Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Abandoned Blu-ray Movie Review

Brittany Murphy's final film makes for a passable DTV movie and Blu-ray release.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 11, 2010

You are not going to lose me...ever.

Abandoned, the final film of young Actress Brittany Murphy's career, is dedicated to her remembrance at picture's end. For Murphy and her fans, Abandoned doesn't see the actress go out on the high note she achieved in the underrated 8 Mile or the innocent charm she exuded in the teenage Comedy Clueless, but both her performance -- and the film itself -- is, thankfully, worlds better and a more suitable tribute than one of her other final pictures, Megafault. While Murphy plays a fairly transparent character in a mostly generic picture, Abandoned allows the actress to put on display a wide berth of emotional and physical characteristics as her character espouses love, contentment, and tranquility, only to find herself in a state of confusion and inner-turmoil as she struggles with questions revolving around her own sanity. Finally, she must confront a deadly evil head-on. Abandoned won't win Murphy any posthumous awards, but the film and her performance in it are both worth checking out.

Frustrated, tired, abandoned.

Mary (Murphy) is escorting her boyfriend Kevin (Dean Cain) to the hospital so he can have corrective surgery on a damaged leg. Everything seems to be going according to schedule, but when Mary is never told when the operation has concluded, she begins asking around the hospital for help. Unfortunately, she's told that there are no records of her boyfriend's surgery, and nobody can even confirm the identity of a nurse who supposedly assisted him in the preparation stage. Mary begins to panic, but her unstable emotional state is soon seen as a threat to both the other patients and her own well-being. A local detective named Franklin (Jay Pickett) happens to be in the hospital, and he initiates an impromptu investigation into Kevin's disappearance, though the hospital staff -- from the top down -- all claim Mary's boyfriend doesn't exist and, therefore, could not have disappeared. As light is shed on Mary's past, the belief that she's not of sound mind and judgment becomes the prevailing thought amongst those involved in her frantic search and deteriorating emotional state. Is Mary's past finally catching up with her, or is there something more sinister at work behind-the-scenes?

Summed up in a nutshell, Abandoned is basically Flightplan in a hospital setting but with a somewhat different twist at the end. Unfortunately, Director Michael Feifer's picture isn't a match for that 2005 Jodie Foster aerial Thriller; while it captures many of the same elements -- a confused, angry, but certain individual searching for a missing loved one and pitted against others in positions of authority who don't believe her story -- Abandoned lacks the sheer intensity of Flightplan, an intensity achieved despite a mostly transparent plot. Abandoned actually manages to keep its secrets under wraps a tad bit better than Flightplan, but both films ultimately come to their expected conclusions and with little fanfare or surprise because they dare not stray from long-established cinematic convention. Flightplan's primary advantages? Bigger production values, superior acting, and slicker direction. Abandoned is a knock-off no doubt, but it's at least a knock-off that holds its own and is well worth a watch.

Stylistically, Abandoned delivers a fairly routine, but certainly effective, visual structure. Feifer's direction is claustrophobic, and the handheld work seen in parts of the film lend to the picture a personal and confused element that enhances the story very well. Nevertheless, the glossy video sheen and the modest production values give Abandoned something of a TV show look and feel from which it cannot escape, despite all of Feifer's efforts to the contrary. Ultimately, there's little of note in Abandoned aside from its story and acting; the film was clearly made on a shoestring budget (look for the firearm late in the movie with an obvious orange plug in the barrel) and shot in and around just a handful of locales, and while the picture offers a nice cross-section of name talent, plenty of things throughout the movie give away the fact that it's little more than a small production with modest ambitions.

No matter, Abandoned is destined to be remembered as nothing more and nothing less than Brittany Murphy's final film. Her career was an interesting and promising one no doubt, and though she was a talented girl, she seemed to be a product of her script more so than simply her natural God-given abilities. In films like the aforementioned 8 Mile and Clueless, she shined, while in Megafault her effort was clearly lacking, no doubt thanks in large part to a script that gave her almost nothing to work with. Abandoned sees the actress pulling off a solid effort in a movie that's neither a failure nor a success; it's a middle-of-the-pack movie, and maybe this is the best way for fans to remember Murphy: in a good performance that was probably reflective of what fans could have expected in the years to come.

Abandoned Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Anchor Bay brings Abandoned to Blu-ray with a good at-a-glance but nevertheless problematic 1080p transfer framed within a 1.78:1 window. The film takes on a very glossy video-like sheen; with that comes good detailing and nice coloration, but almost no depth; Abandoned is one of the flatter images ever to grace Blu-ray. Still, the image displays above-average texturing, particularly noticeable in close-ups of faces and clothing. The image is also sharp with only a few wayward soft shots scattered throughout the movie. Colors, too, are nicely represented, every hue appearing stable and neither too dim nor too over-pumped. Unfortunately, the transfer is littered with some annoyances that range between harmless and moderately distracting. A fair bit of noise buzzes about some darker scenes while slight blooming, jagged edges, crushed blacks, and occasional banding all creep into the frame from time to time. While none are to the level of deal-breaker, altogether they manage to dampen, but not ruin, the viewing experience. Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad when the film is viewed within the context of its shot-on-video genesis. Anchor Bay's transfer won't dazzle longtime format aficionados, but neither is it an unbearable watch.

Abandoned Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A mostly generic but certainly serviceable PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack accompanies Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Abandoned. The track captures some middle ground between "quality" and "clunky," with the net result a track that's sonically adequate but lacking behind some of the better Blu-ray soundtracks. Sound effects -- such as a rumbling vehicle engine or a gunshot -- sometimes sound harsh and artificial, while dialogue plays with some added weight across the low end to discernible but not-quite-natural effect. The track does capture some environmental nuances, mostly in the form of footsteps, rolling carts, closing doors, and other interior effects inside the hospital setting. Surround speakers aren't fully engaged, and this track rarely creates a wholly seamless atmosphere. Much like the video quality, Abandoned's soundtrack lacks spit and polish but, mostly, isn't cause for alarm.

Abandoned Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All that's included is the Abandoned trailer (1080p, 1:39).

Abandoned Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Abandoned isn't at all bad for a direct-to-video movie; still, "DTV" is a stigma the film will have to live with, but hopefully it's one that some potential viewers can look beyond. Abandoned is little more than a rip-off of Flightplan, but it acquits itself well enough in most every film-critical area. No matter, though, because Abandoned is destined to be remembered only as Actress Brittany Murphy's final on-screen performance. Fortunately, she turns in a good enough effort and stars in a movie that's not the best of her career but in one that is, thankfully, far from the worst. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Abandoned sports a 1080p transfer that's not without a long list of faults, but it's one that looks solid when it's on. The PCM soundtrack is adequate, but Murphy's fans will be disappointed by the almost complete absence of extra content. Abandoned is worth checking out as a rental.