Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Black Hole Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 24, 2019

Disney has released Director Gary Nelson's ('Freaky Friday') 1979 Sci-Fi film 'The Black Hole' to Blu-ray. The featureless disc includes 1080p video and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless audio. The release is currently only available online and exclusively to Disney's movie club.

The Palomino is off course, being drawn towards a gigantic black hole. To avoid being pulled in, her crew -- Captain Dan Holland (Robert Forster), Lieutenant Charlie Pizer (Jospeh Bottoms), Dr. Kate McCrae (Yvette Mimieux), Dr. Alex Durant (Anthony Perkins), Journalist Harry Booth (Ernest Borgnine), and ship’s robot Vincent (voiced by Roddy McDowall) -- has no choice but to approach the U.S.S. Cygnus, missing for two decades and curiously stationed on the back hole’s periphery. On board the Cygnus, they are methodically led through the labyrinthine vessel towards its command center whey they come face to face with Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell), a man teetering between genius and insanity who in the decades removed from human contact has accumulated vast knowledge and assembled a robotic crew to help him carry out his mission: to steer the Cygnus through the black hole in hopes of understanding the universe’s greatest, and most dangerous, secret.

The Black Hole offers thought-provoking Sci-Fi and action in well proportioned balance. Its characters are well drawn and an all-star cast capably runs the gamut, defining each character to precisely fit into the narrative: the madman, the even-keeled captain, the brash hotshot, the starstruck sycophant, the selfish journalist, and the perceptive scientist. The robots are memorably designed and voiced and the film maintains a brisk pace even through the first two acts which constitute a discovery phase prior to the action-packed third. The enigmatic, interpretive finale will leave audience talking long afterwards.

The Black Hole Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Black Hole arrives on Blu-ray with a good, though certainly far-from-perfect, 1080p Blu-ray presentation. Viewers will spot some macroblocking, particularly on the left-hand side of the screen accompanying the first shot following the opening titles. It's also evident in some of the harshly red-tinted scenes in the film's climax. Aliasing is visible around several instrument clusters on both ships. The 1080p resolution additionally shows the seams around many of the effects shots, particularly when characters appear against portholes inside Cygnus with the black hole visible beyond. The high resolution also clearly betrays much of the wire work used extensively throughout the movie, beginning on the low gravity Palomino shots seen early in the movie and, later, aboard the Cygnus in support of Vincent, Bob, and Maximilian. The picture maintains a fair filmic appearance. Grain is a bit uneven and it's really only the rare shot that is not comprised of some optical effect that the image really shows its excellence where the Palomino crew uniforms take on a handsome tactile appearance or Vincent's and Bob's various textures leap off the screen. Black levels are a little light, and grain becomes a bit more dense in lower light corners. Contrast is fairly strong and there is good color definition and depth to laser blasts, Maximilian red, and various instrument clusters around both ships. One of the color highlights is the strong purple luminance seen when the Palomino fires thrusters at full power to escape the black hole at the 13-minute mark. This is not of reference level, but for anyone who grew up watching the film on pan-and-scan VHS it's absolutely a revelation regardless of its shortcomings.

The Black Hole Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Black Hole's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack needs a little volume boost from reference levels but it's a solid listen once there. There's a good sense of low end engagement to ship's thrusters in the film's early minutes, and bass is never wanting, at least from a realistic perspective given the film's age and sound design. It's actually very involved and very enjoyable for the duration. Surrounds pick up some chaos on the Palomino as the black hole pulls the ship towards it and causes various systems malfunctions on board. Additionally, in chapter six, a shooting range competition features well defined laser blasts zipping through the back channels and firing with a satisfying oomph. The climax comes to life with plenty of convincingly positioned action and support effects, ranging from blaring alarms to crashing debris, from laser blasts to meteorites plowing through the soundstage. Meanwhile, John Barry's iconic score is well served by the track, maintaining fairly strict front side engagement but offering good width up there as well as quality orchestral detail. Dialogue delivery is generally clear and nicely detailed from a front-center position.

Note that the "absence" of the film's overture is causing quite the stir with fans; apparently Disney has included the overture on the disc but it's essentially inaccessible without running some end-arounds.

The Black Hole Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Black Hole contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen offers only options for "Play" and "Scene Selections." No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

The Black Hole Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Black Hole was a defining, seminal picture in this reviewer's formative years. It remains a favorite and has been given new life thanks to Disney's Club exclusive Blu-ray. The release is unfortunately without supplements, unsurprising given the general Club release landscape. Video is imperfect yet certainly revelatory nonetheless for those who grew up with the movie on 4x3 VHS. Audio is just fine with the volume knob adjusted upwards. Highly recommended.