Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Chain Lightning Blu-ray Movie Review

Nightmare at 80,000 feet.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 23, 2022

Stuart Heisler's Chain Lightning (1950) channeled that era's love of cool jets and Humphrey Bogart into a lukewarm romantic drama about one man's quest to marry the girl of his dreams, eventually. Bogie plays Lt. Col. Matt Brennan, recently discharged from the Air Force, who reluctantly ends a relationship with nurse Joanne Holloway (Eleanor Parker) upon his departure from England. After a failed attempt at opening his own flight school, Brennan scores a high-paying job at Willis Aircraft Company through his connection to old military pals Major Hinkle (James Brown, but not that one) and experimental jet designer Carl Troxell (Richard Whorf)... who's now dating nurse Holloway. Whoops.

Surprisingly, Chain Lightning doesn't devolve into a clichéd love triangle or childish game of one-upmanship for their shared object of desire, mostly sticking to business as both men iron out the details of Carl's latest prototype, the JA-3. Eventually, however, there's a conflict of interest: zealous company owner Leland Willis (Raymond Massey), eager to impress the Air Force with the JA-3's upcoming demo flight, insists his jet is ready for market and test pilot Matt firmly agrees. Carl, on the other hand, pushes for the additional safety measure of a fully ejecting cockpit and proceeds with the "JA-4" and more rigorous testing. They finally part ways when Matt flies the JA-3 from Nome, Alaska all the way to Washington D.C. by way of the friggin' North Pole and asks for a cool $30,000 upon arrival, even modifying the jet to boost fuel capacity and avoid a rest stop. Poor Jo, in the meantime, can only watch from the sidelines.

My main gripe with Chain Lightning is just that: the central story of two star-crossed lovers just doesn't get enough shine, and shared scenes between them -- especially with third wheel Carl -- aren't very well defined. (That, and an unnecessary in media res opening with corny voice-over narration.) All told, it barely crosses the 90-minute mark and openly struggles to do so, ending that historic flight early for a second climactic scene that's much less suspenseful and interesting. Had Matt's Alaska-to-DC trip been given even more room to breathe, Chain Lightning would feel more like a substantial thriller rather than a watery romantic drama that changes gears a couple times. It's still more than decently compelling during most stretches, though, thanks to the stalwart, authoritative presence of Bogart -- in one of his last films for Warner Bros. -- and a solid supporting cast, not to mention impressive visual effects including great miniature work for the JA-3. Sharp-eared animation enthusiasts should also be able to pick out at least one use of the studio's "inertia starter" stock sound effect that would later be used for the Tasmanian Devil's destructive spin.

While the end result of all this flying and fluff is a lightweight endeavor, Chain Lightning plays pretty damn well on Warner Archive's unsurprisingly great Blu-ray. Featuring their usual attention to detail with a top-tier restoration, solid lossless audio, and even a few era-specific extras, it's an easy buy for those with fond memories of its charms.

Chain Lightning Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I have no real qualms with Warner Archive's outstanding 1080p transfer for Chain Lightning; although this disc was released during a period when the boutique label did not provide specific restoration details, it shows all the hallmarks of a high-resolution scan sourced from first-generation nitrate elements. Simply put, the outdoor footage here looks gorgeous and even office interiors aren't far behind, showing off period-specific clothes, furniture, and backgrounds with outstanding fine detail, texture, and depth. As usual, the image is extremely clean and stable with almost no signs of dirt and debris, yet the film grain present in its nitrate source is almost perfectly preserved here from start to finish. Aside from a few likely source-related issues like patchy black dissolves and at least one rough-looking establishing shot outside a nightclub, the only mild issues here are very light compression artifacts and banding spotted on tricky gradients like the JA-3's aluminum fuselage. These are so few and far between that they're almost entirely forgivable, especially given the pristine condition of everything else... but either way, this Blu-ray presentation is easily the best that Chain Lightning has ever looked on home video and likewise eclipses most theatrical showings.

Chain Lightning Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, the DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio presentation adds a surprising amount of sonic weight to the proceedings, opening up the throttle during high-altitude flights while pulling back during those tender romantic moments. It's a very well-balanced soundstage, all things considered, and features a solid dynamic range that extends all the way to the original score by prolific composer David Buttolph. No pervasive hiss, pops, or distortion were heard along the way, nor were any sync issues detected. Overall, a top-notch effort that gets the job done and then some.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, but not the extras. This is pretty annoying since the DVD edition that most of them were sourced from did in fact have optional subtitles available. It's perhaps my only ongoing hang-up regarding Warner Archive releases, and one that I hope is addressed at some point.

Chain Lightning Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover art and no inserts of any kind. A few vintage bonus features are included, but they're more pre-show entertainment than film-specific.

• Looney Tunes Short: "Bear Feat" (8:23) - The only full-color content on this disc, this 1949 Chuck Jones-directed cartoon features everyone's favorite dysfunctional Bear family as they train for the circus. Not sure if there was any additional restoration work done since its appearance on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume 6 DVD set, but it looks pretty decent here and is presented in lossless 2.0 mono.

• Joe McDoakes Short: "So You Want to Be an Actor" (11:12) - Directed by Richard L. Bare, this 1949 short features the title character, perpetually "behind the 8-ball", as he tries to land a movie role. This one's upscaled from SD and looks rough with obvious digital combing but has likewise been given a bump to lossless audio.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:08) - This rousing vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

Chain Lightning Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The supposedly star-crossed romance at the heart of Chain Lightning is severely undercooked, but the flying is pretty fun. Although this uneven balance doesn't make for bulletproof entertainment -- even at just 94 minutes, which are admittedly stretched pretty thin -- the cast and visual effects save this one, even elevating it to modest heights during its best moments. Warner Archive's Blu-ray offers ample support, including another top-tier 1080p transfer, lossless audio, and a few era-specific extras. Recommended for fans, but newcomers may want to try before they buy.