Kyung-mi is out late with her mother when she stumbles upon a young woman bleeding out in a dark alley. A ruthless serial killer, (Squid Games star, Wi Ha-Joon), is hunting for victims on the streets of South Korea. Now a witness, Kyung-mi, is caught in a life-threatening chase in deadly silence. Will she survive or become his prey?
For thoughts on Midnight, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/IP45412VNOc?t=1903]
Video Quality
Midnight makes its Blu-Ray debut with a pretty strong 1080p video presentation that should please most genre fans. The image is clean with the nuanced, natural color palette popping off the screen. The film employs some bold colors when it comes to elements of the production design and certain lighting choices. The presentation shows off an impressive amount of depth, especially in the interior of the parking garage and the long stretches of street. The production design along with the fabrics of clothing provide crystal clear textural details. This is a film that takes place largely at night, but rarely does the disc struggle with the setting. The black levels do lack a bit of depth and show slight signs of crush and banding in certain shots. There are also minor compression artifacts present at points. The flesh tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present in close-ups. There are a few areas where this disc could be improved, but overall this Blu-Ray is an enjoyable representation of this movie.
Audio Quality
Epic Pictures chooses to give this Blu-Ray a Dolby Digital 5.1 lossy audio track instead of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, which does sound quite good but could likely be given greater nuance with a lossless track. Environmental sounds of the world engage the surround speakers in an effective way. When characters are sneaking around cramped spaces, there are some intriguing ambient details that flesh out the setting. Dialogue comes through clearly without being clipped by any competing sounds, although due to the multiple characters being deaf, this element is not as prevalent as in most tracks. The score is effective and well-balanced while maintaining its fidelity. Hard-hitting moments are not a consistent part of this track, but a few moments deliver the goods. Otherwise, the low end of the track mostly provides some nice texture to the proceedings. The audio track gets the job done, but it potentially could have been a richer experience with a full lossless track. This disc provides English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Special Features
- Trailers: This disc provides the Official Trailer (1:55) and the Teaser Trailer (1:20). There are also trailers provided for other Dread titles including Howling Village, The Maid, Sleepless Beauty and La Casa.
Final Thoughts
Midnight has an absolutely brilliant first half to its story which will have you gripping your seat and breaking out in a low-grade sweat. Unfortunately, a script filled with contrivances and silly character choices keeps this one from being an all-time great thriller. Nevertheless, the film keeps you entertained quite thoroughly if you can turn your brain off to the frustrating choices. The performances are very strong across the board, especially Jin Ki-joo as the young deaf woman who is put through hell. This was so close to being excellent, but at least it is still mostly enjoyable for what it is. Epic Pictures had released a Blu-Ray featuring a pretty solid A/V presentation but next to nothing in the way of special features. If you want to get your pulse pumping, be sure to check this one out. Recommended
Midnight is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Epic Pictures 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.
