Lockout (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:

Extras:

Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )
90





Studio and Year: Sony Pictures - 2011
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Feature running time: 95 minutes
Genre: Sci-fi/action

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English/Italian/Portuguese DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Vincent Regan, Joseph Gilgun, Lennie James, Peter Stormare
Directed by: Saint & Mather
Written by: Stephen Saint Leger, James Mather, Luc Besson
Region Code: A,B

Blu-ray Disc release Date: July 17, 2012

Film Synopsis:

A renegade CIA agent (Guy Pearce), falsely accused of murder, must overcome a gang of ruthless prisoners held 50 miles above Earth and rescue the President’s daughter (Maggie Grace) in order to regain his freedom.



My Take:

Luc Besson co-wrote presents this futuristic thriller about a renegade CIA agent who is betrayed by his government and sentenced to 30 years frozen in a cryonic chamber within a prison that orbits the Earth 50 miles above. The only way to avoid serving time is a suicide mission – overcome a gang of ruthless prisoners and rescue the President’s daughter.

Lockout is exactly what it seems and is a middling but mildly entertaining sci-fi thriller that features shallow characters built around a futuristic and conventional storyline that borrows from successful and/or better executed films. I had no problem with the formulaic aspects of the plot but found the development and integration of the characters to be lacking. This wasn’t helped by the selection of co-star Maggie Grace as Emilie Warnock. Opposite Guy Pearce her inability to effectively portray this strong female character cheapens the proceedings a little. His character “Snow” is purposefully overdrawn with characteristics meant to convey boldness, guile, brashness and an underlying competence that isn’t supposed to be assured. Guy Pearce gets it right with just the right balance of charisma, wit and ham-handed edginess. I like Peter Stormare and Lennie James unfortunately neither has enough of a role to be a factor. I thought that Vincemt Regan and Joseph Gilgun were equally fun as the antagonizing driving force behind the prison takeover. The action, like the plot, offers no surprises but works just fine. The production value is a little on the light side which leaves some of the special effects appearing transparent but I wouldn’t describe it as cheesy. When all is said and done Lockout is a derivative popcorn flick that probably won’t have the goods to keep diehard genre fans happy but should satisfy those looking for a fair bit of mindless entertainment.


Parental Guide:

This film contains intense sequences of violence and action, language including some sexual references.



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.**


Audio: 92

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

• 
  
• Dynamics:
• 
  
• Low frequency extension:
• 
  
• Surround Sound presentation:
• 
  
• Clarity/Detail:
• 
  
• Dialogue Reproduction:
  

Video: 88

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

• 
  
• Resolution/Clarity:
• 
  
• Black level/Shadow detail:
• 
  
• Color reproduction:
• 
  
• Fleshtones:
• 
  
• Compression:

Lockout comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures HE featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 24 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 3.7 Mbps.

This video presentation has a filmic quality that doesn’t lend itself to bright, high gloss imagery, and the color palette isn’t a diverse one and sticks primarily to de-saturated neutral tones that render a cooler appearance that mates well with the subject matter. Flesh tones fit right in with the visual style of the video and offer little in the way of complexional variation. Contrast is spot on and black levels range from punchy to elevated which washes some scenes out. The film uses lots of low light interior and exterior scenes. Detail in backgrounds and staggered lighting is revealing of varying levels of delineation that can be scene dependent. Resolution is strong with appreciable fine rendering during close ups and definitive long range visuals that offered two dimensional depth.

This is a very involving surround mix that delivers an enriching home theater experience. Integration of the front and rear soundstages is seamless as discretely placed sounds follow a deliberate and realistic path as dictated by the events onscreen. This is an active sound design that incorporates a vast number of sound effects that are intricately mixed to engage the listening position. Bass is robust and can sometimes be substantive in depth but never rises inappropriately in prominence within the soundfield. The blend of discrete/spatial ambience, crystalline dialogue and invigorating dynamics is noteworthy as it weaves an aurally involving pattern across the surround platform. I found this to be an excellent audio presentation that enhanced this film experience.



Bonus Features:

• 
  
• (HD) Breaking into Lockout – 11 minute featurette
• 
  
• (HD) A vision of the future – 10 minute featurette
• 
  
• BD-Live enabled
• 
  
• Ultraviolet Digital Copy

Final Thoughts:

Lockout is a derivative popcorn actioner that is made a little better thanks to an entertaining performance by star Guy Pearce. It may not have the goods to keep diehard genre fans happy but should satisfy those looking for a fair bit of mindless entertainment. Lockout comes to Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment featuring a strong technical package but below average supplemental material. I recommend that you toss it in your rental queue and take it for a spin.











Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





Reference Review System:


JVC DLA-RS55 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Onkyo PR-SC5508 THX Ultra 2 Audio/Video Processor
Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier
Oppo BDP-93 Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Furman SPR-20i Stable Power Regulator
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package

Greetings,

Sounds good Frank. Post back with your thoughts once you have seen it.

Regards,

Greetings,

Frank & REDdawn6, Glad to hear you both found this one worth watching. Thanks for sharing your impressions.


Regards,