Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Contraband Blu-ray Movie Review

Mill Creek has released the 2012 Mark Wahlberg film 'Contraband' to Blu-ray. Universal released the film to the format in 2012. This Blu-ray compares favorably with the Universal disc for its video and audio presentations but lacks the rather full allotment of bonus content included with that release. This Mill Creek issue is currently only available as part of a two film bundle with 'Fear.'

Contraband Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

When Contraband released to Blu-ray in 2012, it did so fresh out of theaters and received the standard high quality treatment from Universal, a studio which was then much more more apt to make a mess of its catalogue output but consistent in delivering high yield new releases. This is almost certainly the same master Universal sourced the Blu-ray from for the 2012 release, and while this undoubtedly looks very similar, there's no mistaking that this release is a minor step down. It shares a disc with Fear and lacks the bit rate and breathing room from Universal's original presentation.

That said, the presentation is fine as-is, capturing the film's inherent aesthetic -- in his 2012 Blu-ray review Ken Brown called it "another dark, gritty actioner shot to make audiences say, 'wait, what's going on over there?'" -- with commendable faithfulness to the source. The film holds to its natural grainy appearance, through there are some mild artifacts littering the background, intermixing dense grain with chunky digital blocks that give the picture a somewhat uneven appearance. However, core detailing remains very high. The picture is sharp as can be as it is, revealing essential facial and clothing textures with high yield clarity and visibility. Environments, particularly aboard the ship, reveal plenty of tattered surfaces and worn layers that give the location a tangible sense of character. Colors output is likewise faithful, featuring cranked contrast and crushed blacks (which appear to be by design). The picture's encode shortcomings aren't too terribly distracting. While this falls just a tad short of Universal's disc, the loss is very minor in total; most won't notice any huge differences.

Contraband Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While I don't have access to the 2012 Universal disc for direct comparisons, this is almost without question the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Listening here perfectly reflects Ken's writing on the nearly decade-old disc. The track is appropriately spacious, perfectly clear, and integrates ambient effects extraordinarily well. The stage is almost always alive in some way, whether sounds within the ship's bowels, street level atmosphere, or engine sounds inside vehicles. There's a steadiness to both clarity and immersion that makes this a very satisfying and high yield track. More intense action elements enjoy similar stage engagement for both width and surround depth alike. Musical output is clear, widely spaced along the front, folded into the rears with balance, and supported by a quality low end output. Dialogue is clear, well prioritized, and firmly grounded in the front center speaker. All is well with this track.

Contraband Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Mill Creek Blu-ray release of Contraband contains no supplemental content. Universal's 2012 Blu-ray included a fairly in-depth array of bonuses, including a picture in picture making-of, an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, and a couple of featurettes. It's a shame none of that made its way over here, but that's par for the course for Mill Creek's double features. No digital copy is included, either.

Contraband Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For those who already own Universal's Blu-ray there's no reason to make this purchase. It's a slightly lesser release for mild compression issues and the absence of supplements. The movie isn't anything to write home about, either, but it is capably entertaining. For newcomers who just want to watch the movie and won't nitpick the picture quality or watch it from six inches away this is a perfectly acceptable alternative to the Universal disc.