Paranoia (Blu-ray) (2013)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2013
Running Time	105:54
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Robert Luketic
Studio Distributor	Icon Entertainment	Starring	Liam Hemsworth Harrison Ford Gary Oldman Amber Heard Julian McMahon Embeth Davidtz
Case	?
RPI	$46.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Paranoia was known to me before I saw it only because it made the list of the Top Ten biggest box office failures of 2013 taking only $7m at the US box office and $13m globally despite a $35m production budget and probably a similar amount spent on promotion. Despite this I thought to myself that films which go very badly in the US are often marketed badly rather than because they are of poor quality. In this case, the quality IS the problem despite a good cast and some decent performances especially from Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman.

     The story here is focused on a young and upcoming technical and marketing employee, Adam Cassidy (a badly miscast Liam Hemsworth) at one of the US's biggest telecommunications companies, Wyatt Telecoms. Wyatt is run by Nicolas Wyatt (Gary Oldman), a ruthless and amoral executive who has had a long running feud with former partner, Jack Goddard (Harrison Ford), who is head of the main competition, Eikon. When Adam screws up a presentation to Wyatt, he and his team are sacked but he is given an opportunity to earn their jobs back. However, in order to do this he must agree to get a job with Eikon and steal secrets for Wyatt. This leads him into a web of lies and deceit as he tries to work out how to get out of the situation with a career and his life.

     The cast also includes Richard Dreyfuss as Cassidy's sick father, Amber Heard as Emma Jennings, Cassidy's love interest and marketing head at Eikon, Julian McMahon as Wyatt's evil henchman and Embeth Davidtz as Judith Bolton, a psychologist employed by Wyatt. The film was directed by Robert Luketic, who is probably best known for Legally Blonde and other similar comedies.

     The biggest problem with this film is that it is possibly the least thrilling thriller I have ever seen. The pace is pedestrian, Hemsworth is very bland and the script really lets the movie down. Basically writing and direction are mostly to blame for this film missing out at the box office. Despite an interesting premise, big business and modern technology driving unethical behaviour, the film plays out in a very clichéd and tedious way.

     I cannot recommend this film.

Video

     The video quality is excellent.

     The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 1080p HD encoded using the AVC codec.

     The detail and clarity is excellent, exactly as you would expect from a big budget new movie.

     The colour is also excellent with no issues to report.

     In artefact terms, the only thing I mention is some bad aliasing from a lift in the main office building used which grabbed the eye every time someone entered the lift.

     There are subtitles available in English for the Hearing Impaired which are clear and easy to read.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is very good.

     This disc contains an English soundtrack in DTS HD-MA 5.1.

     Dialogue is clear and easy to understand throughout.

    The music does not really add much to the film, consisting of a variety of bland songs and some uninteresting score music. A better score would have significantly improved this film probably.

     The surround speakers were not overly obvious mostly being used for atmosphere and music.

     The subwoofer supported the music.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu includes music and motion.

    The Region A release is basically the same.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is very good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall