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Mortal
R2 - United Kingdom - Signature Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (16th September 2020). |
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The Film
 Chronicle meets X-Men meets Thor; Mortal is a fantasy adventure epic from the director of Troll Hunter and starring The Fault In Our Star’s Nat Wolff. Based on ancient Norse Mythology, a young boy must discover the origins of his extraordinary powers before he is captured by authorities hell-bent on condemning him for an accidental murder. A breath-taking and thrilling origins adventure story about one boys journey to uncover who, or what, he really is.
Video
An agreeable attempt to explain old Norse mythology via modern context gets solid production and decent SPFX. The cast do well with the material in this slick entertainment. Being a modern production I presume that this is a digitally shot piece; all the signs are there with a meticulously sharp overall image and a lack of grain. The disc under review is a DVD so we're locked into the mild fog of standard definition and the overall muted look of the film can sometimes work against the format. The colour palette has been digitally controlled to favour a muted look. It's not desaturated as many genre films and thrillers were about ten to fifteen years ago but it doesn't kick out; it's efficient and gets the job done but will never wow anyone. Black levels are deep and rich allowing some shadow detail to shine through, although again, this is standard definition so don't expect miracles. Contrast is supportive ensuring there are no blown out highlights. The image is utterly clean which is typical of a modern film shot this way. The contrast leaks in scenes of lightening bolts and static and the encode handles the flashes well. Overall it's a solid image and about as good as we can expect on DVD given the creative choices taken by the production team. PAL / MPEG-2 / 2.4:1 / 100:08
Audio
English / Norwegian Dolby Digital 5.1 English / Norwegian Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: English (forced) The sound is much more robust and enveloping and successful on it's terms than the rather muted image. Being a lossy Dolby Digital track works against it's power in the action scenes. However, crank the volume up and it shines much more with excellent surround and separation. Dialogue is always clear and the score utilises the high and low end well. Subtitles are provided but unfortunately are forced so if you speak both English and Norwegian you're scuppered. Thankfully the font used doesn't have that awful, crude quality subs used to have twenty hears ago.
Extras
Startup Trailers: - Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot (1:27) - A Bay of Silence (2:14) Meh, the usual trailers advertising other releases.
Packaging
Standard, black, DVD Amaray keepcase.
Overall
A solid if unremarkable standard definition release and about as good as it can be given the format and the way it was shot favouring a muted digital look. Sound is ... sound ... as a pound! Extras are non existent bar some trails. This is a modestly priced release and on those terms is excellent value and good quality. Hardcore fans and techie buffs will want one of the Blu-ray releases available elsewhere but for most punters this disc hets the job done.
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