The Mandela Effect Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

The Mandela Effect Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 21, 2024

Is "reality" reality, or is "reality" one's own perception of "reality?" How does the human condition, the human mind, the human heart, the human soul shape "reality" within one's own prism and perspective of what "reality" entails? The Mandela Effect doesn't strive to necessarily answer these age-old philosophical and existential questions, but it does seek to explore them through the prism of the so-called "Mandela Effect," the name of the increasingly popular and studied phenomenon that theorizes that supposed "facts" about reality are no longer what they once were years or even decades ago. Names change, looks are altered, dates are different...all sorts of oddities have baffled, and continue to baffle, people who truly believe something to be one way but "reality" presents them in another way. The film looks at the impact death has on a grieving father and how the possibility that things really might be different, for the better, somewhere else, leads him down a rabbit hole of possibilities, but also a rabbit hole to, perhaps, madness.

Sam (Madeleine McGraw) is Claire (Aleksa Palladino) and Brendan’s (Charlie Hofheimer) daughter who tragically dies in an accident during a day at the beach. When refusing to pack up his daughter’s favorite books, Brendan comes across one of Sam’s favorite, a Berenstain Bears book which he remembers as being called “Berenstein.” Other strange things begin to happen. A photo Brendan sees on the fridge recalls a memory of it which is different from Claire’s. This leads Brendan down the rabbit hole into the “Mandela Effect” and, more, to the possibility that Sam may be alive somewhere in a parallel universe. This slim but overwhelming hope drives Brendan to dig deeply into the blend of hard science and science fiction that leads him to an ostracized scientist (Clarke Peters) and a supercomputer which might just hold the key of bringing Sam back to life.

These sorts of movies are fun because they allow the imagination to run wild through various “what if” scenarios: what is life? Is there a puppet master controlling the strings, or are we creatures of free will? Are we living in The Matrix where glitches change our memory of things, or is the human mind simply faulty, where the passage of time blended with the lack of precision recall of very forgettable facts come together to cause the so-called “Mandela Effect?” The film can, at times, play like it’s sourcing its main points off a late-night conspiracy theory website discussion, but the writers have built a legitimate story around the concept. This is actually a very sobering film in a lot of ways that takes a good, long, hard look at loss, tragedy, and the desire to grasp onto anything to alleviate the pain and bring hope, even pushing to outlandish theories that might not seem quite so outlandish after the credits roll.

Brendan is a video game designer, so he has some idea of what he’s looking into and his occupation gives his deep dive into the material something of a grounded basis in some reality. The film makes the high tech and high concept and conspiracy theory type underpinnings logical and accessible qualities and characteristics, and the film manages to make high end Sci-Fi quite manageable because it’s grounded in very relatable human emotions. While it lacks the creative spin and high octane intensity of The Matrix, The Mandela Effect does manage to be a quality movie in its own right thanks to qualities like a fine pace, good acting, and a nice blend of the fantastical and the relatable.

The Mandela Effect Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Gravitas Ventures presents The Mandela Effect on Blu-ray via a burned BD-R disc, not a pressed disc. However, the results are nevertheless more than acceptable. As a low budget film, the results are not eye-popping at all, but the image is very watchable. It's suitably clear though never refined, offering good fundamental detailing and fine definition to essentials like skin while also offering nice detail and clarity to various environmental elements, ranging from sand on the beach at the beginning to more dense home interiors. Colors are pleasing, lacking authoritative pop and vividness but finding good balance and satisfying contrast and temperature settings, though at times the latter two are adjusted a bit for filmmaker effect. Black levels are not perfect but linger close to perfect. White balance is decent, and skin tones look alright. There is some noise and mild banding but not so much as to really distract from the image. It would be hard to envision this film, from this Blu-ray production house, looking a whole lot better than it does here.

The Mandela Effect Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The film features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This is not a prolific track, but like the video counterpart it gets the job done to satisfactory levels. The track proves its worth from the outset, offering nicely defined music which is always well engaged and nicely spaced along the front, though surround support is sparse rather than potent. Essential clarity is fine, and listeners will enjoy the good presentation of basics like rolling waters, showing how the track can find that next gear to present material with greater space and mild immersion. However, much of the track is focused on dialogue, and the spoken word is always clear, centered, and well prioritized throughout.

The Mandela Effect Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Mandela Effect includes a commentary track and a trailer, the former of which is found under the "bonus" menu tab while the latter is simply a part of the main menu text. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Writer, Producer, and Director David Guy Levy; Writer and Producer Steffen Schlachtenhaufen; and Producer Josh Fruehling discuss the film with sharp insight, a hint of humor, and rapport.
• Trailer (1080p, 2:37).

The Mandela Effect Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Mandela Effect is a concept film that works as a low budget release because of its intense focus on story and idea and less so on dazzle and delight. The film is propelled by high concept ideas and relatable emotional content, and it does a very good job of making a movie from old fashioned qualities and characteristics rather than trying to hide a lack of story in overwhelming visual and aural supports. This is not a classic, but it's a nice change of pace from a fairly vapid modern day cinema landscape. Gravitas Ventures' Blu-ray is solid enough, offering satisfactory video and audio presentations in addition to a good commentary track. Recommended.