A married Hollywood agent receives a mysterious letter for an anonymous sexual encounter and becomes ensnared in a sinister world of lying, murder and infidelity in this scintillating satire.

For more in-depth thoughts on The Beta Test, please see my colleague Cassie Brown’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

RLJE Entertainment brings The Beta Test to Blu-Ray with a rock solid 1080p video presentation. The presentation provides a substantial amount of depth on display, especially in the interior shots. While the film is pleasing in most lighting conditions, some of the darker sequences reveal some very subtle digital anomalies. The black levels could stand to be a bit deeper and less milky, and digital noise does prove to be a minor issue at certain moments in the film. The flesh tones are natural with subtle details showcased well in close-ups and medium shots. The image is clean with the vivid color palette popping off the screen. The film employs splashes of bold colors within the clothing and production design, which makes for a very striking image. RLJE has delivered a fine presentation.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that is very effective and precise without being domineering. Dialogue comes through crisp and clearly without ever falling victim to overlapping voices or forceful sound cues. Everything is mixed just right with directionality accurately rendered across all channels. The sounds of each environment provide a decent amount of activity in the rear channels, and the score and music stirs up some activity in the low end. The music does play a notable role in establishing the mood of the narrative, and the track does a great job of filling the room in an enveloping way. This track honors the movie with a fitfully immersive journey that does everything it needs to do. This release comes with optional English SDH subtitles.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc, but be sure to check out our interview with Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M14PuHMYMYw]

Final Thoughts

The Beta Test is a sharp and darkly hilarious takedown of Hollywood culture, but it is one that rings more universal due to its insistence on having you confront your own moral lines in the sand. Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe are terrific both in front of the camera, as well as behind the scenes creatively. The film leaves you with some lingering questions which may have you screaming for more, but the journey this film takes you on is so unique and unsparing that you cannot imagine missing out once you have seen it. RLJE Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a sterling A/V presentation and nothing in the way of supplemental features. If you are already a fan of the talent involved, this is a no-brainer, but even those who are new to the team should give this one a shot. Recommended

The Beta Test is currently available to purchase on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital.

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

Disclaimer: RLJE Films 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.