6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.
Starring: Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, Gene Simmons, Kirstie Alley, Stan ShawThriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Michael Crichton's "Runaway" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 101 Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an audio commentary by critic Kevin Lyons. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Runaway arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 101 Films.
The release is sourced from a pretty good older master, but there are some issues with the technical presentation. While viewing the film, I noticed multiple areas where the gamma levels are off, which likely means that the encode was done incorrectly. This is an issue that I can quickly and easily fix on my system, but I mention it because it exacerbates another issue. The disc also isn't encoded particularly well, so in many darker areas the grain becomes noisy, and the elevated gamma makes it stick out more than it should. The good news is that there are no traces of problematic digital work. Also, the color grading is quite pleasing. Finally, from start to finish, the film looks very healthy. All in all, even though the master that was used is older, the technical presentation could have been very solid. It is still possible to enjoy the film, but some people will notice the issues that are highlighted above. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The audio tracks cannot be selected from the main menu, so you will have to use your remote control to pick the one you prefer. I viewed the film with the LPCM 2.0 track and thought that it was outstanding. This was not surprising, however, because the current master comes from Sony Pictures, which means that the 2.0 track was optimized as best as possible.
I always thought that Michael Crichton's Runaway was a rather silly action film, but after revisiting it on Blu-ray, I have changed my mind. Amidst its action, there is some serious food for thought, and to be honest, I don't like the fact that so many of its speculations about the future are now part of our reality. This Region-B release is sourced from a nice older master that was supplied by Sony Pictures, but I think that the technical presentation should have been a lot more convincing.
2013
Remastered | Director's Cut
1987
2014
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1984
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2018
2014
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Nemesis 2
1995
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2013