6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 4, 2024

6 Below tells a story of survival. It's nothing new and offers nothing new, but even so it's a compelling and well-made look at the human condition, the power of perseverance, and second chances. Indeed, none of that is new, but when a film focuses on heart rather than creativity, a good film can overcome the "been there, done that" stumbling block on the back of its emotional draw. That is the saving grace here, helped along by wonderful photography that pulls the viewer into the harsh climate and hopeless conditions, and by a terrific performance from Josh Hartnett in the lead role.

Eric LeMarque (Josh Hartnett) was once a highly skilled hockey player with a promising future, but he threw it away in favor of a life of addiction. He now lives alone and lives for the next high, be that a chemical high or a physical high; meth is his drug of choice, and snowboarding the activity that offers him external satisfaction. With a significant court date looming, and his loving but stern mother Susan (Mira Sorvino) fighting to ensure Eric's compliance, Eric heads to the mountains for his latest release. Unfortunately, a severe storm turns him around and leaves him lost and stranded. As the temperatures plummet, the wind blows, the days pass, frostbite sets in, and hope fades, Eric finds himself at odds with nature, his past, his present, and God Himself as hope wanes and death awaits.

Being a film in the “man vs nature” survival genre, 6 Below certainly goes through a checklist of various odds and ends along the way to telling the story of redemption. Early in his journey, for example, Eric encounters a pack of ravenous wolves that he manages to scare away (he’s still physically strong at this point). Later, he falls into icy water. These adds moderate value, but the film is at its best when it’s character driven, not circumstantially driven. Certainly, circumstance is the big propellant here, but the character moments of growth, determination, dwindling stamina, and draining hope are where the movie is at its best. The cliché content supports the character movement, and Director Scott Waugh recognizes that the movie’s strength is not in the nuts-and-bolts, A-to-B maneuverings that define Eric’s outward struggles but rather how the sum total impacts his internal strife and very will to live.

Hartnett is, of course, the center of attention here and he delivers one of the best performances of his career as he believably journeys through the death march in the snow, ice, and freezing cold while also facing his own internal demons, substance withdrawal, and fading hope. Hartnett masters not just the physical response to cold, isolation, and fear, but the manner in which he deals with the demons within him while also battling the elements around him come to define the film. It’s inspired stuff and the focus on the internal as it is changed by the external is what makes the movie play as well as it does. The script is good, the photography is very good, and the pacing is just right. Sorvino is quite good in a small role as Eric's concerned mother. Waugh would have been wise to re-evaluate the style of the film's flashbacks, but that is a small quibble in a much larger, and otherwise very good, movie.

6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

6 Below arrives on Blu-ray with a wonderful 1080p transfer. "Striking" might even be the best word for it. While there are a few problem areas, especially in some significant banding in a few very challenging low-light shots, the picture excels start to finish. The digital shoot elements look terrific. The picture is crystal clear with nary a single detail in lack. Facial close-ups are a joy, capturing fine hairs and pores with meticulous clarity. Eric's wounds are so detailed that the gory elements are clean and detailed enough to churn the stomachs of the most squeamish in the audience. Definition inside Eric's cabin is first-rate, allowing viewers to soak in every detail the production design team put into it, while his winter clothes, trees and twigs, and other natural elements delight for the absolute clarity on display. Color reproduction is dynamite. Eric's blue jacket, the green snowboard, and the red paint on the rescue helicopter look pristine: bold, real, and exacting. Even the white snow looks perfect. Black levels can struggle a hair, but skin tones look great, everything from normal, healthy skin to the sickly, frostbitten purple on Eric's legs later in the film. There are no problems with noise and there are no encode flaws, either. This one looks about as good as it can.

6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

6 Below releases on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is very good, delivering a high quality and fully immersive listen that is critical to supporting the movie's narrative and location. As the film opens, there is very good power to a revving engine, excellent directional effects during a brief flashback to a car chase, and a solid boom when a crash follows. These core characteristics hold for the duration. The track offers an excellent presentation of cold, blustery wind pushing through the stage with tangible directionality and exacting changes in power. Howling wolves in the distance linger through the stage in the 24-minute mark. Such environmental elements and the perfectly balanced full stage execution are staples throughout the track, and no matter the place, time, or condition, the track nails the immersion and clarity alike. Music is crisp and effective, especially along the front. Dialogue is clear, whether normal speech, Eric's sickly whispers near film's end, or radio transmission static.

6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Bu-ray release of 6 Below contains four very short featurettes. A DVD copy is included with purchase. However, this release ships with neither a digital copy voucher nor a slipcover.

• Inspiration (1080p, 1:54): Cast and crew discuss the story and circumstances, Hartnett's performance, and more.
• Behind the Scenes (1080p, 2:18): Director Scott Waugh discusses his personal history with Eric LeMarque while the cast shares the pleasures of working with Waugh. Waugh also shares the theme of never giving up and facing consequences.
• Celebrate Recovery (1080p, 2:42): Again, exploring the core story specifics (along with recycled content from previous extras) but also looking more pointedly at the story of addiction that is, along with the tale of physical survival, at the heart of the film.
• Family and Faith (1080p, 3:08): Waugh offers more on his history with LeMarque and digs a little deeper into his story and its presentation in the film, as does the cast.

6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

6 Below may not be a dazzling, genre-defining masterpiece, but it's a steady, highly watchable, and very compelling, if still very straightforward, look at the human condition and the fight for survival. Hartnett is wonderful in the film and Waugh's direction and pacing are steady and true. The Blu-ray includes A-grade video and audio presentations. The technical aspects are a treat, but the supplements are very brief and add little value to the experience. Stil, this one comes recommended on the strength of the A/V quality and, of course, the film itself.