Freejack Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Freejack Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 4, 2018

Freejack isn't exactly high concept Sci-Fi, though it certainly could have been. The film dabbles around the periphery of narrative intrigue and flirts with ideas that might have elevated the film onto a higher plane of thought-provoking existence, but Director Geoff Murphy's (Young Guns II, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory) film refuses to explore its own potential, favoring to instead introduce a concept and play around it where all of the shoot-outs and car chases take place instead. The film was reportedly besieged by creative differences with various parties involved in the production laying blame on one another. The end product reflects that disunion, yielding a perfectly watchable but otherwise forgettable Sci-Fi influenced Action film that barely embraces its concept and struggles to build a purpose and maintain interest beyond its movement from one checkpoint action scene to the next, as the main character shoots and drives his way towards the people responsible for his predicament.

Alex Furlong (Emilio Estevez) is a gifted race car driver happily living in the year 1991. He’s in a committed relationship with Julie Redlund (Rene Russo) and all of the sponsors are eager to bring him on board. Little does he know that he is about to lose it all in a spectacular, fiery car crash. But the future is not done with him. A moment before the crash, he is teleported from the car, and from 1991, into a different world, a dark and bleak 2009 in which he (or better said his body) has been chosen to host the conscience of a recently deceased billionaire. Leading the operation to retrieve him is Victor Vacendak (“Rolling Stones” Rocker Mick Jagger) who commands a heavily armed team of soldiers. Right before Alex is lobotomized in preparation for the procedure, rebels attack the convoy carrying him. He escapes and finds himself in a familiar world but quickly realizes it’s not identical to his own. Suddenly, he is almost 20 years into the future, a time traveler and escapee: a “Freejack” in his time’s parlance. As he attempts to piece together where he is and why, he reconnects with old acquaintances and is forced to fight for his life and right to live even in a world where he doesn’t belong and has been long-since dead.

Freejack's dystopian vision of the future fails to capture the imagination in the way something much grander in scope like Blade Runner achieved or even find the same playful nature and none-too-serious approach embraced by a movie like The Running Man. Instead, it's caught somewhere in the middle of everything, struggling to build a true noir styling, rejecting the more thought-provoking constructs around its periphery, and failing to do anything of creative interest with its focal point action. The cast frequently appears bored, with Estevez attempting to liven the proceedings with some of his trademark charm, but even he succumbs to the lazy approach by film's end, getting caught up in the desire that seems to permeate the film to just reach the end, the quality of everything before it be damned.

Freejack Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Freejack is the least attractive of the November 2018 Sony MOD release wave which includes the aforementioned Young Guns II as well as Dick, Maniac, The Last Supper, and Robin and Marian, though at least some of the disappointments can be attributed and traced back to the film's inherently bleak and dull locations and photography. But technical problems do show up and begin to mount as the film progresses. There is some macroblcoking evident in the first panning shot through Alex's bedroom immediately after the opening titles, an issue that remains plainly visible in spots throughout. The presentation is fairly flat in general, lacking the firm, filmic qualities of the best Sony Blu-ray catalogue releases. Grain is a little sloppy and snowy. Black levels are uneven (solidly deep at times, pale at others) and prone to the worst of the macroblocking and home to horizontal lines running across the screen, at least in some shots. There are some pops and speckles throughout, severe in a few shots, such as one around the 31-minute mark.

Details are fair. The 1080p resolution allows for firm, but not substantial, facial and clothing definition. At its best in well-lit and stable scenes without any visual effects to get in the way, such as around the 22-minute mark, details can, and do, impress with complex lines, pores, and scars clearly visible on characters while indoor locales find enough core textural characteristics to please. Likewise, daytime exteriors reveal the grime and filth and wear around the city quite well. The movie's inherent flatness doesn't help it, but the 1080p resolution does. Colors are fairly flat and often inherently drab. Never does the palette really explode, even back in 1991 on the race track where more diversified colors abound. Clothes lack punch and environments are dull. The movie just doesn't concern itself with significant color punch, favoring that bleak dystopian styling that leaves even sunlit scenes a little flat. Flesh tones are nicely saturated, at least, revealing a healthy complexion for most every actor in most any lighting condition.

Freejack Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Freejack features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The opening title music to lead off the film offers gentle surround wrap and fair front end spread, though the predominant elements emanate primarily from a front-center location. Expansion towards the sides and into the rears increasers as various vehicles enter the frame and maneuver through, each with a fairly substantial weight and sense of movement. Public address delivery at the race track during qualifiers is nicely immersive and detailed. The first action scene in chapter two delivers some intense sound movement. Bass is a little lacking, the presentation wanting for more fullness and depth, but the sheer volume of moving sound through the stage helps make up for the relative lack of power and precision. The same can be said of every action scene throughout, whether a motorcycle chase in chapter four or various shootouts and other chases along the way. There is some dense street-level din in chapter three when Alex finds himself fully immersed in the his new world. Dialogue never causes any problems, delivering with healthy detail and natural positioning in the front-center portion of the soundstage.

Freejack Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Freejack's Blu-ray release contains only the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 1:35). No DVD or digital copies are included. The release does not ship with a slipcover.

Freejack Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Freejack delivers modest entertainment value but ultimately disappoints as a disposable Action film that's built around an interesting premise that is quickly discarded in favor of dull action, the premise serving only as a starting line, to use some race terminology, rather than a focal point. It's a shame because a more carefully manicured script might have yielded something a little more rewarding rather than the end product, which is watchable but hardly noteworthy. A year later, Demolition Man would release, a superior "man (or men, this movie's case) form the past arrives in the future" film with a lighter tone, a greater wit, a more purposeful story, and superior technical execution. It might make for a satisfying second end of a double feature with Freejack. Sony's Blu-ray release of Freejack contains no extras beyond a trailer. Video is up and down and audio is aggressive but lacks finesse. Worth a look.

Director Geoff Murphy sadly passed away at the age of 80 the day before this review's publication.