Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Flatliners Blu-ray Movie Review

Does a SteelBook Bring New Life to Mill Creek?

What's the bigger deal, packaging-wise, on Blu-ray.com? Are slipovers still king, or have SteelBooks taken the top spot? While Mill Creek hasn't been dishing out slips with every release (if any at all), the studio has entered the coveted SteelBook market with Flatliners, a good movie (and of of this writer's favorite guilty pleasures) but a curious movie by which to try out the packaging sales tactic, particularly considering that this is a dark movie without much room for colorful, attention-grabbing artwork. The company is charging a premium over its usual $10-or-less release price point; at time of writing this SteelBook is going for nearly $20 on Amazon (a couple less at Best Buy), but does the packaging justify that price? And what about the content inside? Has the studio done anything to better the Blu-ray Sony released many years ago, right at the very dawn of the format's lifespan?

Flatliners Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek has lately been releasing films with the otherwise antiquated MPEG-2 encode, and considering Sony's old release was also presented in MPEG-2, it stood to reason that Mill Creek would offer the same. But the studio has thrown a curveball (albeit a hanger without much break), releasing the film at MPEG-4. Nevertheless, the images appear largely identical, and if they're not exact twins, the dueling masters are essentially very close siblings. Very close comparison reveals that the older image might by a tad more flush, but all of the essentials appear unchanged. It doesn't really look bad, and the 2.5 score on the original might be a touch too low (as may the 3.5 score for the film), but for the sake of consistency and with precious little alteration in presentation, that score is going to stick. Screenshots in this review are sourced from the Mill Creek disc. Flatliners is a film that would have made for an interesting UHD release; a proper 4K image with HDR colors might have made some of the more Schumacher-patented surreal and dreamlike imagery really pop. Maybe if Mill Creek ever decides to jump into 4K this would be a nice first-wave catalogue release. Until then, this Blu-ray isn't bad, but the movie is certainly more inherently challenging than many for its generally drab and dreary imagery.

Flatliners Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the video, Mill Creek has shaken things up, presenting Flatliners with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack as opposed to the Sony release, which featured an LPCM 5.1 track. The studio has also ditched the English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks and the myriad of subtitle options, leaving only English SDH on the disc. The film's soundtrack offers bursts of intensity intermixed with more reserved moments. The track barely opens up until Nelson goes under for the first time. The sonic progression is interesting; the track gradually widens, both lengthwise and widthwise, steadily increasing in volume, expanding to present more detail, and while clarity isn't top-of-the-class, there's a nice sense of energy and immersion nonetheless. The electric paddles send a nice, hefty shock into the stage during resuscitation scenes, and various medical equipment beeps and signals with pleasing placement and clarity. There are a few tinny moments; when David climbs out his window early in the film, his dialogue is clearly off, but the spoken word is generally center positioned, well prioritized, and nicely detailed.

Flatliners Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Flatliners contains no supplements, and neither did the old Sony disc. A DVD copy of the film is included with purchase.

Flatliners Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Flatliners is a solid film, underrated it seems but a picture that boasts a first-rate cast, quality filmmaking that results in one of Joel Schumacher's best visionary films, a solid story that approaches life's most pressing question in a unique way, and strong character development and complex paralleling stories for each one. It's recently been remade/reimagined in a film that this writer hasn't seen yet but one that looks pretty lame from the outside curiously gazing in. Mill Creek's Blu-ray release, its second of the film and its inaugural SteelBook title, boasts what appears to be essentially the same transfer as the old Sony release (despite the MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 transition). It features a new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack but brings no extras to the table. The SteelBook isn't bad, a bit bland, but it's nice to see the studio jumping into the fray; a few quick real-world pictures are included at the end of the screenshots in this listing. Recommended.