6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
An untested American submarine captain teams with U.S. Navy SEALs to rescue the Russian president, who has been kidnapped by a rogue general.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common, Michael Nyqvist, Linda CardelliniAction | 100% |
Thriller | 23% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
It’s maybe just a little odd in a supplement included on this Blu-ray to hear Gerard Butler wax enthusiastic about Hunter Killer as a “passion project” of his that he evidently fostered for years before it was ever produced. Typically many pet projects of leading lights of the film industry can tend to be a little on the eccentric side, which is of course one reason why they can tend not to be produced quickly. But in the case of Hunter Killer, there’s virtually nothing in the film that hasn’t been seen before, and it’s notable that even Butler refers to what he calls the “submarine genre” as not having been exploited lately, one reason he was so amped up to get Hunter Killer on the big screen. Interestingly, Butler and other talking heads in the featurette discuss that one of the things delaying the film’s production was that relations with Russia had improved at one point so much that making them the perceived “enemies” in the film was deemed unrealistic. That’s arguably a bit of weird reasoning, since Hunter Killer actually promotes a relationship between two submarine commanders, an American named Joe Glass (Gerard Butler) and a Russian named Sergei Andropov (Michael Nykvist), who work together to undercut a coup taking place in Russia. Even the coup aspect would seem to subliminally suggest that Russia isn’t a monolithic enemy in this piece, but one way or the other Hunter Killer ends up playing like a kind of weird mashup of elements in The Hunt For Red October and Seven Days in May.
Hunter Killer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.38:1. The IMDb lists various Arri Alexa models as having been utilized for the shoot, and I am presuming everything was finished at a 2K DI (the IMDb omits that datapoint). This is a surprisingly strong looking transfer, especially given the glut of underwater material. While there's probably unavoidable haziness to some shots, shadow detail is rather well informed, at least at times, offering nice hints of details even through the murky blue waters. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's the topside material that really pops with the most authenticity, and some of the outdoor material offers really excellent levels of fine detail. The interior submarine material is graded toward blue a lot of the time, but again detail levels are commendable for the most part. Some of the CGI looked downright hokey to me at times, not so much with regard to things like explosions or the underwater sequences, but more so with regard to passing moments like Glass' early hunting expedition, where his prey didn't strike me as especially realistic looking.
Hunter Killer features a very effective Dolby Atmos track that regularly engages the Atmos channels with effects like a couple of big explosions, or even the "pings" that dot the submarine sonic environment. Several other big set pieces, like a parachute drop into enemy territory, also offer great opportunity for good surround activity. Trevor Morris' score is spread nicely through the side and rear channels, and dialogue is always rendered cleanly on this problem free track. Fidelity is excellent throughout the presentation, and there's really good attention paid to the difference in ambient reverb when the film switches to the more claustrophobic confines of the submarine. Dynamic range is very wide and adds to the enjoyment of the track.
Hunter Killer has a decent enough premise, even if large swaths of this film seem like retreads from earlier (and arguably better) films. Butler is stolid enough, and it's certainly a pleasure to see the late Nykvist in one of his last roles, but the film never really attains much momentum, despite some nicely staged action sequences. Fans of the cast may well want to check this out, and for those folks or anyone considering a purchase, the good news is that technical merits are first rate.
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