The Net Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		1.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

The Net Blu-ray Movie Review

This Mill Creek Blu-ray release of the 1995 cyber thriller 'The Net' is currently available in a two-pack with its sequel-in-name-only, 'The Net 2.0.' Sony released this film back in 2017 as part of its "Choice Collection" line. This version features inferior video and audio presentations and no supplements; Sony's disc included a featurette.

The Net Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This Blu-ray release of The Net, arriving from Mill Creek, looks poor and is a serious step down from Sony's much more stable and filmic 1080p presentation. As it's presented here, The Net is a compression nightmare. Macroblocking is a serious problem in virtually every frame. Large, distracting blocking covers the entire frame, rendering the image near unwatchable and seemingly always right on the verge of digital collapse. Perhaps worse, details are very flat. There's no sense of intricacy to facial close-ups or clothes. Details are painfully flat across the board, not just on faces. Clothes are rendered without any sense of fabric detail. Landscapes are dull, too. The image barely scrapes by as HD; a blind test might even have some saying it's a DVD. Colors are drab as well with no sense of life or vibrancy. Skin tones are pasty, blacks are murky, and the list of problems goes on. It goes without saying that grain is essentially nonexistent, too, robbing the picture of even a hint of its natural state. This is a borderline disaster of a transfer.

The Net Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Although Mill Creek's disc includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, which is the same encode from the Sony disc, there's a noticeable drop-off in quality with this one. It's thinner, flatter, less dynamic in its most engaging surround moments. Music lacks the same fidelity and the track is more timid at reference volume. It's still a capable soundtrack that delivers good front end fluidity, some surround support, and fine foundational clarity, but just a quick compare reveals that the Mill Creek track is left wanting. Sony's track is more forceful, confident, sure of its wares. The Net is not the most sonically intense movie ever, but the Thriller music, a few of the more engaging and multifaceted effects, and several examples of environmental din all fall short here. Dialogue delivery satisfies for its clarity, prioritization, and front-center positioning.

The Net Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Sony's "Choice Collection" Blu-ray included a 20-minute making-of but it's not included here, and neither is anything else.

The Net Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Net still holds up more than two decades after its release. It's been proven rather prescient. Its crude plot mechanics are nothing to write home about, but the film is smartly executed and manages to find plenty of tension where little, if any, should be. The lead performance is excellent, too. Mill Creek's Blu-ray is well below Sony's. There are no supplements, the video transfer is markedly inferior, and the 5.1 soundtrack is a tick or two down, too. Fans will want to stick with, or pick up, the Sony disc.