The Review at a Glance: ( max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
88
Studio and Year: Anchor Bay Films - 2011
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Feature running time: 90 minutes
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Jon Voight, Dermot Mulroney, Teri Polo
Directed by: Josef Rusnak
Music by: Mario Grigorov
Written by: Greg Greis
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: May 22, 2012
"How far would you go to find her"
Film Synopsis:
From The Producer Of GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE And The Director Of THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR How far would you go to find a missing child? And how much are you willing to believe – and trust – in the unknown in order to get there? Academy Award Winner Jon Voight, Dermot Mulroney (THE GREY) and Teri Polo (LITTLE FOCKERS) star in this chilling thriller about a 7-year-old girl kidnapped from her bedroom one wintry night in an Anchorage suburb. But when a close-to-retirement police detective (Voight) obsessed with child abductions begins his investigation, he’ll clash with a mysterious radio psychic (Julian Morris of “Pretty Little Liars” and CRY WOLF) who claims to have visions of the missing girl. Now the trail is getting cold. Time is running out. And in the most disturbing twists of all, the ultimate clues may be coming from a place outside the law, past human reason and forever frighteningly BEYOND.
My Take:
Upon receiving Beyond for review I suspected a stinker. Maybe I am psychic like the tabloid radio jockey in this flick, or maybe I have seen enough straight to video movies with decent named talent (Jon Voight, Dermot Mulroney and Teri Polo) to know better? The plot is out of a high school play-book. Girl goes missing, the hunt is on and people start seeing visions. Add in a lame ransom angle and some less than stellar acting and this one starts to feel like a made for TV movie very quickly. I am not going to go on about the plot much, as you should have a decent enough idea, however, I will say none of it was fully realized. It started off with some promise but went downhill fast when I didn't feel and emotions for this family who's kid was just abducted.As a supernatural thriller it fails on many levels and as a plain ransom/abduction film it is just to too obvious to be successful. With its meandering stance on its identity, its at times almost agonizing pace, and with its over abundance of aerial shots of Anchorage (it felt like most of the movies budget went to renting the helicopter--so they wanted their moneys worth), Beyond feels sophomoric and is borderline a slap in the face to intelligent film buffs.
Parental Guide:
Rated PG-13 for some violence, and brief strong language
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Audio: 88
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
Video: 88
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
Beyond comes Blu-ray Disc from Anchor Bay Entertainment & Starz featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24.2 mbps and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound that has an average bitrate of 2.9 mbps
As per usual, Anchor Bay puts a out great looking Blu-ray. Not to say it's pitch perfect, as a whole it is a bit one dimensional, yet fine details are up there with the bes of the format. Colors fit the theme and Alaskan local, being cold and on the bluer side of the spectrum. Flesh tones look realistic and the well defined facial features do help in its realistic delivery. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound is on par with the video, having some moments of guttural LFE and some 360 degree room filling effects. Dialouge come across clean and clear, and over-all it is a quite pleasing track. Too bad the A/V attributes cant save this one...
Bonus Features:
- None
Final Thoughts:
I want to see if my writing can be as clever as this film was...not. This movie was Beyond boring. It was so cool it was Beyond having any special features. And most importantly, I think it's a bit Beyond your queue. Seriously, skip this trite movie of the week with no suspense and no characters to care for.Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS45 3D 1080p 3D High Definition Front Projector
Screen Innovations Solar HD 1.3 120" 2.40:1 CinemaScope Screen
Onkyo PR-SC5508 Pre/Pro
Sunfire Theater Grand 7201 Amplifier
Sony PS3 Slim Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
MK Sound S-150MKII LCR
MK Sound S-150T Tripole Surrounds
MK Sound MX-350MKII Subwoofer
