Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Samson Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 18, 2018

There are several Biblical characters and events that transcend Christianity, that have become ingrained in culture and part of the common lexicon of believers and non-believers alike. Creation and Christ, Daniel and David, and Saul and the story of Samson are amongst the Bible's most widely known highlight reels. The story of Samson, the supposedly (who knows for sure!) musclebound and long-locked man whom God granted great strength and who lost it under the pressures of great temptation has been the subject of several films, including the well-regraded Cecil B. DeMille 1949 film Samson and Delilah. 2018's more succinctly titled Samson, Directed by Bruce Macdonald, stars Taylor James in the title role of the famed Biblical character whose legendary strength, forged in his faith, has made him into one of the great icons from the Bible.

Gaza, ancient Israel, 1170 B.C. The people are in bondage under the iron-fisted rule of the cruel Philistines. They are in desperate need of a savior. Samson is a man of legendary strength. He is believed to be the man of whom prophecy speaks, the one who will lead his people to victory against their oppressors. Samson falls in love with a beautiful Philistine girl, Taren (Frances Sholto-Douglas). Overcoming all odds, they marry, but when Samson runs afoul of a sadistic Philistine named Rallah (Jackson Rathbone), his wife is killed and he is sentenced to live out the rest of his short life working in the mines. The strong-willed but prayerful and faithful Samson slaughters his enemies, escapes his bonds, and fights to avenge his people and family. But he finds himself drawn to a temptress named Delilah (Caitlin Leahy) who learns the supposed true source of his strength and threatens to destroy everything Samson has fought to achieve.

Samson is something of a departure for Pure Flix, a studio that has predominantly focused its attention on more modern-set films of faith (the God's Not Dead series, The Cast for Christ) as well as spiritually driven Action films (The Mark, Revelation Road). Samson attempts to build a modernly crafted film set in Biblical times, telling a story taken directly from scripture rather than build a new tale revolving around one or several core tenants of the Christian faith. Pure Flix finds moderate success with the project. It's certainly limited by its budget, which disallows the sort of grandeur one can find in legendary Bible-based epics (and even in DeMille's Samson film) or the ability to mask budgetary limitations in modern-set and dramatically oriented films such as God's Not Dead. Still, it's a well constructed picture on thew whole, interrupted at several points by less-than-ideal visual accompaniments and distracting production elements (Samson's beard worn in the film's second half reveals its seams in nearly every shot). The acting is certainly not world-class either. A bevy of big names hold the fort while Taylor James, who looks like he could be cast in a Twilight spinoff, holds down the title character well enough, physically to be sure but also finding a nice range of emotional complexity, from jovial brother to heartfelt lover, from divinely strengthened warrior to a beaten shell of a man. Jackson Rathbone carries the film as the villainous Rallah, capturing the character's cruelty, self-focus, and sometimes near hysteria in his clashes with Samson, all with agreeable aplomb.

Though the film threatens to fall apart at its seams, Pure Flix banks on the narrative force and a few other, stronger threads to hold it together. The film's narrative explores themes of faith and fate as Samson trusts in God to give him strength. Though be believes his hair to be his weak link -- cut it and he loses his strength -- it's actually, and spoiler alert for those who do not now the story from Sunday school, God who grants him the strength. For Samson, strength is not a physical component but rather a spiritual component. It's not that Samson is a physical specimen but rather a spiritual man that grants him his superhuman strength. The hair may, for him, symbolize his trust in God, but it's the heart, not the hair, that is the true connective tissue between man and his Maker. The film's overreaching theme sees Samson lose all he holds dear in the world but ultimately remain steadfast in his faith, at his highest and lowest points alike. In the story, God does the work; Samson is a vessel for His power. In that light, the film does well in telling the story. Those aforementioned production limitations distract, but don't destroy, and chances are audiences will become absorbed in the material and more likely to dismiss the film's flaws and lack of intimate storytelling finesse in favor of its larger, and well paced, core qualities.

Samson Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Samson arrives on Blu-ray with a natively digital 1080p transfer framed at approximately 2.35:1. This is, more often than not, a high yield presentation. There is some low light noise infecting lower light shots -- darker interiors, generally, but occasionally visible elsewhere -- but additional visual shortcomings generally associated with more modestly budgeted digital productions are very few and far between: drone shots lack crispness and a few effects shots suffer from significantly poor resolution and other problematic eyesores, like aliasing. Otherwise, textural efficiency is very high. Close-ups are intimately revealing, and while the image has something of a flat, slightly glossy digital sheen, it in no way interferes with the transfer's abilities to reveal skin, fabrics, armor, stone structures, and dusty terrain with careful attention paid to the finest examples of wear and complexity. There are some mildly smudgy edges which are inherent to the original source. Colors are pleasing to the eye, enjoying a nice level of saturation and intensity, particularly various clothing hues that contrast against predominantly earthy backdrops. The transfer is fairly strong overall, like the movie limited by its sources but presenting fairly well on Blu-ray.

Samson Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Samson's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack isn't as strong as the film's namesake, but it's adequately potent when it must be. The track is fairly straightforward. Music enjoys a pleasing amount of front-end width, pushing towards the far edges and presenting with good instrumental clarity throughout the range as well as a solid low end support element as necessary. The subwoofer impact carries over to various action scenes as well, including a lion's growl when Samson finds himself face-to-face with the beast in chapter six, in support of spilling and crumbling rubble, and shaping thunder claps in the film's finale. Surrounds engage at peak usage during the climactic scene in the film and carry variously light but mood-critical effects as necessary. Dialogue propels the majority of the film, and its presentation is without flaw in terms of detail, placement, and prioritization.

Samson Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Samson's Blu-ray release contains a featurette and two music videos. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.

• Behind the Scenes Featurette: The Heart of Samson (1080p, 4:18): Cast discuss story and Biblical themes, production details, hopes for the film and its audience, and more.
• Music Video (1080p, 3:20): "Home" by The Cloud Music/Natalie Santana.
• Music Video (1080p, 4:03): "Strength and Victory" by Seacoast Worship/Garret Abel.

Samson Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Samson lacks the polish of a bigger budget production, but Pure Flix has achieved a fairly stout picture even through a handful of limitations thanks to absorbing source material, a few good-to-great performances, and excellent story flow. Universal's Blu-ray delivers a quality video and audio experience. Extras are not substantial but the studio has at least seen fit to throw in a few bonus goodies. Recommended.