• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
  
• Resolution: 1080p/24
  
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
  
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
  
• Region: A (Region-Locked)
  
• Rating: R
  
• Discs: 1
  
• Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: May 17, 2011
  
• List Price: $29.98
  

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BestBuy.com:

Purchase Vanishing on 7th Street on Blu-ray+Digital Copy at CD Universe

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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG  thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Film

[Rating:3/5]

What is there to fear, when there’s nothing left but fear itself, to paraphrase Franklin D. Roosevelt? In director Brad Anderson’s and writer Anthony Jaswinski’s film Vanishing on 7^th Street, it seems fear not only of fear itself, but of the dark is what.

The films stars Hayden Christensen (The Star Wars prequels), John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge; Ice Age), Thandie Newton (2012; For Colored Girls), and the young Jacob Latimore as four survivors in a strange new world. Why is it strange? It’s strange because everyone in the city of Detroit has suddenly vanished leaving everything behind, even the clothes they were wearing. But, why were these four strangers the only ones to survive? And why is it dark outside when it is the middle of the afternoon? Paul (Leguizamo) reckons it must be an experiment of some sort, science gone out of control, or perhaps it goes all the way back to the first English speaking colony in North America that suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving behind nothing but the word “croatoa” scratched onto a wall. Whatever it is, they must find out quickly, or they might all die. They think it has something to do with the light, or, more precisely, the darkness. Shadows abound, there are whispers that can be heard and the darkness might kill them. But, oh, no! They have no power, only the gas powered generator in the bar they’re trapped in. Hope may lie in survivors they think are in Chicago, but how do they get there?

Vanishing on 7^th Street is a paranoia filled psychological horror film that will keep your attention for about 30-minutes or so, after that it begins to wear thin. It’s a good premise, but I’ve seen this sort of film before and no one has yet been able to sustain it over the course of an entire feature. These sorts of stories always seem to fit best into half-hour or hour-long television dramas like The X-Files, The Twilight Zone, or Fringe.

Video Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

Captured in HD on a Red One camera, Vanishing on 7^th Street appears on Blu-ray in a 1080p/24 AVC/MPEG-4 transfer. While it is purposely stylized, with much of the color residing in the midtones, the film has an earthy look. It’s all about shadow and light and flesh tones suffer as does color separation, which shows lots of banding. There is a good amount of shadow detail, however, and close-ups are sharp.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4/5]

Audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless mix. Unless I’m mistaken, this is the first 7.1 mix Ive come across from Magnolia. While it is hardly aggressive, and, possibly, not really taking the fullest advantage of the additional two channels, it is a good mix overall. It is nicely ambient with a good balance of atmospherics and direct dialogue, extended, but not boomy low frequencies and a spacious spread of sounds.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:3/5]

None of the supplements outside of the director’s commentary offer much insight, but they do at least compliment the film. The alternate endings are also put a slight spin on the film.

The supplements provided with this release are:

• Commentary with Director Brad Anderson
• Alternate Endings (2.35:1; 1080p/24; 0:08.21)
• Revealing the Vanishing on 7^th Street (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 0:07.04) – The actors and the crew discuss the theme of the film.
• Creating the Mood on 7^th Street (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 0:04.23) – The filmmakers discuss the eerie feel of the film.
• Behind the Scenes Montage (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 0:02.13) – Have a look at some of the work that went into producing Vanishing on 7^th Street.
• Fangoria Interviews (1.78:1; 1080i/60):
  • Brad Anderson (0:23.00)
  • Jacob Latimore (0:07.24)
• HDNet: A Look at Vanishing on 7^th Street (1.78:1; 1080i/60; 0:04.21) – This brief promotional segment from HDNet, sister company of Magnolia Home Entertainment explores Vanishing on 7^th Street.
• Theatrical Trailer (2.35:1; 1080p/24)
• BD-Live
• Digital Copy

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

If you’re afraid of the dark, Vanishing might get you briefly riled up and then help you sleep better. It get’s an A for style, but overall it’s unsatisfying despite a strong cast and good performances.

Additional Screen Captures

–

[amazon-product align=”right”]B004P2VQYS[/amazon-product]

BestBuy.com:

Purchase Vanishing on 7th Street on Blu-ray+Digital Copy at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]

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