Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Miracle Mile Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 18, 2025

Steve De Jarnatt's "Miracle Mile" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental feature on the release include archival audio commentary by Steve De Jarnatt, cinematographer Theo van de Sande, and production designer Chris Horner; archival Steve De Jarnatt and critic Walter Chaw; new audio commentary by novelists Janet Finch and Matthew Specktor; short films; archival featurettes; and more. In English, with optionsl English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It is impossible to understate the crucial role of Tangerine Dream’s electronic score in Steve De Jarnatt’s Miracle Mile. The music does not just enhance the atmosphere in the film, which is more than half of its story. In large areas of the film, the music is the atmosphere. On top of this, it relates feelings and emotions to the audience that the visuals cannot. Because this electronic score is so special, viewing the film can be a lot like putting on a pair of headphones and listening to one of those legendary concept albums Video Liszt and Pink Floyd created during the 1980s.

In Los Angeles, on a day like any other day, Harry (Anthony Edwards) meets Julie (Mare Winningham), the girl of his dreams, and she agrees to go out with him. Just several hours later, too. But Harry goes home, takes a nap, and wakes up too late to meet Julie at the diner they have chosen for their first date.

Nevertheless, Harry drives to the diner in the middle of the night, with just a glimmer of hope that Julie may have left him a message so they can connect again. When the overworked waitress confirms that his date just went home heartbroken, he walks out and picks up the ringing phone in the nearby phone booth, connecting instead with a stranger trying to warn his dad that someone has initiated The Big One. At first, Harry assumes that the stranger on the other side of the line is just another bored prankster, a typical local nutjob. But when he reveals his location, a missile silo somewhere in North Dakota, hysterically screams that the whole world has less than an hour left, and then gets shot by a second stranger that does not sound like a prankster, Harry panics. In the diner, Harry reveals the content of his exchange with the stranger on the phone to the several all-nighters and early birds waiting for the sun to rise, and one of them, a sharp-dressed woman with a fancy wireless phone, confirms that something serious is underway. Terrified, often sounding incoherent, but still trying to work as a team, the recipients of Harry’s shocking information then get in a delivery truck to reach a plane that can take them to a faraway place where they could survive a nuclear holocaust. But even though time is running out, Harry is not ready to leave without Julie.

Virtually all the drama occurs in real-time, which was a smart decision but also the only major weakness of this film. It was a smart decision because it makes the urgency of each new situation a lot more authentic. For example, the inevitable hysteria and its pointlessness are easier to place in a proper context. Why? Because as time runs out, it becomes painfully obvious that the hysterical ones and the rational ones are facing the same fate. It is irrelevant that some of them are managing their remaining time better and making smarter choices. When the end is this close, rationality is no longer a strength. This is why the atmosphere becomes the story, and why it is so incredible -- a nuclear holocaust is an event that renders everything meaningless.

At the same time, it feels like De Jarnatt should have had more time to explore the Miracle Mile area and capture different aspects of the chaos. A lot is happening around Harry, especially after the news spreads like fire, and there are some interesting secondary characters whose struggles would have been interesting to follow as well. Then again, the panic and ultimately hysteria that takes over it probably would have suffered tremendously if De Jarnatt had added more intimate material.

De Jarnatt wrote the screenplay, too. It is brilliant, but it took a long time to be recognized as such and then allowed to evolve into a film. Arguably the biggest reason production was delayed was the ending, which many powerful people felt was inappropriate. Of course, the original ending, which De Jarnatt kept, is what makes the film impossible to forget.

Kino Lorber’s two-disc set introduces a new 4K restoration sourced from the film’s original 35mm camera negative, which De Jarnatt supervised and approved.

Miracle Mile Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Miracle Mile arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Please note that the screencaptures included with this release appear in the following order:

Screencaptures #1-25: Kino Lorber release.
Screencaptures #28-38: Turbine Medien release.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of the film, which was supervised and approved by Steve De Jarnatt. I delayed our review because I wanted to see it twice so that I am very comfortable with my comments. I have a couple of other releases of this film, but I am going to reference this release from German label Turbine Medien.

