Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Enemy Mine Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 20, 2016

Wolfgang Petersen's "Enemy Mine" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; deleted scene; and music and effects track. The release also arrives with a collector's booklet. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Get up!

It is not easy to praise Wolfgang Petersen’s Enemy Mine. It is a fine looking film but it is loaded with carefully scripted political messages that make it awfully difficult to endure. During the Cold War era the Soviets produced quite a few similar films that preached their versions of the Truth, but because they knew that they couldn’t outdo Hollywood they rarely promoted them in the West. They poured their resources elsewhere and their powerful censors simply did not allow the films they did not like to enter the country.

Enemy Mine is set in the not so distant future, after the humans and the Dracs (alien creatures with strange heads whose bodies are covered with thick leather-like skin) have emerged as the two dominant races. They have also started clashing in different corners of the galaxy while trying to colonize foreign planets so that they can use their resources.

After an intense battle, Willis Davidge (Dennis Quaid, Wyatt Earp) crashes his damaged spacecraft on an unknown planet and somehow survives. Shortly after, he discovers that the Drac pilot Jeriba Shigan (Louis Gossett Jr., An Officer and a Gentleman) has landed in the same area and that his spacecraft is also wrecked. Davidge follows his instincts and immediately tries to kill his enemy, but fails miserably and becomes Jeriba’s captive.

A dangerous meteor shower makes the two enemies realize that they must help each other if they want to stay alive. Rather reluctantly they warm up to each other and then built a small igloo where they can stay warm until their comrades discover them. But the more time passes by, the more they begin to realize that they may never be able to leave the planet.

When eventually Jeriba gives birth to his son Zammis (Bumper Robinson) and dies, Davidge vows to protect and teach him everything that he has learned from his former enemy. For a while they live like father and son, but then a group of intergalactic bounty hunters capture little Zammis and threaten to kill his “uncle”.

The similarities with Byron Haskin's classic film Robinson Crusoe on Mars are fairly obvious. After the crash Davidge slowly begins to reevaluate everything that he has been taught to believe and embraces life in an entirely different way -- which is exactly what Kit Draper does in Haskin’s film.

But this film goes a few steps further when it begins comparing the ideologies of the two superpowers (because this is precisely what the humans and the Dracs have become) with those of the real superpowers that still had our planet divided during the mid- ‘80s. The entire second act where the two enemies slowly warm up to each other and discover that they actually have a lot in common is filled with ‘important’ messages about tolerance, acceptance and solidarity, and then the final act endorses the idea that despite their differences they can trust each other and coexist in peace.

This very obvious politicizing of the narrative makes the entire film look incredibly silly. The film oversimplifies everything, from politics to religion, and expects the viewer to accept its messages because its version of the Truth is the answer to all of humanity’s problems. It is all a bit too much, really. Films can have good intentions, but when they are delivered with messages that are so oversimplified and oversanitized as the ones in this film, the end result is always questionable.

Enemy Mine Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wolfgang Petersen's Enemy Mine arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release has been sourced from the same Fox master that was accessed for the American release. The basic characteristics that we typically address in our reviews are good. A lot of the film can be quite dark but detail ranges from good to very good; clarity is also pleasing. Depth can be more convincing -- a high-quality new scan will undoubtedly improve shadow definition -- but when projected the film still looks quite strong. There is one segment with some extremely light color fluttering, but stability is good. Saturation could be better and there should be a wider range of healthy nuances. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is very good. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Enemy Mine Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 and English LPCM 2.0. Music and effects LPCM 2.0 track is also included. Optional English SDH subtitles are available for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The 5.0 one track is the one that most viewers will likely use when viewing the film as separation and movement are more effective on it. However, the music score is equally impressive on the 2.0 track. The dialog is always clean, stable, and easy to follow. There are no balance issues.

Enemy Mine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. theatrical trailer for Enemy Mine. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Deleted Scene - in English, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Music and Effects Track - presented as LPCM 2.0.

• Collector's Booklet -

Enemy Mine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wolfgang Petersen's Enemy Mine is beautifully lensed but disappointingly uneven film that wants to be too many things at once. The very obvious politicizing of its narrative basically destroys its credibility and at the end it feels like an opportunity was missed to deliver something truly special. Eureka Entertainment's new Blu-ray release is sourced from the same Fox master that was used for the American release. The technical presentation is very good. Consider adding the release to your collection if Enemy Mine is a film you have enjoyed in the past.