Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Thirteenth Floor Blu-ray Movie Review

Do the mysteries of 'The Thirteenth Floor' hold up to repeat viewings?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 8, 2009

They say ignorance is bliss. For the first time in my life I agree.

The Thirteenth Floor is one of those movies that's far better than it deserves to be, at least upon initial viewing. It's a nice and rather obscure Sci-Fi Thriller that does nothing wrong except for the fact it holds next to no replay value. At ten years old, the movie already feels a bit dated, but the steady direction, fine acting, impressive dichotomy of settings and set designs, and fascinating twist ending more than make up for the somewhat goofy and over-the-top technological visuals and sound effects, particularly a green laser-light show and a digitized female computer voice. The Thirteenth Floor is one of several pictures that play with the idea of virtual environments, going far beyond something like The Sims and creating a Holodeck-like world that wipes away the line between reality and simulation. The film plays with the theme of the dangers of becoming engulfed in such technology, but does so in the guise of a slick, noir-ish Mystery, melding the genres to fine effect.

Had the movie been called 'The Nineteenth Floor,' this little button would still be without screen time.

The Thirteenth Floor is a tale of two worlds, one real, one imagined, both seemingly as dangerous and important in the lives of its inhabitants as the other. Hannon Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl, The International) has created a seamless digital realm where modern-day humans may "plug in" and experience the pleasures -- and the dangers -- of life in 1930s America. Unfortunately, something seems to have gone awry, and Fuller has set out to make things right -- until he is murdered. Detective Larry McBain (Dennis Haysbert, 24) suspects Douglas Hall (Craig Bierko, Cinderella Man), a longtime friend and confidant of Fuller's, of the crime. Hall meets Jane Fuller (Gretchen Mol, 3:10 to Yuma), Hannon's mysterious daughter who was to help her father shut down the company -- until his will was changed to reflect ownership falling to Hall. Hall chooses to enter the virtual world and discover what it was that may have led to Hannon's death, leading him to a shocking discovery that will forever shape his perception of the worlds around him.

An impressive pair of worlds, separated by bytes rather than decades, offers the more striking aspect of The Thirteenth Floor, the worlds actually overshadowing the story. While the film clearly doesn't offer the stunning beauty and rich visuals of King Kong, the film that perhaps better than any other recreates the bygone era of the 1920s and 1930s, the throwback world of The Thirteenth Floor represents a genuinely realistic environment that is set apart not only by the clothes and cars but also by a faded, somewhat bleak appearance that both stylistically allows for the further distinction between the worlds but also adds to the film a relatively minor plot point. The Thirteenth Floor looks good throughout, the film clearly aiming for -- and generally succeeding in creating -- a Film Noir style that nicely contrasts with the more modern, technologically-oriented world in which much of the film is set. The characters, nearly all the primaries playing dual roles, devour the material nicely, each rather convincing and offering above-average performances, with veteran Dennis Haysbert leading the pack.

The one drawback to a film like The Thirteenth Floor is that it loses its edge after the first viewing. Once the secret is out -- and it is a rather good secret at that -- the film offers little incentive to re-watch it in the near-to-intermediate future. In this regard, The Thirteenth Floor, unlike M. Night Shyamalan's classic The Sixth Sense, holds little in the way of replay value. It's a slow and deliberate journey into two distinct worlds, tied together in a story that is complex but expertly told so as not to overcomplicate the plot or confuse the audience. The stylish direction and good acting of The Thirteenth Floor can't prop up a solid story that loses all its appeal once the cat is out of the bag.

The Thirteenth Floor Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Thirteenth Floor debuts on Blu-ray with a fairly good 1080p transfer presented with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The film offers a deliberately stylish look and feel that often lends to it a dark, hazy, and somewhat soft look. Still, the transfer is solid, with accurate flesh tones, good black levels, and an above-average level of detail, particularly impressive considering the film's dark, slightly obscured look. Inside the virtual world, the image takes on a gray tone with only hints of color, at times seemingly only a few steps away from appearing colorless. It livens up here and there, the yellow paint of a taxi or the warmth of the inside of an old antiques store offers up some intriguing color schemes and a plethora of imagery that is fairly well-rendered and good-looking. In the more modern world segments, the image takes on a much darker appearance but again, detail remains adequate throughout. The transfer sees some film grain covering the image. The Thirteenth Floor isn't the kind of movie that is made to sparkle in high definition, but this disc seems to replicate the film's intended look(s) nicely enough.

The Thirteenth Floor Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Thirteenth Floor rises to Blu-ray with an aggressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is generally intense from beginning to end, surprisingly robust and pleasantly engaging. This mix makes good use of the entire soundstage and covers a range of music and effects, handling each well enough. From the smooth music of a 1930s nightclub to the harder, deeper beats heard in the modern world, the track recreates its era from a sonic perspective well enough. Plenty of loud and aggressive sound effects punctuate the track, much of this sound associated with the virtual reality machine, which practically engulfs the listener, playing loudly and clearly. Bass is well pronounced and powerful in many instances throughout the movie. The track offers up a good number of environmental atmospherics and makes use of every speaker in the system. Gunshots also pack quite a punch. Dialogue reproduction never wavers. The Thirteenth Floor doesn't offers the clearest soundtrack, but it's particularly loud and good enough so as to enhance the overall feel of the movie nicely.

The Thirteenth Floor Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Thirteenth Floor comes to Blu-ray with only a few extras. The primary supplement is a feature-length commentary track with Co-Writer/Director Josef Rusnak and Production Designer Kirk M. Petruccelli. Unfortunately, this is one bland track. Rusnak dominates the track, dryly recounting a plethora of tidbits about the making of the film. The information itself is fine, but the delivery is likely to lull viewers to sleep. Also included is a music video entitled Erase/Rewind (480p, 3:43) by The Cardigans, 1080p trailers for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Resident Evil: Degeneration, Passengers, and The Da Vinci Code, and BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) functionality.

The Thirteenth Floor Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Thirteenth Floor is a solid Sci-Fi/Mystery/Thriller genre-bender that is one of the better "virtual reality"-centric movies out there. While a small minority of the Science Fiction genre (The Lawnmower Man and Virtuosity a pair of other examples), The Thirteenth Floor proves this is a viable and valuable area ripe for exploration. The film boasts a good throwback noir style, solid acting, and steady direction, but lacks much in the way of replay value. Still, it's a film worth watching, particularly considering this decent Blu-ray package assembled by Sony. The disc features solid picture quality, a surprisingly robust and powerful lossless soundtrack, but only a few supplements. It all ads up to a Blu-ray disc well worth a rent.