The new 4K restoration produces visuals with superior density levels that are also healthier. Not by a lot, but the occasional nicks and blemishes that pop up on the previous presentation, which are just a few, are nowhere to be seen now. Image stability is excellent. Unfortunately, as soon as I started viewing the film, I noticed a couple of anomalies. First, the dynamic range of a lot of different visuals is off. I do not know the exact reason for this, but I think that it is a combination of a few things. In various areas, there is tealing that impacts ranges of supporting blue nuances. While also impacted, primary blue is, for the most part, close to where it needs to be. This tealing is also accompanied by a shift toward an overall cooler temperature in certain areas. As a result, some visuals do not look right. A very good example is the entire sequence where Harry reveals the content of his phone conversation with the stranger to the all-nightersa and the early birds in the diner. Elsewhere, during outdoor footage, the neon lights are supposed to be very prominent and effective, but on the new 4K restoration they are not. Sometimes the difference is big, sometimes it is small, but the change in the dynamic range of the visuals is, at least to someone that knows the film very well, quite obvious. You can see the difference if you compare this screencapture from the new 4K restoration and this screencapture from the previous presentation. Second, grain exposure is definitely not as good as it needs to be. On the 4K restoration, as presented on this release, a lot of areas look borderline filtered. This could be an anomaly introduced by the color grading corrections precisely because they can alter the native dynamic range of the visuals in some pretty strange ways. This is a common issue on 4K restorations of color films completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata. On a large screen, the problematic grain exposure can produce a lot of flatness and make many visuals where the previously mentioned color inconsistencies are obvious look very unnatural. As a result, delineation, clarity, and depth can suffer. All of this is quite unfortunate because I also observed several areas, such as the highway and gas station footage, where the overall quality of the visuals is quite nice. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Miracle Mile Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the lossless track is fantastic. I am unsure if any remastering work was done on it, or it is simply encoded differently, but there were several sections of the film where it performed better than the one from my German release. Not by a lot, but by enough for me to notice the difference, which on this film can be something that is easy to appreciate because Tangerine Dream's soundtrack is very prominent. All exchanges were clear and very easy to follow.

Miracle Mile Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Commentary One - in this archival audio commentary, Steve De Jarnatt, cinematographer Theo van de Sande, and production designer Chris Horner discuss in great detail how the Miracle Mile came to exist, with many very specific comments about locations and lensing choices, how light and darkness were managed, the importance of music throughout the film, clothing choices, etc.

• Commentary Two - in this archival audio commentary, Steve De Jarnatt and critic Walter Chaw again comment on how and where different sequences from Miracle Mile were shot, why certain editing choices were made, the evolution of the relationship between Harry and Julie, the finale, etc.

• Commentary Three - this new audio commentary was recorded by Los Angeles-based novelists Janet Finch and Matthew Specktor, who spend a great deal of time discussing the many locations in the city where Miracle Mile was shot.

• Trailer One - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Miracle Mile. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Cherry 2000. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Johnie's Supporting Cast Reunion - Part One - in this archival program, Steve De Jarnatt, cinematographer Theo van de Sande, and several cast members reunite at the diner where the drama in Miracle Mile is initiated and recall their work on the film. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Johnie's Supporting Cast Reunion - Part Two - presented here is additional footage with the same people, again recalling their work on Miracle Mile. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Harry and Julie - in this archival program, Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham recall how they were cast to play their characters in Miracle Mile and what it was like to work with Steve De Jarnatt and the rest of the cast members. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Scoring Miracle Mile - in this archival program, composer Paul Haslinger explains what makes Miracle Mile and discusses the creation of its soundtrack, which apparently was finished in Austria. Tangerine Dream's legacy is addressed as well. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Excavations From the Editing Room Tar Pits - presented in this archival program are various old dailies. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Diamond in the Rough - Refining the Dinner Scene - presented here are various storyboards, clips of script texts, stills, and VHS-sourced rehearsal footage. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Paul Chadwick Storyboards - presented here is a large collection of storyboards. In English, not subtitled. (39 min).

• The Extra Extras - presented here are some early video clips and short films shot by Steve De Jarnatt, highlighting his progress as a young filmmaker. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• A Tribute to the Crew, Cast, and Staff - presented here is a large collection of behind the scenes photographs and production stills, highlighting the many members of the Miracle Crew. With music.. (17 min).

• Alternate Ending - presented here is the short alternate "diamond" ending. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Short Films - presented here are two short films directed by Steve De Jarnatt. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Tarzana (1978) - Remastered. Starring Michael C. Gwynne, Eddie Constantine, Timothy Carey, Edie Adams, Pete Candoli, Reni Santoni, Charles Knapp, Kate Murtagh, Ann Dusenberry and Carel Struycken. Dolby Digital. 2.0. Without subtitles. B&W. (33 min).
  
  2. Eat the Sun. Directed by Steve De Jarnatt and Jim Cox. Dolby Digital. 2.0. Without subtitles. Color. (24 min).

• Grace for Grace - in this program, Steve De Jarnatt reads two of his award-winning stories. Audio only. In English, not subtitled. (115 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with original vintage poster art for Miracle Mile.

Miracle Mile Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It would be unfair to declare that Miracle Mile is only a great cult film from the 1980s. It is a proper great film whose message about The Big One will never lose its relevance. I wanted to declare here that this two-disc set, which was in production for a very long time, is the definitive home video release of Miracle Mile, but the 4K restoration featured on it failed to impress me. If you decide to pick up the two-disc set, it should be for its extensive and very good selection of new and archival bonus features. RECOMMENDED.