Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Love Hurts is an action thriller that tells the story of Marvin, a mild-mannered Milwaukee realtor that rides his bicycle to work, bakes cookies for his clients, and shares a close relationship with his real estate mentor, Cliff. His idyllic life is thrown into chaos on Valentines Day when he receives a crimson envelope from Rose, a former crime associate, that he left in his past.

After receiving the note from Rose, Marvin suddenly finds himself the target of hitmen sent by his volatile crime lord brother “Knuckles”, which forces him to confront the choices that haunt him, and the history, he never truly buried.

As a fan of the popcorn movie action genre, I can be forgiving when it comes to thin plots, provided that the character(s) are developed enough to give me something to root for. The trailer for this film didn’t look like it had much story but, I like the primary members of the cast, and hoped their characters would carry the day.

Unfortunately, there is little about the film that even a devout action junkie could thrive on. The plot is razor thin, the dialog/banter is trite, and none of the characters are well drawn. This leaves only the action, which is serviceable but, nothing that hasn’t been done before. The film’s 83-minute runtime is painfully short, which doesn’t help matters. With three writers contributing to the script, why not take the time to build a better story?

As it stands, Love Hurts wastes the talents of its cast, as well as the time of fans that are hoping for something to slake their thirst for a quick action flick fix.

For its presentation on Ultra HD Blu-ray the film was derived from 4.6K sources, and finished on a 4K Digital Intermediate.

This is a pleasing Ultra HD presentation that delivers crisp detail, and resolute imagery. Close up camera shots of the cast are exquisite. The weave pattern in clothing, and the texture of surfaces within the frame, are clearly discernible. There are a handful of instances where sharpness wavers, but duration is brief, and appears innate to the photography.

Colors are beautifully rendered, especially reds, which literally pop off the screen. Flesh tones are naturally differentiated, and lifelike. Blacks have excellent dynamic range and gradational stages. High dynamic range doesn’t play a forward role in the presentation, but provides depth to colors, and whites, yielding a dynamic and pleasing picture. The overall result is a great looking image.

Listening to the Dolby Atmos surround mix I was disappointed to find that it doesn’t make full use of the platform. During the host of action/fight sequences, the height channels never come into play. The scenes sound fine, but perhaps not as involving as they may have been otherwise.

Clearly the design, in this case, was based on creative decisions that utilize the object-based platform in a way that, in my opinion, adheres closer to an augmented channel derived listening experience. I believe that utilization of the height channels would have enhanced the audio experience.

Aside from that, the soundtrack’s mix makes regular use of the bed channels to drive the film’s elements. Its dynamic range accents the sonic detail present in the recording, especially when the action kicks in. I never had any trouble with dialogue reproduction, or bass response, which exhibited excellent palpability and tight extension.

Bonus features are comprised of an alternate ending, three extended scenes, five deleted scenes, and three production featurettes, that offer insights into the making of the film, training regimens, and the stunts featured in the film. A Blu-ray and Digital code complete the set.

Love Hurts is a subpar genre entry that will leave even the most forgiving action junkies disappointed. It presents well in 4K, which is a bonus, if you already happen to be a fan.