Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Zone 414 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 15, 2022

If one were to merge Blade Runner with Escape from New York into a moderately budgeted Sci-Fi film made in the 2020s, the result would most certainly be Zone 414, Director Andrew Baird's film based on Bryan Edward Hill's script. The film is fine, mostly. It's a bit monotone and methodical. It's not a run-and-gun action film but rather something more cerebral. Mood and atmosphere, darkness and depth define it more than anything else, so audiences looking for the next quick fix adrenaline rush should turn away. However, anyone willing to give this hybrid film a chance will find a somewhat engaging but ultimately too stale picture that tries just a little too hard to be smart, clearly favoring brains over brawn, even if the brains don't always prove smart enough to let the picture stand on its own.

The film centers on human private investigator David Carmichael (Guy Pearce) who is hired by the eccentric Marlon Veidt (Travis Fimmel) to track down his missing daughter Melissa. Melissa, Marlon tells David, was last seen inside Zone 414 (pronounced "Four-One-Four, not Four-Fourteen"), the only place where humans and androids can freely interact. The zone exists because of Marlon; Marlon is the man behind the technology that has made the androids so lifelike, and so valuable, for companionship. The zone was created for the wealthy elite to have a place to interact with their expensive products, but it has devolved into a seedy, soulless place. David's search leads him to an android named Jane (Matilda Lutz), who wants to be human, and she tells David that Melissa wanted to be synthetic. Jane won’t help him, but perhaps she will if David can help her first: she has been receiving threatening phone calls from an anonymous male voice. Though Jane should not react to such calls -- she is an android, not a flesh and blood creature with real emotion -- she does. As the two set out to uncover both mysteries, a deeper conspiracy emerges.

This is a very methodical movie. It has high aspirations to look smart, act smart, and be smart. It teeters on the edge of that, but it also teeters on the edge of pretentiousness. There's a wonderfully engaging core here that deals in any number of staple Sci-Fi issues, such as the feelings and the rights of sentient beings, how man interacts with machine, and so on and so forth. It blends that with a police procedural type that's dark and gritty. It is very much inspired by Blade Runner, but it lacks the depth and intelligence, the unforgettable characters, and the refined vision for its future landscape. Blade Runner lingers in the imagination for a lifetime. Zone 414 earns a shrug of the shoulders, a "that was interesting" or "that was decent" comment, and it quickly fades from the memory. That it not for a lack of commendable effort, but this is certainly a second-rate genre film that cannot approach those films which so heavily inspired and influenced it.

Zone 414 does enjoy several good performances that are both spirited and grounded with efforts to bring character depth to the story. Each performer squeezes out as much as the script allows, and then some. The acting is certainly the main draw here, with Matilda Lutz, Travis Fimmel, Jonathan Aris all stealing the spotlight form a capable Guy Pearce. The former three play the most interesting parts, and Pearce the more out of the box type, so there's more room for the others to run and grow. The production design is terrific. While it doesn't match the scope and grandeur of the forty-year-old Blade Runner, there's a nice, convincing feel for the Zone's aesthetics and characteristics which are vital in bringing the movie to its darkly dramatic life.

Zone 414 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount sends Zone 414 onto Blu-ray with a capable 1080p transfer. Viewers will note some troubling banding in an overhead shot featuring heavy fog to open the film. Some noise is at work, too. These issues are not persistent throughout the film, but they do linger in places. The picture is fairly dark; there's not a lot of color punch and dazzle, even when bright neon accents or colorful wigs and hair are present on the screen; the darkness and dreary color timing don't mute these tones, but they do render them less than brilliant. Still, they're fine within the larger color parameters. Detailing is fine, offering stable skin, clothing, and environmental textures. Again, there's nothing here worth writing home about, but viewers will find a capable bit of video engineering that handles duties admirably enough.

Zone 414 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack fares much like the video: it's largely proficient and engaging but it's not going to rewrite the Blu-ray audio record book, either. The sound design is not quite so muted and reserved as the video, but it's not full throttle at all times either. It has its moments of high intensity music and atmosphere, both of which offer excellent spatial awareness and depth, but not so much as to stand out from any other genre-type film. Action effects are few and far between; several gunshots do ring out with impressive boldness and depth. Most of the film is reliant on dialogue and the spoken word does come through commendably from the front-center. It is clear and well prioritized throughout.

Zone 414 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Zone 414 includes a pair of featurettes. No DVD copy is included with purchase. However, Paramount has included a digital copy voucher. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Zone 414 - How it Came Together (1080p, 6:50): Exploring Andrew Baird's direction, cast and characters, shooting locations, visuals, wigs and costumes, prosthetics, and more.
• Uncovering the Details of Zone 414 (1080p, 6:17): Exploring plot essentials, the reality of the film's main location (Zone 414), characters and performances, character appearances, and more.

Zone 414 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Zone 414 is worth watching, but it's not worth remembering. The film will please Sci-Fi fans looking for a fix of higher-minded moviemaking, but the sum total doesn't amount to a whole lot, particularly since it has little new to say. The film does look good and the performances are solid. It's in good working order; just don't expect the next great masterpiece in the Blade Runner style. Paramount's Blu-ray includes solid enough video and audio and a pair of featurettes. Rent it.