Getaway appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Overall, the image looked fine.
The film used a variety of sources, some of which came from lower-resolution in-car cameras, so those choices affected sharpness. Most of the movie seemed accurate and concise, but occasionally it went semi-soft. Though that was unavoidable due to cinematographic decisions, it still left us with some lapses in definition. I noticed no issues with shimmering, and edge haloes remained absent; a few of the cameras left us with mild jaggies, though. Print flaws failed to materialize.
In terms of colors, Getaway veered toward a chilly palette, with an emphasis on blues. Some other hues – mainly amber – cropped up at times, but this remained a restricted set of tones. Within the production design, they seemed appropriate.
Blacks looked dark and tight, and shadows showed generally good delineation; some of the car shots could be a little dense, but not a substantial degree. A few aspects of the image sagged, but this was usually a good presentation.
No qualms greeted my reaction to the thrilling DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Getaway. Almost literally from start to finish, the movie packed in action, with an obvious emphasis on car stunts. Those allowed vehicles to zip about the room and fill out the spectrum in a vivid manner. The various elements zoomed across all five speakers and allowed the mix to engage and involve us on a consistent basis.
Audio quality also seemed positive. Effects were accurate and dynamic, with clear highs and warm lows. Dialogue sounded distinctive and natural, while music showed good range and impact. Everything here worked well and this became a strong soundtrack.
In terms of extras, the disc includes five brief featurettes. These include “Crash Cams” (1:12), “Destroying a Custom Shelby” (1:06), “Metal and Asphalt” (1:09), “Selena Gomez: On Set” (1:19) and “The Train Station” (1:03). Across these, we hear from director Courtney Solomon, director of photography Yaron Levy, co-writer Sean Finegan, stunt double Steve Percini, executive producer Joel Silver, and actors Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez.
We learn about action and stunts, camerawork, the movie’s star vehicle, cast and characters. With a total of less than six minutes over five programs, one shouldn’t expect anything more than promotional material. A couple of minor nuggets emerge, but these clips exist to sell the movie and nothing more.
The disc opens with an ad for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. No trailer for Getaway shows up here.
Viewers who hope to find a classic car-based thriller from Getaway will leave disappointed. Derivative and frenetic, the movie throws constant action at us but fails to package the material in a watchable, exciting manner, as it bogs down due to its hyperactive machinations. The Blu-ray comes with excellent audio and good visuals but lacks substantial supplements. Action fans can do much better than this frantic clunker.