Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Red Eye 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 27, 2023

Think "Wes Craven" and think A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. In other words, think R-rated "Horror." Red Eye, a PG-13 airplane thriller, is not a Horror film in the traditional "slasher" sense for which Craven is best known, but the film certainly incorporates Horror elements that strike more into the human psyche rather than strike into the human flesh. The film may be a structural departure, then, for Craven, but in many ways it is not a thematic departure. Craven is a very good fit to helm the material, bringing a keen sense of human frailty, hopelessness, and confinement to the picture that are all Horror staples, here simply translated into a different kind of terror-riddled experience.

Rachel McAdams is Lisa, a hotel manager catching a red-eye flight back to Miami. Her seemingly charming seat-mate Jackson (Cillian Murphy) turns out to be a terrorist agent, revealing his sinister intentions just after departure. If Lisa doesn't cooperate with his evil plan, her father will be assassinated with one call into a sniper.

Red Eye runs a brief 85 minutes. This is a short runtime, but the film is lean and efficient at this runtime. The biggest time stall in the film are the opening titles, which last a full 40 seconds. Everything else is purpose driven and forward moving. Craven wastes no time in getting to necessary character development, and only necessary character development, and planting necessary narrative seeds, and only necessary narrative seeds, right from the opening moments. The film is laser focused on the goal, which is to build a tightly structured and fully engaging thrill ride that mixes situational terror and personal fear within an inescapable setting. Literally, everything moves the film forward. It is only mere seconds after takeoff, when there’s nowhere to go and no means of escape, that Jackson opens up, turns off the charm, and amplifies the tension by announcing his intention and what he needs Lisa to do for him. The previous pleasantries only set her, and the audience, in a state of comfort, only to have that confidence shattered in a few moments. Jackson lays out his true motives and demands when Lisa has no choice but to hear him out, when she is essentially stuck with no choice but to allow the terror to settle into her soul as the plane lifts her miles from freedom and opportunity to think and fight. His sudden transformation is frighteningly effective, and the film’s tone shifts with his one-eighty, where it uses every morsel of previously and tightly developed content to push the story forward and offer various avenues of hope and danger alike as Lisa tries to navigate the plan that Jackson has tightly nailed down. The story is not completely watertight, but the tension, fast pace, and great performances hide the seams quite effectively in every frame.

While the story might have a few holes, the characters give it a sincere go. McAdams is convincing throughout, particularly as she finds herself caught off guard by Jackson's change in demeanor and the rapid-fire revelation of his plan. Her emotional distress is met with an inner turmoil that is manifest beyond the tears and the physical actions she attempts to take on the flight. She builds a character who is vulnerable but also one who the audience can believe is capable of turning the tables should the opportunity present itself. Murphy plays the classic good-looking, smooth-talking villain (who would be right at home in a Bond film) whose ability to turn on and off the charm to sell himself first to Lisa and then to various flight attendants and others on the plane makes him a formidable enemy. The performance shows plenty of overt stability, but the audience will find momentary glimpses of the internal vulnerability that might eventually be his demise.

Red Eye 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from the bundled 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Of late, Paramount's catalogue 4K releases have been hit (Dragonslayer), miss (Planes, Trains & Automobiles), and somewhere in the middle (The Core). Fortunately, Red Eye falls pretty squarely into the "hit" category. The 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation retains a very healthy and naturally filmic appearance, presenting the picture with satisfying grain structure that complements a sharp, natural film quality texture to faces particularly which, in close-up, are routinely revealing of extremely fine characteristics, more so in better light, such as inside the airport during the opening act, and a bit less so in the low light plane interior in the middle act. Still, the image is very satisfying for overall clarity and film like presentation parameters. Colors are nothing to be excited about; the plane interior is certainly not bursting with color, but clothes with some color appear nicely deep while natural whites, such as Lisa's sweater, present with good, stable color output and accuracy. Black levels are terrific, including shadows and dark attire alike. The film is fairly straightforward and efficient, visually, so there's not a great deal of opportunity for the UHD to dazzle, but it's very good within its natural visual parameters. No obvious source or encode issues are apparent.

The Blu-ray is fairly good. It's sharp and clear, but it's obviously lacking in both textural accuracy and color depth. It looks very light and flat in comparison. Those who are still Blu-ray only and who have been waiting for the film on the 1080p format for a long time will be satisfied here, but the UHD is clear winner, and by a comfortable margin.

Fans have been waiting a long time for this one, and the wait has paid off. This is solid all-around.

Red Eye 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's some turbulence in the movie, but this is not a turbulent soundtrack. With all of the aviation rattles and rumbles at play, this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a superb listening experience that drops the listener squarely in the middle of the bumpy flight. The listeners will all but experience the jolts and jitters that come with the turbulence (whatever happened to D-Box?) with seamless surround extension and excellent low-end depth, both coming together to place the audience in a seat on the flight and experience the engrossing surround content firsthand. Beyond the more aggressive moments, the track fires on all cylinders to create lighter, but mood critical, atmosphere in the plane, whether light background engine hums, chatty passengers, and the like, again building a thoroughly authentic atmosphere. Musical engagement is big, well pronounced, and detailed, with, like the turbulence, plenty of nicely integrated surround and subwoofer engagement. Dialogue is clear and center positioned form the duration. It is also well prioritized above any competing audio elements.

Red Eye 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Red Eye includes new and legacy extras. It is also part of the prestigious "Paramount Presents" line with a fold open slipcover.

• Filmmaker Focus: Wes Craven and Red Eye (1080p, 6:53): Author and Wes Craven Expert John Wooley discusses the film and its place in the Craven canon. He also looks at Craven's history as a teacher and filmmaker, and some of the other films and their themes throughout his moviemaking career.
• Wes Craven: In His Own Words (1080p, 12:19): Craven discusses his attraction to the project, how the film is both similar to and different from his traditional Horror films, characters and performances, shooting details and visual effects, best scenes, and more.
• The Making of Red Eye (480i, 11:39): Cast and crew discuss plot, themes, characters, shooting locales and the airplane set, making key scenes, and more.
• Wes Craven: A New Kind of Thriller (480i, 10:49): Wes Craven's direction and the qualities he brought to the film, cast and characters, the film's rating, the climax, and more.
• Gag Reel (480i, 6:30): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Audio Commentary: Director Wes Craven, Producer Marianne Maddalena, an Editor Patrick Lussier discuss the film.

Red Eye 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's been a long time coming, but Red Eye is finally out on Blu-ray/UHD to excellent result. The 2160p/Dolby Vision video is fantastic, the 5.1 lossless track is equally great, and the set features a fine blend of new and legacy supplements. Highly recommended!