Arsenal appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a positive presentation.
Sharpness worked fine. The occasional slightly soft wider shot emerged, but I felt the majority of the movie offered nice clarity. No issues with jaggies or moiré effects materialized, and edge haloes were absent. Source flaws failed to become a factor here.
In terms of palette, Arsenal went with a stylized look. In an unsurprising move, the film emphasized orange and teal to a substantial degree. Those tones seemed acceptable given their limitations.
Blacks were reasonably dark and tight, while shadows showed decent to good delineation. Overall, the image looked fine, as it accurately reproduced the source.
When I examined the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Arsenal, I thought it was moderately active and involving, as the mix used music and atmosphere to nice advantage. These elements created a good sense of place and movement that brought us an engaging soundscape, with the best material found in the smattering of action sequences.
Audio quality was fine. Speech was reasonably crisp and natural, and effects showed good punch. Music was also clear and full. The soundtrack didn’t excel but it connected with the story in an appropriate manner.
As we move to extras, we open with an audio commentary from director Steven C. Miller and actor Johnathan Schaech. Both of them sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, action and stunts, music, and related areas.
Miller and Schaech provide an enthusiastic but not especially informative chat. While they cover the basics in a reasonable manner, they never give us a ton of insights. That means we find an occasionally useful but mostly forgettable commentary.
A featurette called Building an Arsenal spans nine minutes, 47 seconds and involves Miller, Schaech, director of photography Brandon Cox, and actors Lydia Hull and Adrian Grenier. “Building” covers story/characters, cast and performances, and Miller’s impact as director. Very little substance emerges in this praise-packed promo program.
We also get a collection of Extended Cast/Crew Interviews. In this compilation, we hear from Grenier (4:31), Schaech (5:05), Hull (4:08), Miller (3:43) and Cox (9:13). These cover the same topics as “Building”, though we also hear a little about locations, shooting schedule, and cinematography.
All three of the actor interviews offer little to no useful material, so one can safely skip them. Miller doesn’t tell us much I’d call new, but he throws out some minor tidbits at least. Cox becomes the only participant to provide actual quality information.
The disc opens with ads for Solace, Imperium, Urge, The Prince and Marauders. We also get a trailer for Arsenal.
Slow-moving and directionless, Arsenal never builds a head of steam. Saddled with bad acting and poor stabs at action, the movie goes nowhere. The Blu-ray provides largely good picture and audio as well as mediocre supplements. Arsenal flops.