Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Megan Leavey Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 30, 2017

Megan Leavey tells a touching true story of self-discovery, service, and activism. It's the story of a young woman, meandering through life, struggling to make ends meet, and failing to make an impact but finding her calling thousands of miles from home where she and her canine companion save lives and make a difference in the world and in the lives of those who depend on her. It's a classic story of the human spirit, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (in her debut feature film) with a grace and understanding of the simple bond that forms and the purpose it serves, personally and in a much wider arena, too. In a dangerous world where bullets and bomb blasts physically harm and red tape breaks bonds, the film explores that connective spirit between man and animal and the human will to set things right, whether in war or at home.

Seeking help.

Megan Leavey (Kate Mara) lives a directionless life. She struggles to connect with people, cannot hold down a dead-end job, and her mother (Edie Falco) has had enough of laziness. In a desperate move to find some purpose and escape the challenges of her life, she enlists in the Marine Corps. It's a fight to get through basic training, but she perseveres and graduates. But her old ways come back to haunt her. She's caught drunk and urinating behind a building on base. Her punishment: cleaning up after dogs and standing in as an attack victim. But she grows fond of one dog in particular, Rex, and pushes to become a dog handler. She's eventually accepted into the program and gradually finds success and bonds with Rex. She and Rex are deployed to Iraq where, despite the dangers, they form an unbreakable bond that will be tested both in country and back home.

Megan Leavey is more a love story than it is a war film. It's less an action film and more concerned with the bond between a woman and her dog. She is a woman who, through the dog and the heroic actions in which they engage, discovers not only her purpose but a lifelong friend. It's a story of bonding, companionship, friendship, and survival. Survival is not only about making it off the battlefield alive. It's also about saving their friendship, how Megan must speak for Rex and advocate for his well-being, which is directly tied to her well-being. The movie takes a rather drastic shift in the third act where Megan has found herself, but at the same time lost herself. Long gone is the old Megan, drunk and directionless, replaced by another Megan who has lost her friend but has gained the courage and wherewithal to fight back against a simple injustice that has broken her heart but not completely broken her spirit. It's here where the film finds its true purpose; everything before only carries the character to this point where the transformation from nobody to reluctant warrior to champion of her cause sees her come full-circle as a person.

The film is well made, agreeably paced and rightly focused on character and story. Action scenes are sufficiently intense and seemingly realistic, but Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite rightly makes them plot-advnaincg devices that sees the bond between Megan and Rex grow. All of it only propels the narrative to that critical third act that reveals Megan's path from personal darkness into the light, figuratively for sure and literally in one case in the film's beautiful culminating sequence. Kate Mara is excellent as the title character. Her journey along a very clearly defined arc hits all the right notes, whether early in the film as she struggle to find herself and her place in the world, midway as her personal transformation and relationship with Rex develops, and on the other end as she's tested anew but armed with a new outlook on life and confidence in herself, even as her ordeal has dragged her down but not weighed her down or suffocated her entirely. The film further enjoys several good supporting performances from Edie Falco as Megan's mother and Ramón Rodríguez as her boyfriend and fellow dog handler, Matt Morales.

Megan Leavey Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Megan Leavey features a good all-around 1080p transfer, one that presents at the format's baseline for excellence. The digitally photographed motion picture does show some mild banding, the occasional smudgy edge, and some sporadic noise, the latter visible even in some better-lit scenes, but it's otherwise a capable image. Details are fine. Faces are adequately revealing while well-pressed military uniforms look sharp. Humvees, worn down Iraqi city streets, abandoned cars, military gear and webbing, and other details present with appreciable complexity and attention to detail. Colors are pleasantly neutral. Whether at home or among the more earthy colors in Iraq, there's a satisfying balance at play and a nice, stable saturation that's never dull and never overcooked. Black levels hold stable and flesh tones appear fine. This is a good Blu-ray presentation from Universal.

Megan Leavey Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Megan Leavey's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a pleasant, well-rounded listen. Music is stable and detailed, well spaced along the front and offering a mild surround and subwoofer support element. Back channels and the low end engage more frequently in aiding some of the larger effects and more intensive scenes. A key explosion thumps with plenty of power. Gunfire pops from very speaker with impressive depth and punch. Debris scatters throughout the soundstage with precision. Even distant explosions heard when Leavey first arrives in Iraq play with a satisfying thud. Ambient support captures a number of key environments, whether background din inside a restaurant or the hum heard from inside a cargo plane. Dialogue carries most of the film, and it's presented with the expected quality, excelling in terms of placement, prioritization, and detail.

Megan Leavey Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Universal's Blu-ray release of Megan Leavey contains one supplement. Never Give Up (1080p, 2:35) explores the lead character and story depicted in the film. A DVD copy of the film and a UV/iTunes digital copy code are included with purchase.

Megan Leavey Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Megan Leavey tells an honest, touching true story of love, friendship, and fighting the good fight on the battlefield and off of it. It's also a story of personal transformation, growth in courage, and finding a place in the world. It's well acted and nicely assembled, one of the more agreeable and heartfelt films of the year. Universal's Blu-ray offers good video and audio but only one brief supplement. Recommended.