Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Coherence Blu-ray Movie Review

Miller's Crossing.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 6, 2021

James Ward Byrkit's Coherence is a pretty special micro-budget sci-fi film that's probably best approached blind, so I'll do my best to keep this short and spoiler-free. It concerns eight friends who reunite for a dinner party on the night a comet is passing overhead, which may or may not be responsible for a sudden blackout that renders the neighborhood without power or wi-fi. One house in the distance seems unaffected, so party guests Hugh (Hugo Armstrong) and Amir (Alex Manugian, who also wrote the story) set off into the blackness; they're hoping to call Hugh's brother, a quantum physicist who warned them of potential unexplained anomalies related to the rare astronomical event. What follows is a twisted, engrossing puzzle-box akin to an escape room in movie form: these eight guests are faced with the possibility of multiple realities, mysterious messages, and all the fear-fueled paranoia that comes along for the ride.

This compelling scenario builds to a memorable experience for first-time viewers looking to scratch a very particular sci-fi-itch: great ideas without special effects. But Coherence has even more missing elements that end up working in its favor, including no real script or even a traditional film crew. First-time director James Ward Byrkit, a conceptual artist on the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films and co-writer of the 2011 animated oddity Rango, approached it as a palate cleanser in response to Hollywood's "traditional" formula, aiming for the most compelling story possible with almost no resources. Filmed in just five days at his northern California home, Coherence's eight primary actors -- none of which knew each other beforehand -- often pulled double duty with behind-the-scenes tasks. They were also given nightly character motivation notes in lieu of a traditional script, improvising scenes aside from an ultimate end goal for each one. (Think Curb Your Enthusiasm, but with fewer jokes and more neurosis.) The end result is a ground-level view of mind-bending cosmic events that lands somewhere between Primer and Christopher Nolan before he became firmly wedged up his own ass. It's not perfect, but it's a great example of do-it-yourself filmmaking done right.

Originally shot in 2011 and released in 2013, Coherence earned a DVD release two years later from the reliably great Oscilloscope Pictures. This long-overdue Blu-ray upgrade from the studio can't exactly wring much more A/V detail from the film's limited source material, but the addition of a second audio commentary with cast and crew members makes it a definitive package for fans and an ideal introduction for first-timers. But again, go in blind for this one.

Coherence Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

There's no avoiding it: Coherence is a micro-budget film shot on what appears to be professional-grade digital video which, of course, was a different beast when this was shot in 2011. It ain't always a pretty picture. The good news is that, while Oscilloscope's 1080p transfer obviously exceeds the 2015 DVD by a few steps, it's not a night-and-day improvement thanks to the relatively dark and dimly-lit nature of its original roots. Black levels prove to be something of a challenge and are, for the most part, flat with not a whole lot of shadow detail. Colors are mostly warm in all but a few bookending scenes and other stray moments, such as a quick trip outside with a much cooler lighting scheme. Image detail, not surprisingly, is limited as are clothing textures, and very little depth is achieved as well.

However... Oscilloscope's Blu-ray is still a best-case scenario for this production and, even on a single-layer disc, it seems to be largely free from potential DVD-grade roadblocks such as compression artifacts, banding, and aliasing, except for stray anomalies that seem to be baked in to the source material, as well as copious amounts of noise during extremely dark moments. (To be honest, though, with films like this it's tough to know where built-in problems end and compression problems begin.) As such, good-looking screenshots were a bit tougher than usual to grab.

Coherence Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Oscilloscope's Blu-ray offers two main options: DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (the default) and a lossless 5.1 mix. Both are somewhat lacking for different reasons: the former offers fuller dialogue and a more stable, steady presence, while the latter adds in more than a few well-placed surround effects during some of the film's most intense moments... but it oddly funnels the majority of its dialogue into a somewhat cramped-sounding center channel. It's a shame that these two tracks couldn't be combined into "the best of both worlds", but neither should adversely affect your enjoyment of the film in a substantial way so you'll have to choose based on personal preference or setup limitations.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are also included during the main feature only.

Coherence Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with attractive cover artwork and no inserts. As usual for the studio, a limited edition Digipak is also available on Oscilloscope's website. Extras are identical on both versions.

• 2021 Audio Commentary - This all-new track features director James Byrkit, writer/actor Alex Manugian, and actors Emily Boldoni and Elizabeth Gracen. It's a shame they couldn't have gotten more new (or different) participants, but a decent amount of new -- and of course, retrospective -- ground is covered here.

• 2014 Audio Commentary with director James Byrkit, writer/actor Alex Manugian, and actor Emily Boldoni

• Behind the Scenes (16:35) - This short piece features key members of the cast and crew, who cover the basics of this unusually intimate production with a series of on-set memories and some footage of the shooting process (some of which looks surprisingly better than the final film). It's pretty good stuff, even if several of its most interesting tidbits are repeated in the two commentary tracks.

• Test Footage (3:52)

• Theatrical Trailer (1:52)

Coherence Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

James Ward Byrkit's Coherence is a solid little sci-fi gem whose reach equals its grasp -- pure proof that you don't need tons of resources to create uniquely compelling entertainment. Oscilloscope's new Blu-ray exceeds their 2015 DVD in all departments and comes Highly Recommended to die-hard fans and newcomers alike.