The Command (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Rating: PG-13
Film: 4.5/5

Plot
Colin Firth stars in the unforgettable true story of the K-141 Kursk, a Russian flagship nuclear powered submarine that sank to the bottom of the Barents Sea in August 2000. As 23 sailors fought for survival aboard the disabled sub, their families desperately battled bureaucratic obstacles and impossible odds to find answers and save them.

My Thoughts
This is a title I knew nothing about until the press release arrived in my inbox. Wow, what a gem of a movie about the true store of the K-141 Kursk that sunk in 2000. The film does an incredible job setting up the story leading up to the tragedy and then illustrates the stupidity and incompetence of the Russian government in their rescue attempt. This is a film that will move you emotionally and includes many powerful performances, particularly from its two stars, Matthias Schoenaerts and Léa Seydoux.

The video quality is a mixed bag. Daytime shots look phenomenal, but low light situations suffer from some minor crush and there’s banding in the underwater shots. The film opens and ends with a pillar-box format and I spent nearly 30 minutes trying to figure out what setting in my rig was accidentally changed. I turns out it was intentional on the part of the cinematographer and once the sub sets out to see, the aspect ratio changes to 2.40:1 versus 1.66:1—don’t freak out like I did!

The audio track is very good and features some great atmospheric effects on the submarine and also includes a couple moments of intense LFE. The score is beautifully done and adds to the dramatic tension of the film.

Video 3.5/5

Audio 4.5/5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)

Special Features:

• “Human Costs: Making The Command Featurette
• Blu-ray+ Digital Copy

Conclusion

Maybe it’s because I haven’t reviewed a film in close to a month, but I really enjoyed this one a lot. It packs quite an emotional impact and is definitely worth watching. Highly recommended.

[David Vaughn]

Craig, pick this one up. I think you'll like it!

[AVSCraig]

Craig, pick this one up. I think you'll like it!

I saw that on the list and Googled it. I'll put it in my Amazon movie list to buy. Thanks!