Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Johnny Mnemonic: In Black and White Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 1, 2023

Sony has released the 1995 Sci-Fi film 'Johnny Mnemonic,' starring Keanu Reeves and Dolph Lundgren, directed by Robert Longo, to Blu-ray in a special 'black and white' presentation. The film was previously released to Blu-ray in 2011, in color, through Image Entertainment. This release adds an additional supplement not found on the Image disc as well.

In this film based on the William Gibson story, Johnny (Keanu Reeves) is a data courier who has a secret stash of information implanted into his mind. However, the data will kill Johnny if he cannot retrieve it within 48 hours. Accompanied by physically enhanced bodyguard Jane (Dina Meyer), Johnny sets out to acquire the passwords he needs to save himself. Worse yet, he is hunted by gangster Shinji (Denis Akiyama) and businessman Takahashi (Takeshi), both of whom seek the data Johnny possesses.

This black-and-white release is no mere gimmick. To the casual viewer, it may seem as such, but this is about as close to Director Robert Longo's original vision for the film as it's ever going to see. It releases a quarter of a century after the film's color release and satisfies the stylistic merits that Longo originally conceived but encountered resistance from Sony in originally implementing. This is a project of "redemption," Longo states, also labeling it as the "Director's Intention Cut." There's no new content here; this is Johnny Mnemonic in black and white with no new scenes added or no old scenes removed. It's actually quite stylish in black and white and while it does not remove some of the questionable content of the film as-shot and edited, it certainly plays better in this format. The photographic style lends itself nicely to what is a more, now, techno-noir type of experience that really hasn't aged well in the aggregate but feels more timeless in black and white. It makes a mediocre film pretty good and blends nostalgia with a fresh approach that really plays quite well.

For a full film review, please click here. Of course, this is a review of the color version, but even as the black and white grading enhances the film's aesthetics and reinforces some of its narrative muscle, many of the core criticisms continue to hold between both versions.

Johnny Mnemonic: In Black and White Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I am not in possession of, nor did I review, the original Image Blu-ray, so I cannot speak on any similarities that may exist between this version and the Image release beyond the shift to black-and-white. Suffice it to say, however, that the film looks quite good here on its own merits, a few issues notwithstanding. Overall, the picture enjoys a very healthy, crisp, and efficient textural output. There are plenty of complex details to be found in skin and environments. The picture clearly thrives under the HD parameters, and while some of the visual effects are hopelessly dated by today's standards, the clarity with which they present and integrate into the film is bolstered by the resolution. The picture does suffer from some questionable grain management. While there are no signs of significant smoothing, grain can often appear static and push and pull in globular masses as characters move about on the screen. This is evident right out of the gate when Johnny wakes up in the New Darwin Inn sequence. This is easily the most problematic issue with the transfer. There are also some odd speckles, splotches, and stray vertical lines, but these are relatively few and far between and do not significantly interfere with a watch. The black and white grading is very elegant. While blacks are prone to crush in a few shots, there's a healthy and effortless feel for tonal gradation and balance between the extremes of white and black and the grayscale within. The grading is balanced and looks great across the board. Longo was certainly right to make the call to make the film in black and white, and while it took some time for his vision to come to fruition, there is no mistaking that aesthetically on the surface and narratively as a key component to the movie's structure, it's the right call.

Johnny Mnemonic: In Black and White Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This new Blu-ray release of Johnny Mnemonic includes a pair of highlight audio tracks. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless presentation is terrific. The sound effects to open the film are astounding. They're heavily amplified and very much a product of their time, but the sense of full stage engagement, movement sweep, and discrete details converge into a wonderfully exciting and satisfying audio explosion. Moments later, intense crowd din pulls the listener into the midst of street chaos in a less dramatic, but no less full and excellent, audio experience. The 5.1 track holds to a full, loud, and invigorating structure throughout; these core observations carry for the duration, and when paired with high yield music and firm and centered dialogue, it proves to be a truly explosive track.

Additionally, Sony has provided a second English track in the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless structure. To be sure, the track is lacking the extreme surround engagement of the 5.1 track as well as some volume, depth, and overall audio tempo. Aurally, it is definitely the lesser track, but it is perfectly good in terms of dynamics within its constraints and clarity within the configuration. Width is never an issue, with the stage engaging the full way from front corner to front corner and dialogue imaging naturally to the middle. Whichever track listeners choose, they'll be in for a treat.

Johnny Mnemonic: In Black and White Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Johnny Mnemonic includes two extras. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• A Candid Conversation (1080p, 25:28): This feature presents Director Robert Longo, Writer William Gibson, and Actor Keanu Reeves discussing the film and the new black-and-white presentation via video conference call. They discuss difficulties on set, challenges for a first time filmmaker, how and why black and white enhances the film, fan favorite lines and moments, the film's prescience, and more.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:19): The film's trailer, in color, so for those seeing the film for the first time in black and white can earn here at least a hint of what the film looks and feels like in color.

Johnny Mnemonic: In Black and White Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Black and white breathes new life into Johnny Mnemonic. Rather than a gimmick, it's an enhancement that accentuates the photography, setting, and themes. It works so well one can certainly theorize that Longo, even told he could not shoot the film in black and white, nevertheless shot it while envisioning such a final product. Despite some reservations with the video, it looks solid enough, and with the excellent audio and a high quality retrospective, this disc comes easily recommended.