Blacklight Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Blacklight Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 3, 2022

Blacklight is another movie starring Liam Neeson as someone with "a very particular set of skills" that include gunplay, aggressive driving, knowing his points of ingress and egress, and installing security cameras to protect his daughter and granddaughter. The movie is very adept at adapting content from other films, lacking even a hint of originality within. It's Liam Neeson away from direct-to-video tripe, and maybe the producers should have opted for that route; the film grossed about a third of its budget and left critics without much of a reason to recommend it. It's the epitome of a cut rate Action/Thriller that struggles to offer a compelling reason to watch, or much of a reason to watch at all.

Travis Block (Neeson) is an "off-the-books fixer" who, for two decades, has made use of a very particular set of skills to reel in rogue undercover agents, or those whose cover has been blown. However, his heart is no longer in the job. He pines to retire and spend more time with his daughter Amanda (Claire van der Boom) and granddaughter Natlie (Gabriella Sengos). He is very protective of them -- suffocating if Amanda is asked -- but he means well. Unfortunately, his boss will not hear of his retirement. Rather, he is sent on a new mission to bring in rogue FBI Agent Dusty Crane (Taylor John Smith). The assignment leads him to work with Journalist Mira Jones (Emmy Raver-Lampman) and make the discovery of secret information that will have dire consequences for the Bureau and for Block's family.

There is nothing original about this movie. No, not one thing. It's difficult to fathom a movie this generic with an A-list actor leading the way, but here it is, a film populated with all of the tropes one can imagine, and not just from the Liam Neeson family of films but from around the spectrum: the skill set thing has become a joke but there's also the age-old "ready for retirement" angle with "one last mission" and "a young family" that needs tending. There's the "secret document" and "important hard drive" MacGuffins that propel the story forward. Nothing here draws even the least bit of interest; a film would almost have to try to be this bland, but here it is, a completely inconsequential picture manufactured from borrowed bits and pieces that add up to a whole lot of nothing.

The action does absolutely nothing to excite the senses, either. Though some new technology was used to make them, the end result just looks and feels stale, sluggish, and lacking any kind of drawing dynamic that would heighten the tension or even build the excitement. The acting is as bland as bland can be. Neeson absolutely phones in the performance, as does the rest of the cast, but his is particularly obvious. He is on cruise control, no question about it, doing nothing to elevate his character off the page. Certainly, he would have his work cut out for him to do so considering that Block, and everyone else, are cardboard cutouts with no original motivation and little sense of attachment for the audience. The film is competently assembled on the technical end but between the unoriginal story, disinterested acting, and recycled story content there's just no reason to invest in this one.

Blacklight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 1080p picture quality is fine. The digital source is nothing remarkable, but it does yield a stable, pleasing image in the aggregate that offers as expected detail and clarity. The image is clean as it presents faces, city details, and clothing with appreciable textural clarity and intimacy. Viewers will be well pleased with the level of fine detail visible in pores, lines, and hairs while location details are nicely sharp and visually engaging. Color yield is fine. The film offers very neutral temperature and contrast which results in lifelike accents and highlights. Black level depth is fine, white balance is spot-on, and skin tones look natural enough. There is very little noise. Banding is minimal and there is no serious macroblocking to worry about. This is hardly a memorable image, but it gets the job done about as well as can be expected of a midgrade studio film in 2022.

Blacklight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blacklight Blu-ray features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is more than adequate but nothing that engenders any sense of aural excitement. It is in good balance, generally, though action scenes could use a little more throttle, depth, and detail. While not quiet, there's a certain lack of enthusiasm to car chases and gunplay that leave the listener wanting something more. Spacing is at least sufficient with ample front end stretch and nicely balanced surround integration. The track offers good clarity and stage balance to music, as well as a decent low end support element and, again, some well-defined and managed surround content. Light atmospherics filter in here and there to add a basic sense of location realism, but nothing that will transport the listener fully into the movie's world. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration. It is also well prioritized for the duration.

Blacklight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Blacklight includes two featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Blacklight: Behind the Scenes (1080p, 2:47): Cast and crew briefly recount the story and pitch its value, Neeson's performance, and the like.
• Shooting Blacklight (1080p, 2:37): A look at some of the new technology used to make the movie in the era of Covid.

Blacklight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In summary, Blacklight is a technically competent movie but it falls off a cliff, and fast, when it becomes clear that the film has zero to offer in terms of original storytelling, forward momentum, audience draw, good acting, or intense action. Everything about the movie is flat at best and forgettable at worst. Universal's Blu-ray is proficient in the A/V department and two supplements equaling just over five minutes of content are included. Skip it.