When we did the review for Mile 22, we initially gave it an decent review. Upon a second viewing, our thoughts on the film haven’t changed. The biggest issue with the film is the fusion of East and West action. When films try to fuse the two different styles together in a gritty and realistic way, it typically doesn’t work out. As a result, the film is an unfocused mess. Not to mention, the film’s pacing is all over the place because of Peter Berg’s odd style of pacing.
The film suffers from a lack of character development and depth as well. Every single character in the film is just so one-dimensional. So when they’re in danger, you simply don’t care. At the same time, there’s no sense of immediate danger to these characters at all. Not to mention, there’s no urgency to get to the destination either. Hence there’s no tension in the film. How can we get thrills with no tension in the film at all?
At least, some of the action makes up for the lack of suspense. Iko Uwais continues to prove he has what it takes to choreograph phenomenally brutal fights. Unfortunately, they’re far and few between. The gun fights are where the action falls flat. None of these scenes are exciting nor are they impactful. It’s just generic.
It’s a shame, though, because Mile 22 wastes a perfectly good plot twist by giving us a generic action film. The film doesn’t reinvent the wheel or come up with something different. If the film was better the film could’ve been something special. In addition, the film has the opportunity to become a franchise as well. Alas, if there is a sequel, let’s hope that we get a better film than what we got here. So those who are expecting a film similar to The Raid, you’re better off actually watching The Raid.
Movie Rating: 2.5/5 atoms
Video
Mile 22 hits Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG-AVC with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The video transfer for Mile 22 is quite impressive. First of all, the picture contrast is good as the there’s a nice depth to the picture. However, the brightness level is quite high. There’s a slight bloom and loss of detail in the bright areas. Also, because of the brightness, the black levels are a lighter shade of black. Because of this, there won’t be any loss of shadow details.
The film’s limited and natural color palette doesn’t quite pop from the screen. At the same time, the skin tones look natural as well. The best part of the video transfer comes from the detail clarity. Even though this isn’t an Ultra HD release, the details look incredibly crisp on the edges. Overall, this is a stellar video transfer.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
Audio
Mile 22 hits Blu-ray with a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. Mile 22’s audio mix features a good blend of both quiet and craziness. When the action picks up, the soundstage envelopes you with a ton of action-oriented sound effects. However, the mix isn’t dynamic at all. It’s mostly static sound effects that completely fill up the soundstage. There isn’t a lot of music in the film, but when the score is present, you can hear the layering in the soundstage. Unfortunately, the score does gets drowned out by the other audio elements during the action scenes. On the other hand, the dialogue can still be heard despite the loud sound effects. Overall, this is a great audio mix.
Audio Rating: 4.5/5 atoms
Special Features
Mile 22 has the following special features on the Blu-ray:
- Overwatch
- Introducing Iko Uwais
- Iko Fight
- Bad Ass Women
- Behind-the-Scenes Stunts
- Modern Combat
- Colombia
Every single one of the special features on the disc are generic and short promotional featurettes. “Overwatch” highlights just what the Overwatch special ops division is all about. “Introducing Iko” takes a look at all of the fight work that Iko has done in the film. It’s a good inside look at how he choreographs his fights. “Iko Fight” slightly break down of one of the best fight scenes in the entire film. “Bad Ass Women” takes a short look at why Lauren Cohan and Ronda Rousey were cast in the film.
“Behind-the-Scenes Stunts” goes a little bit in-depth into the development of a few of the film’s stunts. “Modern Combat” looks at the mixture of Iko’s style of East action and Peter Berg’s West style of action. “Colombia” highlights the cast and crew’s enjoyment of filming in beautiful Bogota, Colombia.
Special Features Rating: 3/5 atoms
Overall, Mile 22 is a generic action film that doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The video transfer and audio mix are phenomenal but the special features are a bit lackluster.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5 atoms
This Blu-ray was reviewed using a retail/advance copy/unit provided by Universal Home Entertainment.
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