Warning - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Warning



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras: :
Final Score:


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Movie
Judging just by the cover alone Warning would seem to be a sci-fi thriller, or an apocalyptic end of the world sci-fi flick, but in reality it has more akin to Crash and Magnolia than anything the cover might conjure up in your minds. Much like Magnolia, the film thrives on a near undecipherable assortment of vignettes that use the Crash “7 ways from Kevin Bacon” to tangentially tie all of the stories together. However, I must warn you that this is going to be an exercise in patience for the viewer, as well as some self conscious extrapolation to put together the meaning of the film. If you thought that Magnolia was a bit confusing, then you will literally be scratching your head with Warning, as director/writer Agata Alexander carries themes throughout each vignette, but doesn’t exactly tie them together in a way that’s accessible to your average audience member.

The vignettes vary with general premise, and also are woven in and out of the story at will, with some stories having several parts to them, while a few only have 1-2 pieces and then they’re done. We get to see a space mechanic (Thomas Jane) blasted off of a satellite due to a malfunction, then “pious” young woman (Alice Eve) who lives with an Alexa Echo style device called “GOD”. Which, as you could guess from the title, cheekily categorizes your sins and keeps the person on a straight and narrow (if not legalistic) path in many of the same ways that the Alexa and other smart devices in our life sort of “intrude” if you let them. Then we have a young woman dating an android who has to come to grips with his synthetic parents, as well as a young girl engaging in prostitution in order to get away from her trailer park mother.

If you’re feeling confused now, just wait as the stories unfold even further, as well as introducing several other vignettes to the scene. Each one in a weirdly Isaac Asimov esque bit of dystopian techno future. It’s pretty obvious that the main themes throughout the story are a warning of becoming TOO engrossed in technology. The Thomas Jane vignette as the “space mechanic” really hammer in how human lift has no value anymore when androids cost $40 million vs. a human’s $500K to a corporation. Or how the “GOD” Alexa like device can turn your entire life into a fake world if you let it. Sure, there’s some elements of Crash to the story where everything is tangentially related, but those relations are merely a way to tie everything together instead of seeming completely alienated from each other.

Some of the stories are disturbing, some are painfully poignant, and others (like the Alice Eve one with the “GOD” device) are almost humorous as they lay out just how much technology has kept us from ACTUAL human interaction. I personally don’t think that Alexander really every fully integrates his themes together all the way in a cohesive manner, and as such feels a bit too Art House like for some people tastes. The final third act where he tries to add some meaning to the subtext just doesn’t strike home to me, although I will fully admit that I was glued to the screen just watching the stories unfold. They were utterly fascinating, and I was enthralled in how they were opening up, just a little disappointed that the director just couldn’t pull them together in one solid ending.




Rating:

Rated R for language, sexual content, a sexual assault, some drug use and nudity




Video:

Warning falls under what I jokingly refer to as Lionsgate’s “rule of 4”. Meaning good video and audio that does a solid 4/5 across the board. The digitally shot film is a bit grungy and dark, with amber colors that are permeated with earthy browns and some darker primary colors. It’s sharp, well detailed throughout, but does suffer from black crush and some obvious color banding (not atypical for Lionsgate Blu-rays). There are some really cool intentional color changes and tonal shifts with the visuals that seem to fit with each storyline differently, but all in all this is a rather good Blu-ray disc to look.







Audio:

The singular 5.1 DTS-HD MA track from Lionsgate is a solid entry to the film, with a good sense of immersion with the heavy score. There are some fairly quite and front heavy bits throughout the movie, but it also is filled out quite a bit with some of the more boisterous moments, or when the heavy pulsating score makes its presence known. Dialog is well definite and locked up front, while surrounds get moderate activity to keep them surprisingly agile outside of the heavy score elements.









Extras:

• Trailer

Final Score: ​

Warning could have benefited from a clearer context and setting for the vignettes, but I still stand by my assertion that the individual stories (for the most part) are utterly fascinating. Warning suffers from too much with not enough setting, and as such it doesn’t hit home as well as it could have. I certainly had a good time with many of the vignettes, and Alexander’s directing style is quite well done for a lower tier director. Lionsgate’s Blu-ray itself is pretty barebones, with good video and audio, and only a single trailer as extras. As such, I’m giving this a rental recommendation simply because it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. If the trailer strikes your fancy, give it a watch and let me know what you thought.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Thomas Jane, Alex Pettyfer, Alice Eve,
Directed by: Agata Alexander
Written by: Agata Alexander, Rob Michaelson, Jason Kaye
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 86 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 26th 2021

Recommendation: Good Esoteric Rental