Missing in Action 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Missing in Action 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Best of Three

Reviewed by Michael Reuben December 31, 2014

Chuck Norris appeared in three Missing in Action films as Vietnam veteran and former POW Colonel James Braddock, but only the first two, released in 1984 and 1985, were successful. The third, a 1988 release co-written by Norris and directed by his brother, is barely remembered, and not just because of its poor quality. The first two MIA films benefited from good timing, which coincided with the release of Sylvester Stallone's Rambo: First Blood Part 2, which producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus saw in early script form and quickly knocked off as a vehicle for Norris. MGM, which controls the video rights, has released MIA and MIA 2 both as single Blu-ray discs initially available only at Wal-Mart and in a double pack. The individual discs have been separately reviewed.

For further discussion of Missing in Action, please see the Missing in Action Blu-ray review.

For further discussion of Missing in Action 2: The Beginning, please see the Missing in Action 2 Blu-ray review.

Missing in Action 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Missing in Action (reviewed by Casey Broadwater; follow the link for screenshots):

Missing in Action makes its Blu-ray debut with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that looks about as good as a mid-1980s B-movie action flick can be expected to look. The film was shot on a rather grainy 35mm stock, but Fox/MGM has wisely avoided any de-noising or filtering—no repeat of the Great Predator DNR Disaster of 2011—and the picture is likewise free of artificial edge enhancement. The print itself is in very good shape; you'll spot some mild brightness flickering in a few scenes, but there are no scratches or stains and hardly any white specks. The level of clarity is unavoidably constrained by the gritty film stock and the spherical lenses used, but the sheer act of remastering the film in high definition brings out detail that just wouldn't be visible on DVD. Color is satisfyingly reproduced too, with dense green jungle foliage, fiery explosive blasts, and deep but not oppressive blacks. If Norris' skin tones look a bit ruddy at times, I suspect it's because Norris' skin tones are ruddy. Watching the film, there's definitely an immediate sense of yes, this looks better than I remember, so for hardcore Chuck Norris fans, the Blu-ray is probably worth the cost of the visual upgrade.


Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (follow the link for screenshots):

In typical Golan-Globus fashion, MIA 2 was shot wherever costs were lowest, in this case Mexico, where the production company engaged the services of an experienced Mexican cinematographer, Jorge Stahl Jr., who had been making films since the 1940s and delivered less grainy and higher-contrast image than the darker MIA (shot by Brazilian DP João Fernandes). MGM's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray (distributed by Fox) looks quite good for a low-budget project shot on film from this era. The source material is clean, without noticeable damage or wear-and-tear. The image may lack the sharply defined "pop" of a contemporary production that's been tweaked and sharpened on a digital intermediate, but to my eye that makes for a nice change, and it certainly isn't an image that lacks for detail of the jungle surroundings, the squalid POW camp or the grime and sweat on the prisoners' faces and bodies. The colors are very strong, especially the vivid greens of the foliage, the bright yellows and oranges of the pyrotechnics, and the occasional flashes of bright red, which are almost always associated with the North Vietnamese (for reasons that should be obvious). The blacks are good enough to bring out the knee-high boots of which Colonel Yin is so proud, and the film's grain structure appears to be naturally reproduced.

With no extras except a trailer and just a few mono soundtracks, MGM and Fox have been able to devote almost the whole of the BD-25 to the 96-minute film, resulting in an average bitrate just over 27.00 Mbps. That's a good average for this film, and the compression appears to have been performed carefully with no artifacts.

Missing in Action 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Missing in Action (reviewed by Casey Broadwater):

This is no top-tier, grade-A action flick, so it should come as no surprise that Missing in Action skips a multi-channel sound mix in favor of good old-fashioned mono. The film's Blu-ray release at least delivers a lossless track, with a DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 presentation that gets the job done adequately, with no overt hissing, pops, or crackles. Most importantly, dialogue is always high in the mix and easily understood, although voices can occasionally sound a bit too rounded and heavy in the mid-range. The explosions are thin and bass-less, but gunshots have a decently weighty pop. Otherwise, the effects are entirely unremarkable. Audio-wise, the best part of the film is undoubtedly when Braddock makes his way through the Bangkok streets, which are filled with deliciously cheesy 1980s electro music. The film also features a synth-meets-orchestral score by Jay Chattaway, best known for his work on various Star Trek series. The disc includes French, Italian, German, and Catalan dubs, all in DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0.


Missing in Action 2: The Beginning:

The film's original mono track has been encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA. It's well-mixed mono with decent dynamic range for sounds such as gunfire, explosions and the distinctively rhythmic rumble of military helicopters. The track won't rattle your listening room, but it supports the story effectively. The score is by Brian May, who scored the original Mad Max and incorporated several cues that fans of George Miller's groundbreaking action series will recognize, either from the first Max or from its reprise at the beginning of The Road Warrior.

Missing in Action 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Each disc contains a trailer and no other extras.

Missing in Action 1 & 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chuck Norris films are big slabs of processed American cheese, and the MIA films are no exception. But pop culture is popular for a reason, and some movies are like the songs of an era—you hear (or see) them, and they evoke memories and associations with surprising immediacy. Anyone who enjoyed the MIA films in their initial run (or early video release) probably won't be able to resist being transported back to the Eighties, if only for a little while, while watching these Blu-ray releases from MGM and Fox. The technical presentation is certainly acceptable, with MIA 2 being the better of the pair. They aren't great films, but they're a brand of their own.