Cave Rescue Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Cave Rescue Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 13, 2022

Cave Rescue is a very strange film for any number of reasons, not the least of which it is evidently a (slightly?) rejiggered version of a 2019 release simply called The Cave, a film which evidently has yet to receive a home theater Blu-ray. What is even stranger about Cave Rescue is that while it obviously tells the same story as its first version, it also tells the same story that both The Rescue (also unavailable on Blu-ray as of the writing of this review) and Ron Howard's recent Thirteen Lives (not yet on Blu-ray, though I suspect that may well change). In fact, I'd wager a sizable sum that the re-release of The Cave under the title Cave Rescue was meant to capitalize on the press surrounding the Howard film, though kind of humorously Cave Rescue wants to take "one from Column A", namely the documentary approach The Rescue did, and "one from Column B", namely the fictionalized offering Howard directed, in a patently weird combo platter that sees some of the actual people involved in the celebrated Tham Luang cave rescue that took place in Thailand in 2018 playing themselves in what the film itself states overtly is a "dramatized" version of events. Not to state the obvious, but it might have been better for the filmmakers behind this project to have decided on either Column A or Column B, so to speak, for while this is an engrossing account of what could have been a major tragedy, it's really a mishmash in terms of style and especially "performances".

The quasi-documentary side of things arguably works better than the dramatized side of things in this effort, and in that regard Cave Rescue provides both a number of informational text moments as well as archival footage and either real or recreated news reports, which at least intermittently give this an imprimatur of something approaching accuracy. But the dramatized side of things may falter by having one of the focal "characters" here, a diver named Jim Warny, played by himself, perhaps not the wisest decision. Several other people involved in the admittedly hair raising rescue effort also recreate their involvement, but there's a curious lack of excitement in the proceedings nonetheless.

The problem with Cave Rescue attempting the arguably perilous gambit of being both a quasi-documentary and a quasi-narrative dramatization is that those interested in the former aspect are going to gravitate toward The Rescue, while those favoring fictionalizations will no doubt much prefer the glossier, more compelling Thirteen Lives. That means that this particular version of this harrowing tale may not be the one that survives, so to speak.

Cave Rescue Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cave Rescue is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa and I'm assuming this had a 2K DI. Once again we seem to be going through a phase with noticeable banding on Lionsgate's masthead (that particular issue seems to come and go through the years), but this transfer also has some issues with low light material, which is fairly noisy and even pixellated at times, as in some of the cave bound material where, for example, a flashlight's beam might be aimed directly at the camera for a moment. All of the cave material offers understandably diminished levels of fine detail, as do the underwater segments. A lot of the outdoor material pops quite nicely and offers generally secure detail levels. Whether by design or not, a lot of this looks like a television broadcast in terms of general detail levels and clarity.

Cave Rescue Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cave Rescue features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio in what is advertised as an English track, but which occasionally offers some moments in Thai. The track has some nice spaciousness, kind of interestingly in both the outdoor and the cave material, and there are some especially nicely designed effects in some of the cave material. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Some ethnic tinged music adds to some sonic interest. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Cave Rescue Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Cave Rescue (HD; 7:57) actually almost seems to be a long form trailer at its opening before finally offering some interviews part of the way through.


• Cave Rescue Trailer (HD; 2:16)

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Cave Rescue Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I frankly can't imagine this film being anyone's first choice for a recounting of this admittedly engrossing story, one rife with both triumph and tragedy. That said, technical merits are generally solid for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.