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MOVIE INFO
Director:
Tony Aloupis
Cast:
Sean Gunn, Abraham Lewis, Eloise Smyth
Screenplay:
Tony Aloupis

Synopsis:
Set 200 years in the future, a small band of rebels face off against the status quo where humans have achieved immortality through genetic engineering.
MPAA:
Rated NR.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
None

Runtime: 83 min.
Price: $28.96
Release Date: 3/1/2022

Bonus:
• Previews


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

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-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofe


RELATED REVIEWS


I Am Mortal [Blu-Ray] (2021)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (February 12, 2022)

Sean Gunn usually pops up via small roles in his brother James’ flicks like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad. Sean finds himself in a more prominent part via 2021’s I Am Mortal.

Set more than two centuries in the future, “The Pilot” (Gunn) develops a genetic vaccine. This allows for human immortality and creates a utopian society sans conflict and crime.

However, some question whether or not endless life seems like the best way to go. On the verge of his receipt of this vaccine, young Logos (Abraham Lewis) gets involved with a group that rebels against the current system.

The notion of whether or not human immortality would be a good idea seems like an intriguing concept for a story. Too bad that Mortal finds nothing interesting to do with the theme.

Mortal really deserves the title Exposition: The Movie. It often feels like next to nothing actually occurs here, as instead, we find ourselves with endless scenes in which characters talk about society.

A better-written script might find some compelling philosophical threads to tug. However, Mortal sticks with nothing other than the most simplistic takes on these topics.

As such, Mortal feels like a movie that wants to get into Big Ideas but can’t figure out a good way to access them. It imposes notions without much logic or exploration beyond the most superficial.

Before long, Mortal evolves into a film with a Christian message, one that it explores in a ham-fisted manner. At no point do any of those who believe in mortality – and the concept of a soul – explain why they feel as they do.

Instead, they think what they think… just because, I guess, and they blindly feel everyone will agree with them if given the chance to hear their ideas. This makes no sense – they expect people to sacrifice immortality in their peaceful society to instead join a system based on blind belief instead?

I don’t want to dig into religious debates here, but it seems clear a whole lot of people hold onto religious concepts due to the promise of life after death. If folks live in a world where they never need to die, why would they bail for the vague promises of… something never really specified?

That’s a major flaw here: Mortal never explains why the “rebels” feel that the old ways are better or what these immortals miss out on in their current state. Immortality certainly comes with potential downsides, but the film does nothing to explore these.

Instead, it just presents the “rebels” as a cult who will connect with some viewers because they live in a society with an emphasis on religion. However, their beliefs and attitudes make much less sense in the world portrayed here.

It doesn’t help that Mortal lacks a coherent script. Events happen willy-nilly, and the viewer may often wonder if scenes got lost along the way, as sequences connect haphazardly.

Really, not much makes sense here, and the film fails to present events in a compelling manner. No matter how much the ultra-serious characters and the pulsing music attempt to convince us that we get an Important, Meaningful Story, nothing packs a punch and creates drama.

As religious propaganda goes, Mortal seems less ham-fisted than it could be, but that’s mainly due to its sketchiness and lack of coherence. It winds up as a muddled, purposeless tale that fails to explore its subjects well.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B/ Bonus D-

I Am Mortal appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 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, Mortal went with a stylized look. In an unsurprising move, the film emphasized teal to a substantial degree, with some reds and ambers tossed in as well. Those tones seemed acceptable given their limitations.

Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows showed good delineation. Overall, the image looked fine, as it accurately reproduced the source.

When I examined the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Mortal, 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.

The disc opens with ads for 2067, The Osiris Child, and Apex. No trailer for Mortal - or any other extras – appears here.

Over-written and pedantic, I Am Mortal packs a whole lot of talk and pseudo-profundity but little real meaning. There could certainly be an intriguing tale to be told about a god-like man vs. God, but this becomes a stale, slow exploration that lacks real substance. The Blu-ray comes with pretty good picture and audio but it includes no bonus features. Nothing about this movie works.

Viewer Film Ratings: 3 Stars Number of Votes: 2
15:
04:
0 3:
02:
11:
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Review Archive:  # | A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z | Viewer Ratings | Main