Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Survivor Blu-ray Movie Review

Paint-by-Thriller.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 18, 2015

If there are three perfect little words to describe Survivor, they would be "dime-a-dozen." The film, from Director James McTeigue -- best known for the fight-the-system favorite V for Vendetta -- is a lackluster affair at best, on one hand a nicely polished and technically sound movie but, on the other, a fully unoriginal thing that dares not defy convention. The movie moves along swiftly enough, its relatively brisk 90-some-odd-minute runtime just perfect for a film with nothing new to offer. As characters physically maneuver around busy streets and mentally maneuver through the minefield of cat-and-mouse escapades, the picture maneuvers through predictable, threadbare plot devices, stale action scenes, and see-them-coming revelations that are finely honed just enough to keep audience attention but not make anything novel or exciting out of them. Survivor, then, represents the classic "time filler" movie, something that's well made and reasonably entertaining but hardly a thing of any noteworthy artistic merit, hefty dramatic purpose, or memorable character development. "Dime-a-dozen" indeed.

Run Abbot Run

With new anti-counterfeit technology hard at work, terrorists are turning away from forged visas and are attempting to earn them legitimately. Issuing agencies are beefing up profiling and reporting anybody, or anything, that even hints at suspicion. Spearheading the new operation out of the U.S. embassy in London is Kate Abbott (Milla Jovovich), a woman still reeling from the 9/11 attacks and ready to pounce on anything that she believes might lead to another attack. She pegs a man who claims he's on his way to a medical conference as suspicious but her superior (Robert Forster) makes her drop the issue. Soon, she finds herself targeted for termination. She barely escapes a bomb meant for her and goes on the run in an effort to clear her name, dodge the attacks of a professional hit man (Pierce Brosnan), and prove her suspect is set on conducting a major terror attack.

Survivor never amounts to anything more than a standard chase film in which the question isn't "whodunit" but instead "howshegonnagetoutait." The film valiantly tries to mask its more generalized action elements with a timely narrative that involves someone still suffering after 9/11 and her efforts to prevent another mass-scale terror attack no matter the personal cost to herself, but even then the movie lacks the sort of creativity necessary to inject it with any sort of value beyond cheering on the hero because she's the hero and not because of any sort of added conceptual weight to elevate the material above "trite." The film's storyline never amounts to anything more than a generic driving force to push it from one chase scene to the next, and the movie plays with all of the basic genre scenes, such as the one that calls for "a struggle over the gun, a pull of the trigger, and a few seconds of fake tension as to who was shot in the gut (hint: not the hero, because the scene comes far too early in the movie)." There are plenty of obligatory chase scenes, the emergence of one or two characters the hero can trust, and the gradual reveal of a broader conspiracy at play. It's as if the movie was made to exemplify the absolute middle of the pack for its genre, boasting enough technical resources to rise above the dreck but lacking the creativity to ascend to the top of the food chain.

Fortunately, and beyond its technical polish, the film enjoys the draw of a quality cast to entice audiences to watch. While neither of the film's cover stars -- Milla Jovovich and Pierce Brosnan -- elevate the material in any significant way, their familiar faces and fine-tuned performances, at least within the confines of the movie's trite details and somewhat dull edge, are enough to maintain a baseline sense of agreement and keep the film from imploding at any juncture. The picture further boasts a nice collection of secondary parts played by several strong actors, including Dylan McDermott, Angela Bassett, and Robert Forster. They keep the movie churning along nicely enough, their combined efforts enough to carry the movie to where it neither sinks nor swims but rather scuttles across to the finish line with its head held high enough to earn a passable, midlevel grade.

Survivor Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Survivor's 1080p transfer satisfies in all areas of concern. Details are precise and consistently so. Close-up skin textures reveal minor flaws and heavy aging lines alike. Applied makeup, too, is subtly visible. Basic image clarity excels, allowing both broad details, such as storefronts and streets in London, and more up-close features, like clothing lines, to appear crisp and naturally defined. Colors are balanced and accurate with no apparent dullness and no over compensation by way of excess brightness or garishness. Black levels are attractively deep and flesh tones appear to mirror real-life complexions. The picture does show some mild banding across a few backgrounds but never to any sort of troublesome extent. This is a fine all-around image from Alchemy.

Survivor Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Note: The disc's menu advertises a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack, but a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is included in its place. The review has been updated to reflect the discrepancy.
Survivor's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is continuously active and alive. There's plenty for the track to do, from thundering explosions to subtle atmospherics, all of which are handled professionally and with pinpoint polish. The film begins with a war sequence that produces thick gunfire, swooshing rockets, and rumbly helicopters zipping around the stage. Throughout the rest of the film, away from the war zone but sometimes nearly as chaotic, there's ample opportunity for the track to send potent explosions and weighty gunfire into the listening area, which it does regularly and dynamically. Additionally, there's a wide range of ambient effects, from very subtle details like shuffling papers and train station din to more pronounced and obvious elements like passing London traffic and wailing alarms. Dialogue never gets lost in the mix and enjoys good center placement and effortless clarity.

Survivor Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Survivor contains a featurette and deleted scenes.

• Featurette (1080p, 5:25): A basic behind-the-scenes feature that briefly examines story, characters, and the like.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Bill's Secret (0:34), Watchmaker's Lab (4:13), Won't Get That Far Away (0:53), Gas District (4:31), and Road Kill (0:26).
• Previews (1080p): Survivor, Kidnapping Mr. Heineken, Dawn Patrol, By the Gun, and Automata.

Survivor Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Survivor doesn't push any limits. Its story lacks creativity, its characters aren't unique or particularly interesting, and its action is as routine as it gets. But it does everything well enough; there are no gaping holes, no glaring oversights. It's a technically sound movie, lacking to be sure but never an embarrassment to anyone involved or the cinematic craft in a broader sense. Audiences should enjoy it well enough given that expectations are kept in check, i.e. never expecting anything more than a modest diversion. In that sense the movie delivers. It's classic "filler," and at the end of the day there's really nothing wrong with that. Alchemy's Blu-ray release of Survivor does boast high quality video and audio. Supplements are limited to a short feature and deleted scenes, about what one would expect from a Blu-ray release of a movie of this caliber. Easily worth a rental or a buy at a low price.