4.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.4 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
A teen finds himself in mortal danger after realizing that his entire childhood has been built on lies. Realizing that the people who raised him aren't his real parents after stumbling across a childhood photo of himself on a website devoted to missing children, the frightened teen flees for his life as FBI agents Frank Burton and Sandra Burns race to protect him and uncover the truth about his mysterious...
Starring: Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria BelloAction | 100% |
Thriller | 68% |
Teen | 51% |
Mystery | 6% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy (on disc)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Most kids fantasize now and then about having different parents than they actually have. Orphans and adopted kids of course are in a completely different category, since they know they have mysterious parents out there somewhere, about whom they may know absolutely nothing. That probably doesn’t help stop the fantasizing and may in fact only exacerbate it. Abduction has the barest kernel of a really intriguing idea going for it—namely that a kid with a supposedly idyllic suburban life, with those ultra cool idyllic suburban parents that seem to exist only in movies, suddenly discovers that he’s not who he thinks he is, after he finds a photo of himself as a tyke on a missing kids website. Unfortunately this John Singleton helmed film wants to be something like a testosterone fueled teenage boy version of last year’s spectacular success Hanna, except that Abduction has little of that film’s energy, intelligence or storytelling savoir faire. Instead this is a largely brain dead outing that tries to make Taylor Lautner into a young action adventure star, all within a spy conspiracy plotline that doesn’t just strain credulity, it virtually shatters it into a million little pieces. Logic flies out the window almost immediately in this film, and despite the participation of several A- listers, including Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina, this is haphazard filmmaking at best, a tired attempt to cash in on Lautner’s teenybopper superstardom at worst.
As turgid as Abduction undeniably is, few will probably have any major complaints about this Blu-ray's AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The Blu-ray offers a sharp, well detailed image that is very impressive in the film's many location shots, many of which aren't traditionally lit. Colors are often bold and extremely well saturated, and close-ups reveal a wealth of fine detail, including (teenybopper heartthrob alaert) Lautner's beard stubble and bulging biceps. The film has quite a few night shots, and contrast, shadow detail and black levels are all excellent and consistent. The image quality is especially impressive in its excellent use of Pittsburgh locations, which show off the city in nicely gleaming video perfection. Sun glints invitingly on skyscrapers, the three rivers sparkle, and some of the sylvan environments (a couple of longer sequences take place in the woods) offer absolutely no artifacting like shimmer which regularly plagues similarly set Blu-ray presentations. Aside from one sequence which Singleton has somewhat oddly shot in soft focus (see screencaps 15 and 16), Abduction has an overall extremely clear image which may help to recommend it to those who aren't especially concerned about actual content.
Abduction may have missed the summer blockbuster sweepstakes in its original theatrical exhibition, but this Blu-ray offers a state of the art lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio mix that has Summer Blockbuster written all over it (sonically speaking). This track is both incredibly boisterous and bombastic as well as exhibiting a really surprising amount of finesse. Immersion is virtually nonstop throughout the film, from the first moments of the truck careening down the highway to, later, Nathan on his motorcycle, with some excellent panning effects. When a huge explosion rips through a house early in the film, even those without their volume turned up very loud are going to be in for a floorboard rattling experience. But perhaps even more impressively, especially given this film's otherwise hyperbolic approach to everything, is the really nuanced sound design in relatively quieter moments, which the DTS track renders beautifully. Listen to great ambient environmental effects in the two lengthy outdoor sequences featuring Nathan and Karen in the woods. Wind rustles lazily through the trees and a brook can be heard gently rushing over rocks in the background. It's just one example of the truly amazing dynamic range this track offers. Too bad all of this excellence isn't in support of a better film.
Abduction starts out promisingly enough, and its central premise—up to a point—is a solid, intriguing one. Unfortunately, the film crosses over that point almost immediately into one ludicrous coincidence after another. The film then just settles down into a trite cat and mouse game with absolutely no surprises whatsoever. Lautner is going to need something more weighty to ever escape his Twilight typecasting, and this attempt to remold him as an action adventure star is laughable more often than not, despite Lautner's undeniable athleticism and some of Singleton's well staged set pieces. Even Lautner's rabid fan base couldn't keep this film from failing to perform in its theatrical exhibition (it didn't exactly tank, but it sure never did the business it was forecasted to do). There will probably be a groundswell of fan support for this Blu-ray release, and for those fans, the good news is this release looks and sounds fantastic, although it's pretty light in the supplements department. For everyone else, forewarned is forearmed.
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