Vantage Point Review

There’s a concept in Vantage Point that works. The contrived scripting and completely implausible action can’t take advantage of that though, leaving a fun, hollow thriller that could have been so much more.

A loaded cast, including Sigourney Weaver in one of her worst efforts as a monotone news director, catches a different glimpse of the president being gunned down at a peace summit. The viewer is constantly subjected to the same footage for a large portion of the movie, reminiscent of Groundhog Day minus the comedy. It’s repetitive, even though the footage comes from (duh) a different vantage point.

Each new view offers additional details of an intricate plot by a group of terrorists. Scenes that seem implausible at first are detailed later in many cases so that they make sense. Sadly, that’s not the case for everything, and some lingering questions about the aftermath don’t help matters.

Vantage Point loads up on action, including a thrilling if poorly cut car chase sequence that ramps up the intensity. Expecting a character to walk out of a car that’s been smashed by a semi and then crushed against a wall is too much however, and takes away from almost all credibility.

Still, there is fun to have here. The plot twists and turns are handled well, and the way the script brings everyone together in the end is unique (if downright impossible). Vantage Point is a solid effort in the right mindset, but a lot of this is almost impossible to take seriously. Flawed, but entertaining. [xrr rating=3/5 label=Movie]

Vantage Point comes to Blu-ray with only one issue, and that’s wildly inconsistent blacks. Indoors, the black levels take on the color of the set, garishly washing out shadows with irregular colors (the opening scene inside the TV studio). Aside from that (and the blacks are flawless outdoors), this is a razor sharp transfer loaded with rich detail. The transfer is free of noise or any unnecessary enhancement. Colors and flesh tones are spot on. [xrr rating=4/5 label=Video]

Vantage Point offers a nicely mixed TrueHD track, keeping dialogue consistent in the midst of heavy crowd panic, which also filters flawlessly into the rears. The repeated explosions always carry a hefty layer of bass, and the car chase is always delivering something, whether that’s passing cars being tracked into the sound field or LFE action from crashes. It’s impressive and immersive. [xrr rating=5/5 label=Audio]

Limited in extras (especially with a $72 million take at the box office), the Blu-ray isn’t worth picking up if you’re looking for deep insights. A solo commentary from director Peter Travis is followed by three featurettes focusing on different aspects of the shoot. Surveillance Vision is a 42 second inside joke not worth clicking on, and a Blu-ray exclusive GPS tracker shows the characters’ current positions depending on the scene via picture-in-picture. Tracking Sigourney Weaver’s character, since she never leaves her chair, seems rather pointless. [xrr rating=2/5 label=Extras]