Red 2 appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Though the first film came with a lackluster visual presentation, the sequel looked great.
This meant consistently sold definition. Virtually no softness cropped up here, so we got a tight, concise image. Moiré effects and jaggies failed to manifest, and I saw no signs of edge haloes or print flaws.
Like most action flicks, Red 2 went heavy on teal and amber. Within those choices, the colors appeared well-rendered. Blacks seemed dark and dense, while shadows were smooth and clear. This turned into a wholly satisfying image.
In addition, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack boasted high-powered thrills. With plenty of violent action on display, the soundfield enjoyed many opportunities to shine, and it took good advantage of these.
In particular, car chases added a lot of fun movement and activity, as those scenes filled the channels in a vivid manner. Gunfire and explosions added to the mayhem, and all of this combined for a winning soundscape.
Audio quality matched up well, with natural, concise speech. Music sounded full and rich, while effects appeared accurate and dynamic, with deep low-end to boot. The audio helped add zing to the proceedings.
A few extras fill out the set, and a four-part documentary called The Red 2 Experience launches matters. It lasts a total of 34 minutes, 41 seconds and offers comments from director Dean Parisot, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, screenwriters Eric and Jon Hoeber, stunt coordinator/2nd unit director Paul Jennings, and actors Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Byung-hun Lee.
The program looks at cast/characters/performances, story areas, weapons, vehicles, stunts and action, influences, and Parisot’s influence on the production. “Experience” offers a decent look at the film but it lacks much depth. It tends toward the fluffy side of the street, so don’t expect a ton of insights here.
Five Deleted Scenes take up a total of four minutes, 27 seconds. Two of them actually offer alternate versions of the same sequence, one in which Victoria finds a way through security.
Another shows the death of a military character and how Han came into the proceedings – along with the Victoria scene(s), that’s the best of the bunch. The others give us basic “shoe leather” and lack much of interest. Still, two and a half good cut sequences is better than average – most deleted scenes are snoozers, so I’m happy some of these have merit.
A Gag Reel goes for four minutes, 24 seconds. It offers a standard array of goofs and laughs, though it comes with more profanity than most.
The disc opens with ads for Ender’s Game and Expendables 2. No trailer for Red 2 appears here.
After the fun thrills of Red, I hoped Red 2 would present another lively ride. Unfortunately, the sequel lacks the chemistry and excitement of the original, so it gives us a watchable but spotty adventure. The Blu-ray presents strong picture and audio as well as mediocre supplements. Red 2 becomes a perfunctory action flick