Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

The Recall Blu-ray Movie Review

Cabins and Aliens in the Woods.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 16, 2018

The Recall doesn't exactly make memories for a lifetime, though it very well might have if its advanced photographic components could have more accurately, and with all the inherent immersion, been delivered into the home experience. The film was shot in both the Barco Escape and virtual reality formats, both of which afford audiences the opportunity to become more greatly immersed in the visual aspect of a film, something that's becoming more commonplace on the audio end of the experience spectrum but, even with 3D and virtual reality, not yet a complete part of the visual component. Of course neither one of those formats make an impact on this, a standard Blu-ray release, presented on a flat ~2.39:1 canvas, that doesn't allow for that Barco Escape width immersion or virtual reality's total immersion, but perhaps with time this, and/or other similarly crafted films, will find life on home formats capable of working with the native material. But The Recall would be little more than a novelty, anyway; the film is but a low budget and small scale alien invasion flick, though it does boast some interesting visuals and concepts in its third act.

Five teenagers -- Rob (Niko Pepaj), Kara (Hannah Rose May), Annie (Laura Bilgeri), Charlie (Jedidiah Goodacre), and Brendan (RJ Mitte) -- pack into an old Chevy SUV for a weekend escape to the middle of nowhere. They're still in communication with family and have access to a television, and not long after their arrival, they begin to hear about strange atmospheric phenomena that turns out to be the opening salvo to an alien visitation. The group also comes into contact with a reclusive ex-military man (Wesley Snipes) who claims prior experience with the visitors. The six of them become quick targets for the aliens, who are met with resistance but remain persistent in their goal to take the individuals for their own nefarious purposes.

Despite some of the advanced technology behind its construction (which, again, really means nothing for the standard home video release), The Recall proves to be a fairly forgettable movie, albeit one with some interesting moving parts and pieces. Atmosphere, particularly in the third act, impresses. The film turns from empty teen getaway film to modestly enjoyable Horror/Survival picture and finally into a tensely dark and scary, minimalist but effective, cold and creepy alien abduction film, and it's there in the third act where all of the technology behind the film would have paid big dividends, to fully pull the viewer into the chillingly bleak and spartan alien environment. Outside of that, though, none of the plot threads amount to much, characterization falls rather flat, and the movie never quite comes to terms with what it is and intends to be, but scattershot moments of baseline effectiveness and visual immersion at least see it rise well above similar scrap heap genre dogs like War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave.

Performances aren't terrible. The cast is given little on which to build the characters. None of them amount to much more than screen filler and plot fodder, and even various backstories of tragedy fail to engage the audience. Veteran Wesley Snipes, now largely working in the suboptimal direct to video marketplace, turns in a serviceable performance of a quasi-interesting character whose lack of significant development or character richness and intensity on the page are more obstacles to his work than anything else. Snipes, who comes across as genuinely interested in the character and project in support materials, at least lends the movie a familiar face and does his best to find character complexity in an individual who is more built on a few generic characteristics than he is any intimate constructs that might have afforded the actor greater opportunity to bring more range and depth to the part. As it is, he fills the shoes (and the fatigues) well enough, as does the gaggle of young adults portraying the would-be alien victims who have to fight for their lives amidst the increasing chaos around them.

The Recall Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Recall may have been shot with some novel and nifty approaches and delivery methods in mind, but its 1080p Blu-ray transfer is rather pedestrian as it's presented here. The image is sharply noisy, even in better light. Textural qualities rarely excite. Some complex facial features creep in and clothes, particularly Snipes' character's tattered and patchwork fatigues, offer stable and sometimes even impressively complex textures. Still, and generally speaking, there's a flatness and lack of pinpoint definition at work. Even the spartan but roughly textured alien interiors or the creatures' slimy, rigid bodies lack the sort of exactness the environment and figures deserve. Colors offer simple vibrance, with green grasses and leaves delivering the most visual bang. Red hair, some blood, and other standout shades offer satisfying depth and punch, but like the detailing, there's nothing to be overly excited about. Black levels push a little gray and skin tones range from true to pasty. Some banding is also visible in spots, particularly later in the film. Things could be better, things could be worse; the transfer mirrors the movie in that regard.

The Recall Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Recall arrives on Blu-ray with a fairly bland and straightforward DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that does show some life in the film's third act. For much of the movie, though, the track fails to stretch, presenting with serviceable front-end width but never making much more than cursory, if that, rearward movement. Clarity is never all that exciting, either, as musical notes, action, and atmospherics linger across the front and without serious stage-stretching width at that. Woodland ambience and other peripherals are present in enough quantity to define an environment but not necessarily breath real life into it. The track does find some added aggression later in the film, as things grow more serious. Bass intensifies, surround use picks up considerably, but sonic detail remains spotty. Dialogue is adequately clear and cemented in a front-center location. At its best, the track probably stretches the numerical score up to a 3, but a few bursts of intensity really can't save an otherwise straightforward and pedestrian listen.

The Recall Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Recall contains no bonus content on the Blu-ray disc, but the included DVD does contain a handful of featurettes.

• Escape Plan (480p, 2:59): Shooting the movie in the "Barco Escape" format.
• Locations and Sets (480p, 3:37): Shooting in British Columbia.
• Special Effects and Make-Up (480p, 3:24): Designing the aliens and constructing various set pieces and visual effects prosthetics.
• The Recall Inception (480p, 5:43): A look at the story's evolution from project origins to finished product. Discussions include the director's skillset, characters and performances, and more.
• VR-Virtual Recall (480p, 3:31): Shooting in virtual reality, including the challenges thereof for the filmmakers, the production design, and the actors.
• Trailer (480p, 2:29).

The Recall Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Recall hardly classifies as more than a watchable but forgettable budget title with some interesting technical peripherals and a fairly atmospheric third act. The movie boasts adequate performances, impressive because of the relative dearth of serious character construction that amounts to anything of value on the screen. The movie is well paced, though, and for audiences attuned to lower budget filmmaking and alien invasion/survival films, it's not a terrible watch. Echo Bridge's Blu-ray offers serviceable video and audio. A handful of short featurettes can be found on the bundled DVD disc. Worth a look for genre fans.