Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Neon City Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 21, 2023

Monte Markham's "Neon City" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with Michael Ironside; exclusive new audio commentary by Monte Markham; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Hammered by Xander

It is foolish to declare that Neon City tells an unrealistic story. It is just as foolish to insist that it tells a realistic story. Confused? Well, you should not be. These two statements are not mutually exclusive.

I had to make the above clarification because over the weekend I viewed Neon City with a close friend who enjoys post-apocalyptic films and had a very interesting discussion with him after it ended. He was convinced that if the former is true, the latter is not, and vice versa. The most important detail from our discussion was this: My friend dismissed Neon City because according to him its story was “too out there” and therefore did not make a lot of sense. I asked him to explain what he meant, and his response was that the military would never have a weapon like the Xander Laser. (All of the events in Neon City take place after the military has destroyed the ozone layer with the Xander Laser, a superweapon, and made it possible for the ultraviolet rays of the Sun to directly reach Earth. As a result, only some scattered small areas are still as they once were, though now looking like industrial deserts, while all other areas are essentially placed in a giant microwave that turns itself on and off during particular periods). I was stunned. I asked him whether he had heard of projects like Rods of God, which the military is openly promoting -- think about what the military is not openly promoting -- and ambitious plans to ”dim the Sun”. The latter, which has been discussed in the White House, is beyond dangerous because not only it could unleash utterly unpredictable radiation processes that can create exactly the type of microwave conditions that are seen in Neon City, but it has the potential to permanently reset gravitational cycles that allow our planet to regenerate itself. Then there are all the other “side effects” that will undoubtedly come with a prolonged lack of sunlight, like unimaginable new diseases and megapandemics, which will also be mutating at will. And again, these are only the crazy “good” ideas that have been made public, which means that there are many, many other crazier “bad” ideas that are being discussed in private. My friend changed his tune a bit, but the truth is that I did not engage him because I thought that his opinion of Neon City was wrong. I do not think that it is a particularly good film, either. What bothered me, and quite a lot too, is that he is a highly educated person with multiple advanced degrees who assumes that there is a very reliable system in place, created by much more intelligent people than me and him, to predict and discard scenarios that can create environmental catastrophes like the one from Neon City. There is no such reliable system, and the smartest people on Earth constantly roll the dice. It is why in my lifetime the biggest environmental catastrophes were created by supposedly very smart people with good intentions.

This exact truth -- that very smart people constantly roll the dice, usually in the name of the greater good -- emerges at the end of Neon City, which is what validates it for me. The rest is mostly second-rate material that was clearly inspired by the various Mad Max films but has more in common with what you would see in smaller-budget films like Cherry 2000, Radioactive Dreams, Stryker, and Exterminators of the Year 3000. At the center of it is former law enforcement ranger Harry Stark (Michael Ironside) who captures Reno (Vanity), a fugitive wanted for murder, and the two head to Neon City, the largest livable settlement in the West, where she is supposed to be tried in court. But to get to Neon City, Stark and his prisoner must use a dingy old bus that supposedly has all the right gadgets and protective covers to pass through the Outland, a vast area controlled by the brutal Skins and constantly hammered by deadly ultraviolet rays.

Monte Markham’s direction is convincing, but it is very easy to tell that with a bigger check he could have delivered a better film. Or, maybe not. I quite like the minimalistic look of Neon City because it makes most of its drama look surprisingly authentic. It was shot entirely on location in Utah.

Neon City 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, Neon City arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 2K master that was struck from an interpositive. Unsurprisingly, Neon City has a stable, very healthy organic appearance. On my system, delineation, clarity, and depth were always very good, and a few times even close to being excellent. Some small density fluctuations are easy to see, but never become annoying or distracting. If you have a very large screen, you will likely conclude that grain exposure could have been more even, and some smaller nuances better managed, but this will be all. Image stability is good. Color balance is stable, and the majority of viewers will be very pleased with it. However, I think that in several areas saturation levels can be better. Primary blue, in particular, could have been managed more convincingly. The current saturation levels give select areas a more naturalistic appearance, which is somewhat at odds with the film's environment and ambience. A great example is the sequence where the bus is hit by the deadly rays. Some of the outdoor footage where the Skins attack the bus looks slightly desaturated as well. Still, I think that the overall quality of the current presentation is quite good. (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).

Neon City 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.

While viewing Neon City, I did not encounter any troubling anomalies to report in our review. I did notice sporadic unevenness and some thinning, which I think most viewers will spot as well, but given the film's production limitations, it is very difficult to tell whether these are age-related or inherited weaknesses. During the action footage, dynamic intensity is good, and the music is frequently surprisingly effective. There are no distortions or audio dropouts to report.

Neon City Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• In Action - in this exclusive new program, Michael Ironside explains why he decided to do Neon City, what it was like to work with Monte Markham, and why he routinely picked very particular characters to play. Also, there are some quite interesting comments about Vanity's contribution to Neon City and their love scene. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for Neon City. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• VHS Trailer & Sales Reel - presented here are additional vintage promotional materials for Neon City. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by director Monte Markham, and is moderated by producer Heather Buckley (Black Mansion Films). I listened to the entire commentary and thought that it was outstanding, quite possibly one of the best new commentaries I have spent time with this year. Mr. Markham discusses in great detail the production of Neon City in frozen Utah, specific choices that were made to enhance the film's post-apocalyptic environment, the behavior of the various characters, the action choreography, etc. Great commentary.

Neon City Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Like all smaller post-apocalyptic films, Neon City borrows a few things from the Mad Max films. (That's right, not only the original film). But this is an unavoidable flaw because the Mad Max films own the playground where all post-apocalyptic films must go to impress. So, with this clarification out of the way, I think that Neon City does enough to entertain, plus it produces a couple of truths that make it look surprisingly relevant today. Kino Lorber's release introduces a good new 2K makeover of Neon City with two very good exclusive new programs. RECOMMENDED.