A comprehensive retrospective of the 1980s action film genre, exploring the genre’s monumental success through to the 1990s and eventual decline into the 21st century.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/TWWb5imBhfk?si=MPD7-oseFBUwFHHN&t=4558]

Video Quality

In Search Of The Last Action Heroes comes to MOD Blu-Ray in its original aspect ratio from a formidable HD master. The film is comprised of plenty of new interview footage along with excerpts from various action classics (and not-so-classics) along with archival footage interspersed for context. The footage from the older material can be inconsistent the further back you go as the source becomes less reliable. Nevertheless, every clip seems to be the strongest option available at the time when the movie was completed with most looking quite good

Some random excerpts and appearances are from more unstable sources, but it is not the majority of the material. The newly filmed interview footage looks as crisp and clear as you would expect modern interviews to look in a stable location. The transfer appears to have a decent amount of room to breathe as it avoids issues with compression artifacts, banding, and other digital anomalies. The colors captured on film are natural and striking as they bring the nuances of the hues to the forefront. The newer interview segments are replete with detailed facial features and natural skin tones. Black levels are mostly deep and allow for a fine amount of detail in any shadowy instances. Gravitas Ventures has given this one an admirable presentation.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an agreeable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that presents the film well within its sonic ambitions. The dialogue is the primary focus of the feature, and it is never overshadowed by competing elements. While the quality of some archival pieces or clips can be inconsistent, the track always comes through with clarity and strength. Some fleeting moments deliver a slight amount of texture with ambient sounds placed carefully in the rear channels, but it is not a standout in this regard. The music is deployed with care as it permeates the room with noted fidelity. The audio track is not stretched thin with this content, as it always delivers the information exactly as desired. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided on this disc.

Special Features

Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

In Search Of The Last Action Heroes is a structurally erratic yet entertaining enough documentary that should please enthusiasts of the genre. The film leans heavily on the nostalgia the audience presumably has for this era of ultra-violence and cheesy one-liners. Yes, there are some genuinely brilliant artistic endeavors in the bunch, but many titles are guilty-pleasure fare at best. Most of the new interviews are really enlightening and a lot of fun, but the film lacks a cohesive throughline that runs from one topic to the next. It is far from the best documentary ever made, but it scratches the itch for those who want a steady onslaught of movies they love or will probably add to their watchlist. Gravitas Ventures has released a new MOD Blu-Ray that features a nice A/V presentation but barely anything in the way of special features. Action film fans should check it out for the memories. Recommended

In Search Of The Last Action Heroes can be purchased on Blu-Ray directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Gravitas Ventures 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.