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Ultra HD : Give it a Rent
Ranking:
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Release Date: June 5th, 2018 Movie Release Year: 2018

The Hurricane Heist - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Overview -

The Hurricane Heist is an over-the-top movie that takes a natural disaster (hurricane) theme and adds the element of a bank heist to it, thus giving the title of The Hurricane Heist. It's absurd, funny, chaotic, and makes no lick of sense whatsoever. There are some fun moments with big CGI set pieces, along with some decent if not silly performances. The 4K UHD with HDR10 is a big improvement over the Blu-ray version and the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is out of the world. There are some decent bonus features to boot, along with the Blu-ray version and Digital Copy. This is a Rental!

A perfect storm of action is unleashed in this high-powered action-thriller. As a massive hurricane builds, criminals infiltrate a U.S. Mint facility. Their plan: to steal $600 million and escape using a Category 5 hurricane as cover. But a treasury agent and a storm chaser have a plan of their own, desperately racing against time—and the hurricane—to save the hostages and stop the thieves before their town is reduced to rubble.

OVERALL:
Give it a Rent
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
4K UHD/Blu-ray/Digital Copy
Video Resolution/Codec:
2160p/HEVC
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.39:1
Audio Formats:
English Dolby Atmos
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH, Spanish
Special Features:
VFX Reel
Release Date:
June 5th, 2018

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

Director Rob Cohen has been in the film industry for quite a long time and has made some interesting movies, some of which have been huge successes while others have been bombs. Films like Dragonheart, The Skulls, xXx, and Fast and Furious are amongst Cohen's projects. Then again as of recently, he's given us Alex Cross and Boy Next Door. Cohen's latest project is The Hurricane Heist, which mixes the natural disaster genre along with a bank heist film, which I'm trying to remember if that's ever been done before. 

The film itself is an absolute mess. The storylines between the characters, along with the chaotic pacing is staggering to watch, however there are some fun moments, along with some decent visual effects throughout. In addition to that, Cohen throws in some hot political and social topics too, including character discussions on owning guns and protecting the environment. It's laughable for sure, but it serves its purpose. 

Basically what we have here with The Hurricane Heist is a family who doesn't get along well in the center of a Category 5 hurricane, along with a robbery worth hundreds of millions of dollars. There are scientists, meteorologists, and bank robbers in this movie, who all cross paths. With hostages and money on the line, not to mention one of the meanest and baddest storms the world has ever seen, The Hurricane Heist never really slows down with action sequences. It's just how it's handled is where it fails.

 Having the poorly setup backstory with two brothers who never seem to get along is one factor in the film that never truly pans out, along with some fairly absurd action set pieces that are even more laughable than Twister's climactic scene that shows two people hook themselves onto a pipe with a belt in a tornado. None of it makes any lick of sense and the dialogue is petty, but there are some fun moments to be had. I just don't know how well it will hold up on multiple viewings.

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

The Hurricane Heist comes with a dual-layered UHD66 Disc and a Blu-ray Disc. There is an insert for a Digital copy as well. The discs are housed in a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve.

Video Review

Ranking:

The Hurricane Heist comes with a 4K UHD presentation in 2160p with HDR10. In comparing with the Blu-ray version in 1080p, the colors and detail on this 4K UHD Disc are improved upon. Most of the film is in a dreary setting because of the impending hurricane. It's not all sunny skies and beautiful pastures. Colors are mostly gray, moldy green, and icy blue for the most part. The HDR10 does amplify these colors quite a bit with more nuance and layers to them in all lighting conditions.

You can see the different shades of gray and blues in the clouds and rain storms very well. Other primary colors such as reds or oranges do show up here and there, but it's rare. When they do, though, it looks gorgeous -- such as the sunset which showcases the many reds, oranges, and yellows on display, or the wardrobe of some of the characters. It's definitely an uptick for sure. Black levels are always deep and inky with no crush, and the skin tones are natural, when filters aren't applied. Detail is sharp and vivid throughout, too. Some of the practical makeup effects, such as wounds and makeup blemishes look incredible here on the actor's faces.

Closeups also reveal indiviual hairs and facial pores nicely. The heavy CGI hurricane does show off some impressive effects, which a few details in breaking waves, or water droplets can be seen. However, the 4K UHD presentation can also make this video presentation look a bit fake in the CGI department, where the clouds or big water waves can look a bit off kilter or animated. Still, it's a good looking video presentation for the low budget this movie had. During some of the heavy CGI scenes, some minor video noise crops up, but it's not a big distraction whatsoever.

Audio Review

Ranking:

The Hurricane Heist comes with an impressive Dolby Atmos track that utilizes each horrific storm sound. I was truly satisfied with this audio mix that just delivers on every level. The sound effects of the hurricane are loud, robust, and at times scary. The thunder brings a giant rumble of bass each time that crashes hard and furiously. The rain drops fall hard from the height speakers that completely immerses you into the eye of the storm. The wind howls with great directionality at all times, too.

In addition to that, there are many other sound effects and ambient noises, such as traffic, engines revving, people screaming or talking, and even gun shots that all sound impressive and pack a forceful punch.Some of the reverb of dialogue and other sound effects in bigger rooms sound excellent and true to their cavernous nature. The music always adds to the suspense, if not silly moments throughout. It's mostly a forgettable score, but it's also quite loud, which can be distracting at times. Dialogue is clear and easy to follow along with and free of any pops, cracks, hiss, and shrills. What a lovely audio presentation.

Special Features

Ranking:

Audio Commentary - Director Rob Cohen delivers an informative commentary track, if not a bit dry. He talks about the story, casting the roles, working with a heist and natural disaster storyline, and more. If you're a fan of the film, you'll enjoy this commentary track.

Eye of the Storm (HD, 18 Mins.) - Is a longer than normal promo puff piece with plenty of cast and crew interviews, on-set footage, and behind the scenes information. It's actually quite good and it looks like people had a good time making this.

Hollywood Heist: A Conversation with Rob Cohen (HD, 24 Mins.) - An excellent interview with director Rob Cohen on film, his work, genre movies, filmmaking, and being in the industry for many years.

VFX Reel (HD, 4 Mins.) - An all too short look at some of the CGI effects made for the film.

Deleted Scenes (HD, 2 Mins.) - A couple of scenes that were left on the cutting room floor.

Final Thoughts

In the end, The Hurricane Heist is one of those movies you'll want to watch with a group of friends and make fun of it, all in the spirit of MST3K. There are some impressive set pieces, but it's all lost in the narrative. The Dolby Atmos mix is top notch, while the 4K UHD with HDR10 is an improvement on the 1080p release. There are some decent bonus features, too. If you're a fan of these over-the-top movies with big action sequences, this might be for you, but only for a Rental.