The Owners Blu-ray Review

RLJ Entertainment’s 1080p transfer of "The Owners" presents a visually captivating experience, emphasizing the film's predominantly low-lit and nighttime settings. The video presentation is marked by impressively deep black levels that maintain excellent shadow detail without any crush or murky bleeding, ensuring clarity and definition in even the darkest scenes. Colors are vividly saturated, with the bright primary colors of clothing, the golds and browns of the Victorian décor, and the dynamic hues in the film’s lighting schemes all rendering beautifully. Fluorescent-lit scenes, such as those in the basement, also stand out with their clarity and vibrancy.

Detail is sharp and vivid across various settings, with fine detail exceptionally apparent in close-ups, highlighting makeup effects, wounds, and facial hairs. However, mid-range and wider shots can appear slightly softer. Skin tones remain natural throughout the film, maintaining consistency and authenticity. A notable technical aspect is the aspect ratio shift in the climactic 15-minute stretch from 2.39:1 to approximately 1.37:1. This transition is designed to heighten claustrophobic tension and does not detract from the quality of colors or detail.

Overall, RLJ's transfer runs at a consistently high bit rate, contributing to its minimal noise and clumpy artifacts presence, making it a standout visual presentation on Blu-ray.

The audio presentation of "The Owners" on Blu-ray is delivered through a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, characterized by its predominantly front-heavy track. The film’s sound design often feels intimate, reflecting its setting in confined spaces. Dialogue clarity is consistently high, seamlessly capturing the range from whispered conversations to intense shouting, ensuring no audio issues detract from the viewing experience.

The mix sparingly utilises rear channels, reserving them for key moments that heighten tension, including music crescendos and key horror sequences with robust and loud sound effects. The climactic scenes particularly leverage disorienting, atonal effects that envelop the viewer, creating a dynamic, immersive soundscape. This directional sound contributes to the narrative's chaotic atmosphere effectively. Additionally, vehicle noises are realistic and forceful, contributing to the engaging auditory environment. Optional subtitles in English SDH, Spanish, and French are available to assist with dialects and regional lexicon.

Overall, while the 5.1 surround experience may not fully engage throughout the movie, it smartly deploys its rear channels during pivotal sequences to maximize impact. The audio track delivers solid performance with a clean dialogue presentation and impressive focal points of sound directionality essential for suspense thillers like "The Owners".

The Blu-ray edition of "The Owners" comes in a standard keepcase with an embossed slipcover, but the on-disc extras are disappointingly minimal. The only included feature, a 7-minute Making-Of Featurette, feels quite standard and promotional. This high-definition segment features brief interviews with director Julius Berg, co-writer, and cast members such as Maisie Williams, Ian Kenny, Jake Curran, Sylvester McCoy, and Rita Tushingham. The featurette provides insights into the film’s production with a mix of behind-the-scenes footage and on-set moments, but overall it lacks depth and leaves much to be desired for enthusiasts looking for an in-depth exploration of the film.

Extras included in this disc:

Making Of Featurette: Director and cast members discuss the film's production, including influences and story elements, interspersed with behind-the-scenes recordings.

"The Owners" is an intense horror-thriller directed by Julius Berg, set in a serene Victorian mansion in the English countryside. The plot centers on a group of young thieves, Gaz (Jake Curran) and Nathan (Ian Kenny), along with their hesitant accomplice Terry (Andrew Ellis) and Nathan's girlfriend Mary (Maisie Williams). Their ill-fated attempt to rob the mansion owned by Dr. Richard Huggins (Sylvester McCoy) and his wife Ellen (Rita Tushingham) spirals into chaos as the elderly couple turns out to be more formidable than expected. While the film draws inspiration from the 2011 French graphic novel "Une nuit de pleine lune," it inevitably invites comparisons with "Don't Breathe."

Technically, RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray presentation of "The Owners" delivers solid 1080p video quality and lossless audio, ensuring a decent viewing experience. Despite its lack of originality in the story, Berg's debut feature distinguishes itself through its dark comedic elements, relentless gore, and heightened absurdity. The film features excellent performances, especially from Williams and McCoy, who navigate the script's blend of horror and black humor deftly. Unfortunately, the film’s narrative hooks falter somewhat, leaning heavily on graphic violence and base-level emotions, while its twist ending feels unearned.

Berg's direction excels particularly in maintaining a claustrophobic atmosphere and delivering high-intensity scenes that blend well with the film’s humorous undertones. The final act shifts visually to amplify tension, creating an added layer of intrigue. While "The Owners" may not hold up under repeat viewings due to its heavy reliance on shock value and gore, it offers an engaging one-time watch for fans of the genre and its talented cast. Overall, this Blu-ray release is worth picking up primarily for those interested in seeing Maisie Williams and Sylvester McCoy in unconventional roles.

Julius Berg's "The Owners" thrives on a taut atmosphere, anchored by a solid cast that capably inhabits its roles. Despite the performers' commendable effort, particularly from both newcomers and seasoned actors, the narrative ultimately loses momentum during the final act. The film's conclusion disappoints with a weak twist ending, leaving what started as a gripping, gory home invasion thriller feeling like a missed opportunity.

From a technical standpoint, RLJ's Blu-ray release of "The Owners" provides an excellent video presentation, effectively capturing the film's dark and tense aesthetic. The audio track, while passable, does not stand out as particularly impressive. The notable downside is the paucity of bonus content, with just one EPK feature included, which might leave some fans wanting more behind-the-scenes insights.

In conclusion, "The Owners" is an entertaining watch for thriller enthusiasts and gore aficionados, although it does little to set itself apart from other home invasion films. The Blu-ray's solid A/V quality and low price point make it a reasonable addition to the collection of dedicated fans, but it offers minimal value in terms of supplementary content. Recommended to established fans only.