Proud Mary Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray release of "Proud Mary" offers an outstanding 1080p transfer backed by an MPEG-4 AVC encode, showcasing high-definition video quality with refined sharpness and lifelike detail. Dimensional perspective is superb, with close-ups vividly exposing the subtlest nuances in facial features and objects. Even mid-level camera pans afford excellent depth and dimension. The film's 2.39:1 aspect ratio is managed well, yielding deep, gradational blacks especially beneficial during dimly-lit scenes, effectively distinguishing between dark elements like Mary’s black leather and their environments. Background imperfections such as aliasing or noise remain minimal, ensuring a largely blemish-free viewing experience.

The color palette of "Proud Mary" is well-balanced, featuring natural rendering and punchy primaries that stand out among secondary hues. Facial textures are intimately revealing, with skins tones displaying accurate tonality and discernment. Whether warm interior settings or gritty urban exteriors, environments exhibit precise detailing without any significant distractions like DNR or banding. Indoor scenes typically characterized by an orange hue are well-executed without appearing overbearing. Despite a slightly conservative visual style that feels more drama than action-oriented, this Blu-ray presentation remains technically flawless, providing excellent clarity and visual appeal across various scenes and settings.

"Proud Mary" features an impressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack, providing a robust and immersive audio experience that largely surpasses the film's visual presentation. Surround channels are aggressively employed from the opening credits, allowing the soundtrack to envelop the viewer with dynamic urban soundscapes. The audio mix pays meticulous attention to detail, with elements like the din of passing elevated trains, traffic noise, and subtler atmospheric sounds such as buzzing fluorescent lights and coastal environments. This establishes a richly textured auditory scene, ensuring every nuance is distinctly audible.

In terms of action sequences, the audio excels, highlighting expert speaker separation with automatic weapons fire that bursts with impactful low-end intensity and precise auditory placement. Additionally, the incessant and sharp sound of a car alarm in the final act sharply pierces through the mix, underscoring the urgency of the scene. The movie’s soundtrack, marked by a bold score, utilizes LFE effectively for dramatic effect. Dialogue tracks are exceptionally clear, featuring impeccable clarity in delivery and prioritization to ensure consistent intelligibility throughout. Such careful orchestration of audio components makes this a highlight for any audio enthusiast.

The Blu-ray extras for "Proud Mary" furnish a well-rounded exploration of the film's intricacies. Comprising three featurettes and a digital copy, this supplementary content delves into various aspects of the movie, from character studies to stunt execution. "Mary’s World" offers a concise recap and analysis of the film’s characters and plot. "The Beginning of the End" provides insights into the film's action sequences, noting Taraji P. Henson's personal involvement in performing many of her stunts. "If Looks Could Kill" focuses on the title character's wardrobe and firearms, offering a detailed look at her iconic appearance and equipment. Additionally, the disc includes trailers that offer a glimpse into other Sony productions.

Extras included in this disc:

• Mary’s World Featurette: A plot recap and character exploration.
• The Beginning of the End Featurette: A closer look at the film's action sequences and stunts.
• If Looks Could Kill Featurette: An examination of Mary’s wardrobe and firearms collection.
• Digital Copy: A Movies Anywhere digital code.

"Proud Mary" aims to showcase another side of the talented Taraji P. Henson but falls short as it adheres to weak, formulaic tropes of the action thriller genre. The film's opening title sequence and music evoke a nostalgic 1970s Blaxploitation style, but this is abandoned almost instantly. The narrative follows a hitwoman, Mary (Taraji P. Henson), who gains a conscience and attempts to save a boy, Danny (Jahi Di'Allo Winston), whom her earlier actions left orphaned and exposed to a dangerous life dealing drugs. Unfortunately, the movie squanders this premise with cliched situations and derivative characters.

The action sequences in "Proud Mary" are sparse and lack creativity; they unfold predictably with minimal emotional depth, transforming any potentially tense moments into banal gunfights. Characters lack development and connections, both among themselves and with the audience, leaving viewers disinterested. Henson, although competent, struggles to imbue her character with the necessary depth, often appearing stiff and unconvincing. Danny Glover, cast as the mob boss Benny, fails to bring menace to his role, resulting in more unintentional comedy than tension, the lackluster direction being a contributing factor.

The overall execution of "Proud Mary" is further hampered by its failure to sustain the promised Blaxploitation style beyond the opening credits. Subsequent scenes devolve into trite melodrama, heavy-handed messaging, and unremarkable musical scoring that fail to elevate the film. While technically competent and straightforward in its construction, "Proud Mary" is ultimately a generic and forgettable entry in the action genre, falling far short of an exciting thrill ride or meaningful dramatic exploration.

"Proud Mary" ultimately falls flat despite its potential for vibrant style and thrilling action. The narrative is unremarkable, lacking originality and intensity. Characters appear underdeveloped, delivered with uninspired performances that fail to capture viewer interest. While the film could have tapped into either a modern stylistic ambiance akin to "Atomic Blonde" or honored the gritty charm of 1970s Blaxploitation cinema, it unfortunately treads a path of mediocrity.

Technically, the Blu-ray release from Sony shines with impressive video and audio quality, showcasing sharp visuals and dynamic soundscapes that can engage the senses. However, these technical merits are overshadowed by the film's overall lackluster execution. Despite the inclusion of a few bonus features, these additions do little to elevate the experience of a fundamentally disappointing movie.

In conclusion, "Proud Mary" does not live up to its potential or expectations. Even though the Blu-ray presentation is of high quality, the film itself fails to deliver in terms of story and character engagement. As such, this release is one that viewers can safely skip.