Max is a nice if not forgettable family flick, featuring good performances from the cast including Josh Wiggins, Thomas Haden Church and relative newcomer Mia Xitali. It’s nothing extraordinary and has a bit of the cheese factor in some scenes yet, and in spite of the thematic elements, is well worth watching especially for families as it does highlight an important part of the military.
Max
(2015)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Drama, Family, Adventure
Warner Bros. | PG – 111 min. – $35.99 | October 27, 2015
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Boaz Yakin Writer(s): Boaz Yakin & Shelton Lettich (written by) Cast: Thomas Haden Church, Josh Wiggins, Luke Kleintank, Lauren Graham, Robbie Amell, Mia Xitali, Jay Hernandez DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), Audio Descriptive (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Portuguese (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1) |
** Click Here to Purchase Max on Blu-ray from Amazon.com **
PLOT SYNOPSIS
A precision-trained military dog, Max serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott (ROBBIE AMELL). But when things go terribly wrong on maneuvers, Kyle is mortally wounded and Max, traumatized by the loss of his best friend, is unable to remain in service. Sent stateside, the only human he seems to willing to connect with is Kyle’s teenage brother, Justin (JOSH WIGGINS), so Max is saved when he is adopted by Kyle’s family. But Justin has issues of his own, including living up to his father’s (THOMAS HADEN CHURCH) expectations, and he isn’t interested in taking responsibility for his brother’s troubled dog.
However, Max may be Justin’s only chance to discover what really happened to his brother that day on the front, and with the help of Carmen (MIA XITLALI), a tough-talking teen who has a way with dogs, Justin begins to appreciate his canine companion. Justin’s growing trust in Max helps the four-legged veteran revert back to his heroic self, and as the pair race to unravel the mystery, they find more excitement—and danger—than they bargained for. But they each might also find an unlikely new best friend… in each other.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.0/5
This release comes with a matted slip cover. Inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy as well as a DVD Copy.
As for features, it’s rather light with Working with Max (4:49; HD) a featurette on meeting the dogs who played “Max” and Hero Dogs: A Journey (7:43; HD) which is a behind-the-scenes look at military trained K9s.
VIDEO – 4.5/5
Warner Home Video unleashes Max onto Blu-ray presented in its original theatrical 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and shown with a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture offers sharp and clear detail throughout with bright and well balanced colors which show well since a fair portion of the movie is during the daytime and keeping in with the more family-centric tone (albeit dangerous situations during the climax). There were no major instances of artifacts, aliasing or other flaws.
AUDIO – 3.75/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is passable if not disappointing. The upper range, such as the score and more action-oriented scenes, are a bit limited even toned down while lower end elements, like dialogue levels, are clear and has some depth behind it. Considering the family genre, this is a fine lossless track but could’ve had more power.
OVERALL – 3.0/5
Overall, Max is a nice if not forgettable family flick, featuring good performances from the cast including Josh Wiggins, Thomas Haden Church and relative newcomer Mia Xitali. It’s nothing extraordinary and has a bit of the cheese factor in some scenes yet, and in spite of the thematic elements, is well worth watching especially for families as it does highlight an important part of the military. The Blu-ray released by Warner is on the limited side with thin bonus material, good video and adequate audio transfers.
Published: 10/29/2015
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.