Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		1.5
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		1.5

The Message Blu-ray Movie Review

The word is out: this Blu-ray isn't very good.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 9, 2013

Does the name "Moustapha Akkad" sound familiar? It should, this being a movie website and all. For those who don't immediately see pumpkins and butcher knives and Donald Pleasence at the mere uttering of the name, here are a few more hints: October 31, candy, murder, sequels, spiritual successors, a remake, a remake of a sequel, and one big, hulking, virtually invulnerable son-of-a-gun. Yes, it's Halloween, and outside of the names Curtis, Pleasence, and Carpenter, Moustapha Akkad may be the most readily identifiable under the venerable fan-favorite franchise's banner. But Akkad isn't just the proverbial one-trick producing pony. Before Halloween, he both produced and directed The Message (and would follow that several years later with Lion of the Desert), a beautifully crafted film about the early history of Islam and the tumultuous time of the rise of Muhammad, Allah's prophet. The Message stands in stark contrast to the dark chills, synthesizer beats, and genre-defining stature of John Carpenter's film and the series it spawned. A true epic and a satisfying cinema journey through one of history's most crucial times with one of the most influential, revered, and even controversial figures in human history, The Message shares the compelling story of world-shaping spiritual change of many centuries ago.

I wish my message could reach a WIDER audience.

It's been six-hundred years since the death of Christ. A dark age has befallen Europe. A new age is about to emerge in the Middle East. Mecca, then, was known as a wealthy area and a center of idolatry. The idols and customs are revered by all but are challenged when men openly reject such notions and instead embrace the idea of a single god as shared by Muhammad, a man who has received the word of god and whose influence in the region grows. The idolaters speak out, harshly, against those who would criticize the status quo, labeling Muhammad and his followers as "blasphemous" and ignorant of the place of idols in their culture. Muhammad is driven out of Mecca but gains a larger following. The film follows the emergence of the Islamic faith and the battle against the idolaters.

As with Lion of the Desert, Akkad acquits himself well in the director's chair, crafting a beautiful, balanced epic in The Message that recreates history without precisely recreating it. Akkad never shows the title character. Audiences never hear Muhammad's voice, see his relatives, or catch glimpse of a hand or foot from one of the many first-person perspective shots through which the other characters interact with and speak to him, remaining in silence while he "responds" to them, unheard by the viewers. The rather jarring but religiously and culturally understandable technique (images and the voice of Muhammad are forbidden by Islamic tradition) never interrupts the flow of the story and in some ways actually enhances it, further develops the aura that exists around it, and aids unfamiliar audiences in understanding the true sense of reverence with which the figure is held by those who cherish his name, his accomplishments, and his place in their religious history.

Akkad further reveres the story of Muhammad with a well-crafted epic picture that's certainly a good bit classic "Hollywood" (note the film was made in North Africa) but never betrays the core principles of its story even considering what may be some sensationalized moments for added dramatic value and screen presence. The film recreates several large-scale battles and depicts with some disturbing brutality instances of religious persecution, but those elements are but larger pieces to a tale of perseverance and courage against the established idolatry of the time. The picture is more of a reflective historical one and an oftentimes enthralling watch not only for its painstakingly detailed period costumes and settings but for its compelling tale of religious confrontation, speaking openly and freely from both sides on the perceived values of and negatives against such things as idolatry, gender equality, and even the role of Christianity in the Islamic faith. Audiences will further bear witness to the birth of the "Call to Prayer" and other formative pillars of the Islamic faith which are still in practice today. The picture is well paced, even considering its massive length approaching three hours. It's expertly acted and photographed, helping to shape a satisfying and important picture that's as entertaining as it is informative, as reverent as it is dramatically compelling.

The Message Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Message features a highly disappointing transfer that sports pretty much the same set of issues found in its companion release, Lion of the Desert. The film arrives with a 1.78:1-framed presentation rather than in its native, wider 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Strike one. The picture reads as 1080i rather than the 1080p listed on the back of the box. Strike two. Strike three? Pick 'em. The image offers flat, uninspired colors and pasty details. Where brilliant shades of red, green, purple, and yellow should appear on clothing is instead a collection of dull colors that never pop and lack even a hint of vibrancy. Basic skin textures, earthen terrains, and other bland colors are fairly presented, but there's absolutely no life to the palette. Details are wholly disappointing. The image does enjoy a basic uptick in overall clarity thanks to the higher resolution the format offers, but there's no life to anything, not clothing, not sandy floors, not any element in the film. Faces are pasty, and close-ups fail to reveal anything but the most basic definition. Worse, the image takes on a scrubbed-down appearance. It's also littered with the occasional speckle, a fair bit of noise, a few edge halos, and infrequent soft focus elements. All around -- the botched aspect ratio, 1080i rather than 1080p, bland colors, and relatively poor details -- this transfer proves a loser.

The Message Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Message's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack fares better than the video, but that's not saying much. And the track isn't much of anything, anyway. It offers all of the basics in working order and nothing more. Some reverberating dialogue heard at the beginning fails to find a true stage balance. There are additional moments that sound off-kilter, and one sequence, just past the twenty-minute mark, features certain lines accompanied by a low rumble effect. Musical delivery is often harsh and shrill, particularly in the 5.1 track. The LPCM 2.0 presentation comes across as a little more shallow but does lack that ear-piercing shrieking that often accompanies music. Sounds of battle are suitably chaotic and spread around the stage, but not to any sort of realistic effect. Instead, the track often sounds like a jumble of sounds left for the listener to sort. All told, this is a fairly miserable, but ultimately passable (barely) track from Anchor Bay.

The Message Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Message contains no bonus features.

The Message Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Message is a high quality picture about one of history's most important figures, a figure who goes completely unseen and unheard through the course of the film. This may be the only film in cinema history that has accomplished such a feat with so much grace and flow to it. It's a shame Moustapha Akkad didn't direct more pictures, and it's even more tragic that is life was cut far too short, prohibiting him from doing so, were he so inclined. Unfortunately, Anchor Bay's Blu-ray doesn't do his film the justice it deserves. No supplements, bad video, and low-end audio don't ruin one's ability to enjoy and appreciate the film, but The Message needs a superior release. The film comes very highly recommended, but the Blu-ray does not.