Killers Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray video presentation of "Killers" impresses with its high-fidelity 1080p AVC encode, capturing the source material's vibrant essence. Colors are deeply saturated and brimming with vitality, delivering eye-pleasing images that maintain stable sharpness and crisp detail. The contrast is dynamic yet balanced, ensuring that both fine detail and shadow detail are preserved excellently. Black levels are particularly noteworthy, providing depth without overpowering the visual experience.

The film's opening sequence in Nice is a visual marvel, with bright, bold, and well-saturated colors that highlight intricate details such as the fine hair on the actors' faces and the beautifully detailed water effects. Returning stateside, the film maintains a sharp and detailed picture, although there's a noticeable pinkish-yellow hue in some shots. Despite this, the transition does not detract significantly from the overall visual quality. Instances of shimmer in outdoor shots are minimal and negligible, contributing to a consistently great-looking transfer.

Detail throughout the film is remarkable, particularly in clothing and facial features, which leap out with intricate patterns and fabric details. The AVC MPEG-4 encode handles these elements with finesse, avoiding digital manipulation. While skin tones can sometimes lean towards orange and occasional softness or blurriness appears in areas not directly focused on, these minor issues do not diminish the overall quality. Video-related artifacts are virtually absent, making this Blu-ray presentation of "Killers" a visual stunner.

The Blu-ray release of "Killers" by Lionsgate delivers an impressive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack that maximizes the potential of the home audio system. The mix is fairly active and at times dynamic, effectively employing the subwoofer and four rear channels to create a believable and enveloping sound field. The surround activity is natural, including impeccable directionality and seamless panning effects which perfectly integrate with the onscreen action. Dialogue and incidental sounds are highly detailed and crisply articulated, ensuring clarity throughout the presentation. This meticulous attention to spatial and ambient details makes for an immersive listening experience that heightens both the quieter dialogue-driven moments and high-octane action sequences.

Low frequency effects are notably robust, possessing substantial weight and presence that occasionally fill the room with deep, punctuated bass. The dynamic range of the soundtrack is particularly noteworthy, transitioning smoothly from subtle ambient tones to intense, booming explosions and machine gun fire that surround the listener in an engaging aural landscape. However, the bass levels can sometimes be overpowering, especially during action sequences, potentially overshadowing other elements of the soundtrack. Despite this occasional imbalance, the track's dynamic jumps efficiently match the film's shift in tones, creating a fun and ambient audio experience.

Overall, Lionsgate's consistent quality is evident in this DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. The surround mix employs directional effects seamlessly without feeling forced, amplifying the film’s immersive quality. Although there are rare instances where prioritization of dialogue over sound effects could be improved, especially during crowded scenes, the dialogue remains clear and understandable throughout most of the film. The combination of a rich sound field, dynamic range, and intense low frequencies ensures that "Killers" delivers a lively and enveloping audio experience that engages listeners from start to finish.

The Blu-ray extras for "Killers" present a solid set of supplemental content, although they lean towards conventional EPK material. "Killer Chemistry" offers intriguing behind-the-scenes glimpses, juxtaposing raw footage with its final cut, while the gag reel is a brief but mildly entertaining collection of on-set blunders. Six deleted scenes provide further insights into excised plot points and character interactions, though their exclusion is understandable. The two alternate scenes, along with an alternate ending, particularly highlight expanded narrative details that add depth to the otherwise underutilized elements in the film. Three extended scenes are also available, offering additional footage that rounds out the viewing experience. Notably, the disc is BD-Touch and D-Box enabled, enhancing interactivity and motion-based viewing for compatible systems.

Extras included in this disc:

• Killer Chemistry: Behind the scenes with cast/crew
• Gags: A gag reel with on-set bloopers
• Deleted Scenes: Six axed scenes
• Alternate Scenes: Two alternate scenes and an alternate ending
• Extended Scenes: Three extended scenes

"Killers" attempts to meld action and comedy, but falters due to a lack of originality and inconsistent tone. The plot follows Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) and Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher), who meet on a vacation in Nice, France, and quickly escalate from a whirlwind romance to a high-stakes game of survival when Jen discovers Spencer’s secret life as an international assassin. The initial scenes, featuring an amusing interplay between Heigl and her parental co-stars Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara, showcase a promising blend of humor and charm. However, any early momentum is undercut by abrupt transitions and stilted plotting that fast-forward through the development of key relationships.

Suburban normalcy spins into chaos as Spencer’s past catches up with him, leading to explosive encounters and a series of improbable assassins emerging from their neighborhood. While the film momentarily springs to life when Spencer’s partner (played with flair by Rob Riggle) turns out to be an assassin, the stakes feel curiously low amid the film's escalating absurdity. The script’s attempt to balance thrilling action sequences with comedic elements results in an awkward oscillation between genres that neither fully entertains nor logically follows through. Moreover, the leads' chemistry wavers as both Heigl and Kutcher’s characters lack the depth required to sustain genuine emotional or comedic engagement.

Visually, "Killers" offers glimpses of allure, especially in its visually arresting opening sequences shot in Nice. The beautiful coastal settings pair well with a stylish title sequence, contributing to the film’s initial aesthetic appeal. Despite these moments, supporting cast members such as Catherine O'Hara and Tom Selleck outshine the leads, providing much-needed charisma and humor. Ultimately, while "Killers" presents sporadic thrills and laughs, it falls short of becoming a memorable addition to the action-comedy genre due to its derivative plot and underwhelming character development.

Lionsgate's Blu-ray release of "Killers" delivers top-notch video and audio quality, ensuring an engaging viewing experience. While the picture quality is sharp with vibrant color calibration, the audio maintains clarity and depth, enhancing the overall appeal of the film's action sequences. However, this technical finesse only partly compensates for the movie's lackluster execution in plot and character development. The film, despite its high production value, fails to bring fresh creativity to a well-trodden genre, leading to a story that wanders aimlessly without delivering significant laughs or suspense.

The chemistry between Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher provides some redeeming qualities, making them an appealing lead couple. However, Kutcher's portrayal of a gun-toting operative stretches believability for many viewers. The supporting cast, featuring familiar faces like Tom Selleck and Alex Borstein, carries some weight but doesn’t rectify the widespread miscasting issues. The dream team behind Lionsgate opted for a smaller ensemble, which unfortunately highlighted their limited "action-comedy" potential.

In conclusion, "Killers" on Blu-ray might not meet all expectations in terms of content, yet it excels in home media presentation. While it might not justify a full-price purchase due to its cinematic shortcomings and scarce bonus features, it remains a viable option for a discounted buy. We recommend waiting for its price to drop in the second-hand market for potential buyers looking to enhance their Blu-ray collection with superb audio-visual content, even if the movie isn't groundbreaking. Keep an eye on platforms like eBay or Amazon for a more cost-effective acquisition.