Altitude Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		1.0

Altitude Blu-ray Movie Review

If this was the in flight entertainment, no wonder D.B. Cooper jumped.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 20, 2017

Say what you will about Altitude (and I’ll have plenty to say, mind you), it at least has a kind of funny opening sequence where it seems like a slightly overweight, balding and pretty haggard looking guy is experimenting with one of those phone sex lines. The guy in his own faltering, halting manner is trying to have a conversation with a seemingly interested (disembodied) female voice, who keeps encouraging him to share stuff about himself. The whole conceit of this sequence is one of the more innovative things about Altitude, though it’s short lived once the camera ventures outside of what seems like an office building to find a coterie of FBI agents gathered, including snipers. The guy is not in fact having a bit of “intimate conversation”, but is instead a hostage taker at a local Internal Revenue Service office, where he’s tied up the employees and is threatening to kill them. The voice on the other end of the line is actually hostage negotiator Gretchen Blair (Denise Richards), who is attempting to get “personal” with the man in order to prevent any carnage. That of course isn’t stopping her supervisor from ordering the sniper to take out the guy if there’s a clear shot. Does it even need to be mentioned that Blair runs into the office and singlehandedly rescues the hostages while bringing the guy to justice, even as a shot rings out (missing him). That of course leads to Blair’s supervisor upbraiding her and telling her in no uncertain terms he’ll “bury” her and her career. So much for a successful resolution of a potentially horrifying situation, eh? Already Altitude is trafficking in hoary cliches, and unfortunately that’s just the beginning for this film which admittedly has a couple of exciting showdowns but which is so resolutely predictable that there’s neither suspense nor that element that made this opening moment or two at least relatively enjoyable: namely, fun.

Some resolute Blu-ray consumers may have had the fortitude to make it through American Violence, a film which posited Denise Richards as a brainiac psychologist out to decipher whether it’s nature or nurture that creates such violence in American culture. Richards’ character in that film might have come in handy in Altitude, since the basic (and ridiculous) conceit of this film is that a gang hijacks a passenger jetliner in order to locate some hidden loot and ultimately get a notorious criminal named Matthew Sharpe (Dolph Lundgren) to freedom. Suffice it to say that not only is Blair aboard the flight, she has an intimate knowledge of the plane (what are the odds?), something that rather neatly allows her to sneak around trying to prevent both the heist and any bigger, more calamitous, tragedy.

There are so many contrivances at play in Altitude’s patently ridiculous plot mechanics that it’s almost hard to know where to begin. Not only is Blair’s knowledge of this particular aircraft almost frighteningly picayune, an early fracas over a seat assignment gets her shunted to first class (what are the odds?), where she’s seated next to Terry (Kirk Barker), a seemingly suave gentleman who nonetheless turns out to have a secret (what are the odds?) and who needs Blair’s help (what are the odds?). (Even that need involves another ridiculous contrivance which pretty much shatters any lingering suspension of disbelief.)

Yes, that was easy target practice, but there are other conceits in this film that tend to give away what little suspense (which is often negligible) that Altitude is able to muster. That involves an early and really kind of needless “reveal” about stewardess Sadie (Greer Grammer) courtesy of portentous underscore and a slow dolly into her face that may in fact detract from the shock value of some later scenes where a certain Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2 ambience pervades. Lundgren is most definitely not in action adventure mode here, consigned for the bulk of the film to the pilot's seat, leaving hand to hand combat to Blair. With this litany of (at least perceived) defects, maybe it's unkind to even bring up the Air Marshal named Luke Byres (Jordi Vilasuso), who is on one of his first solo flights but who may also have a secret (what are the odds?). Richards is at least marginally more believable as a hardnosed FBI agent than she was as a groundbreaking psychoanalyst, but her performance “chops” can sometimes come down more to chomps when she literally chews gum ferociously.

All of this might have been at least tolerable had Altitude had even an ounce of humor about itself, but this is played relentlessly seriously, which of course only makes it more laughable (not in a good way). Even the technical merits leave quite a bit to be desired, with some pretty lo-fi CGI and an overall look that screams made for television.

Altitude Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Altitude is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. The film's closing credits list a Red Camera company, and the IMDb lists the Red Epic Dragon as the camera used, but the IMDb also states a 6K capture, which I find frankly incredible given the middling results seen here (though of course a native capture means nothing with regard to the resolution of a finished DI). As can be seen in the screencaptures accompanying this review, some heavy grading, often toward deep blue or purple tones, often keeps fine detail levels pretty tamped down, and some odd framing choices, which often offer elements like seats slightly out of focus taking up large portions of the frame (a gambit I wonder may have been done to cover up budget limitations) means that sharpness is also variable. (The fact that lots of jiggly cam and whip pans are also on display tends to support the thesis that director Alex Merkin may not have wanted the eye to be able to settle on any given production design element for too long.) It's the CGI that is this presentation's single biggest letdown, however. From the opening credits, which offer perhaps the least believable CGI clouds ever rendered, to later, supposedly more spectacular, elements like the insane maneuvers of the jet to a fiery landing to an even more fiery crash are just almost comical looking at times, suggesting that this film's creative staff's reach simply may have exceeded their budgetary grasp.

Altitude Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While arguably more convincing than the video component of this release, even Altitude's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 isn't as impressive as some of the film's set pieces might seem to suggest. There are near "disaster film" levels of trauma that afflict this airliner, and yet LFE is sporadic (and when it does occur, it's rarely floorboard rumbling), and even a lot of the sound effects seem to be apportioned more generously toward the front end of the mix. Dialogue (such as it is) is rendered cleanly and clearly and fidelity is fine throughout.

Altitude Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Altitude Trailer (1080p; 1:42)

Altitude Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The best thing about Altitude is Greer Grammer's totally gonzo take on the character of Sadie, but that seems to be because Grammer at least has an idea that this is not exactly Grade A Entertainment. With a predictable story that only offers a couple of truly exciting moments, and with a cast who largely seems to be there to pick up a paycheck, Altitude falls flat. Even technical merits are a little lackluster, for those considering a purchase.