotional second act which prevents it from being the perfect adaptation it could have been.

It’s too bad that Columbus was concerned about emotionally overwhelming audiences with the film’s story, as the first two thirds of the film is great! The musical numbers have a high energy that electrifies on screen, especially in “Out Tonight” and “La Vie Boheme”, and the scale and sweeping cinematography of the film brings to life numbers like “Rent” with the grand of the apartment block street and “Tango: Maureen” with flashy camera movements and extra dancers as it moves into the heightened portion of the song. Shooting many of its outdoor moments in New York’s East Village adds an undeniable character to the film, catching a realism to this tale that when combined with the strong dance choreography and outstanding performances of the cast, makes for a strong musical experience even if it will never capture the same magic as the theatrical production. 

The songs of RENT are iconic and are woven into Broadway history with unforgettable tunes like “Seasons of Love” and “Take Me Or Leave Me”, that audiences will recognize without even having seen the film or stage show. Despite this film adaptation not fully grasping what made the stage production a landmark cultural moment and making some confusing changes, such as starting the film with its most iconic song and setting a standard that the rest of the film cannot measure up to, the casting of the majority of the original Broadway cast and high energy of the musical numbers allows Jonathan Larson’s revered musical to live on for years on film and to be discovered time and time again by new generations. While not as legendary as the Broadway production it is based on, RENT delivers a great adaptation of the hit Broadway musical thanks to the excellent staging of the musical numbers and the stellar performances from the entire cast, even if Chris Columbus’ direction is too afraid to truly embrace all the intricacies and heartbreak of the Jonathan Larson’s original writing.