Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Shadow in the Cloud Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 8, 2021

Intervening events and a general sense of ADHD on the part of news and/or gossip consuming readers may have wiped it off the veritable front page, but in mid 2019 Max Landis found himself on the receiving end of several claims from quite a few women that he had been abusive in various relationships. As gonzo as it often is, Shadow in the Cloud may be Landis’ apology of sorts, since the film, which was co-written by Landis and director Roseanne Liang, features a plucky female World War II aviator named Maude Garrett (Chloë Grace Moretz) who is treated rather shabbily by a bunch of male flyers when she boards a plane bound for Samoa at the last minute with claims of being on a secret mission. Shadow in the Cloud actually begins with a supposed vintage cartoon documenting a harried air mechanic who is being harassed by a “gremlin”, which a stentorian narrator informs the character is simply a figment of his own mind, and a symbol of his own potential carelessness when attending to the maintenance of a combat bound airplane. That turns out to be a clue that Shadow in the Cloud is going to be a rather bizarre mash up of various ideas, and if the melding is not always completely successful, Shadow in the Cloud is weirdly fascinating in its own unusual way, and it certainly gives Moretz one of the strongest showcases she’s had, since she’s on screen virtually by herself for the vast running time of the feature.

There are several elements arguably working at cross purposes in Shadow in the Cloud, and so unprepared viewers may be thrown for a loop by a film that includes everything from discrimination against females in a combat setting to a hideous monster attempting to bring down a plane. That second aspect is more than a bit reminiscent of the iconic "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" episode of The Twilight Zone: Season 5, which starred William Shatner as a guy recovering from a nervous breakdown who keeps insisting he sees something out on the wing of the airplane he's flying home on. Something very similar happens with regard to Maude in Shadow in the Cloud, though in this case the dismissals of her claims comes not courtesy of any perceived mental illness, but because she's a "hysterical" woman.

There are some stylistic quirks to Shadow in the Cloud which are at least interesting, if perhaps overly "theatrical". That includes the fact that after a brief introductory sequence which sees Maude bursting on board a plane notably named The Fool's Errand with supposedly confidential orders to transport something "top secret" in an oversized case, Maude is then consigned to the "Sperry ball turret" under the plane, where her interactions with the rest of the (male) crew are audio only. Liang occasionally offers brief "visions" of the various guys up top, who typically address the camera directly as if these "character sightings" are unfolding in Maude's imagination. In terms of the guys reacting to Maude's supposed imagination, the film's creature effects by Weta Digital offer a snarling, drooling bat like creature which seems all too real, especially after it tries to get to Maude in the turret.

Once the real motivation behind Maude's "mission" is revealed, the film may in fact lose some viewers, since it then goes into a completely hyperbolic action orientation which sees Maude becoming an avenging angel of sorts who, among other feats, manages to dangle off various sections of a plane in midflight while achieving probably inescapably unbelievable heroism. This part of the film offers an undeniable adrenaline rush, but the concatenation of increasingly ridiculous plot elements finally removes Shadow in the Cloud from whatever tenuous tether to "historical reality" it may have had, which in turn probably seriously undercuts its own maybe heroic attempts to highlight some of what females have endured in combat situations.

There's an irrefutable silliness to much of what transpires in Shadow in the Cloud, but there's also a rather audacious quality to it all. This is a film that may in fact not work in totality, but which at least has the courage to be something a little different. Its frankly bizarre combo platter of "female empowerment" with a marauding monster might be ripped from the Alien playbook, but its World War II context at least gives the film a bit of flavor, even if a way too contemporary synth drenched score by Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper may distract from that setting more than offer any support. Yes, Shadow in the Cloud is completely outlandish, but for those tired of cookie cutter entertainments, it may be a palette refresher of sorts, especially for fans of Moretz.

Note: My colleague Brian Orndorf was considerably less tolerant of Shadow in the Cloud than I was. You can read Brian's thoughts here.

Shadow in the Cloud Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shadow in the Cloud is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Vertical Entertainment and Redbox with an AVC encoded 1080p (mostly) in 2.39:1 (as seen in screenshot 5, a brief introductory cartoon is closer to Academy ratio). I haven't been able to find any authoritative information on what cameras were utilized or what resolution the DI was. The "practical" part of this presentation is often quite inviting, though much of the film is swathed in interesting if slightly sickly looking greens and yellows, interspersed at times with more radiant reds and purples, as Maude has to endure being shut away in the increasingly precarious Sperry ball turret. Detail on things like Moretz's hair or even the smudged metallic interior of the turret can be quite precise looking. The overarching dim lighting of so much of the film doesn't always support consistent excellence in fine detail levels. Unfortunately, the biggest drawback presentationally may be some almost laughable looking CGI. While it seems like Weta did a relatively commendable job with the gremlin, I kind of jokingly wonder if they blew their entire budget on that effect, since so much else, including shots of the "outside" that Maude spies through her little turret window are beyond soft and almost as cartoonish as the opening sequence. Some of what I'm assuming is greenscreen material, notably the long sequence with Maude outside of the plane, also shows its seams pretty readily.

Shadow in the Cloud Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shadow in the Cloud features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that has a lot of pluses, as well as one potential minus. Despite so much of the film taking place in the Sperry ball turret, there's good attention paid to both the claustrophobic confines of that space, but also things like the comm channel Maude listens to the guys on and "external" noises like the sudden scary first attack by the gremlin. Later, both the advent of Japanese fighters and Maude's own "adventures" outside of the plane offer some good placement of ambient environmental effects as well as bursts of LFE. The one potential minus is the arguably off putting score, which is filled with technobeat type material that just seems at odds with the film on any number of levels. Optional English subtitles are available.

Shadow in the Cloud Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplementary features of any kind included on this Blu-ray disc.

Shadow in the Cloud Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Shadow in the Cloud completely, absolutely preposterous? No doubt. But I for one kind of actually (grudgingly?) admired it for that very reason, though its increasing preponderance of absurd plot developments may actually ultimately work against its innovative qualities. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.