While investigating a terroristic threat that goes viral online, Korean authorities discover that a suspect has recently boarded an international flight bound for the United States. When a healthy passenger on the same flight suddenly dies a gruesome death of unknown cause, panic erupts both in-flight and on the ground. With steadily decreasing fuel and international refusals to offer aid, the captain and crew will be forced to take unprecedented emergency measures in an attempt to save the lives of their passengers.
For in-depth thoughts on Emergency Declaration, please see my colleague Emmy Wenstrup’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Emergency Declaration comes to Blu-Ray with a fetching AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This film is not the most colorful thanks to its clean and conservative interiors and overcast weather, but it still has some nice pops of color in certain pieces of clothing and production design. Where the transfer really shines is the impressive level of detail in even the most minute aspects. Everything from the smallest facial lesions to the texture of the interior of the aircraft is quite impressive. The picture is mostly clear with only brief instances of murkiness during a few darker scenes. Black levels are fairly impressive in their depth. Skin tones are natural throughout with some impeccable details present in certain shots. The film sports some inventive cinematography which is showcased pretty well here. Overall, this is quite a powerful transfer.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a terrific Dolby Atmos presentation in the original Korean that handles the action incredibly well. The track offers a top-tier level immersion into the environment so that even the subtlest elements are represented. Directionality of sound is never an issue with this track, and dialogue is reproduced with supreme clarity. The height channels add an extra layer of dynamic placement which is really rewarding when the chaos of the situation kicks into high gear.
All of the sounds are balanced well during the kinetic sequences from the crashing of luggage to the shrieks from the passengers. The scenes of the plane nearly crashing and other such kinetic moments provide a fantastic amount of activity in the low end. Speakers are subjected to a full-on sonic throttling throughout the duration of the presentation while providing a fully realized world to jump right into. The audio presentation is even more impressive than the visual one. Optional English and “Full English” subtitles are provided. There is also a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio English dub provided, but do yourself a favor and do not consider that a viable option.
Special Features
- Making Of: A six-minute featurette is provided in which the cast and creative team discuss the performances in the film, the environment on the set, capturing the terror of the situation, creating the plane, the premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and more.
- The Characters: A nearly four-minute piece which takes you through several of the main characters and the role they play within the narrative.
- The 360 Shot:A three-minute look at the set that was constructed which was able to rotate and capture the chaos of an out-of-control aircraft.
- Cannes Film Festival Interviews: A four-minute featurette which takes a closer look at the experience of going to the Cannes Film Festival, the significance of the experience to the cast and creative team and more.
- Trailers: The minute-and-a-half trailer is provided for Emergency Declaration. There are also trailers provided for The Witch Part 2: The Other One, Alienoid and The Loneliest Boy In The World.
Final Thoughts
Emergency Declaration is a thoroughly engaging disaster thriller which uses the threat of a virus to showcase larger issues of global cooperation and self-preservation which kicks into gear when man is backed into a corner. While elements of the film are quite bleak, the experience leaves you with some amount of the “major studio” hope by the time the credits start rolling. The ensemble is really impactful across the board with everyone getting at least one scene to shine. The only major issue here is that it is entirely too long for what it needs to be, and it could have easily shaved off 20 or 30 minutes for a tighter, more riveting experience. Well Go USA has released a Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation and a couple of brief special features. If you like an acutely focused disaster film, this one is a pretty entertaining effort. Recommended
Emergency Declaration will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on November 29, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Well Go USA Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.