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Flashback Blu-ray Review

“Flashback” is sure to be divisive.

In “Flashback,” the story revolves around a man named Fredrick who is in a funk. He’s married and has a new job, but his mother is ill and he is being haunted by hazy memories of a high school friend named Cindy who has seemingly gone missing. As memories come flooding back, Frederick reconnects with 2 high school pals (Sebastian and Andre) to try to uncover the mystery of Cindy’s disappearance. Is the mystery linked to a drug they all took called Mercury? Are there alternate timelines? Is Fredrick hallucinating? Is something more sci-fi going on?

Your mileage may vary with the mystery film “Flashback.” For those on board with this trippy tale, the experience will be worth the journey. For those that will find it to be a frustrating view, it’s likely you won’t care how the convoluted story wraps up. As for me, I found myself in the latter camp.

Despite a strong cast consisting of Dylan O’Brien and Maika Monroe (both of whom turn in impressive performances that are the best part of the entire movie), writer/director Christopher MacBride’s “Flashback” is wildly uneven. The first half starts out compelling enough with a rather eerie atmosphere surrounding the mystery that has been set-up. Around the midway point, the movie becomes a literal flashy mess filled with quick cuts, an infusion of numerous ambiguous concepts, flashing lights and images and an almost chaotic structure. Again, some viewers may find the narrative shift to be of interest, but to me, it feels like a clash of visions that don’t quite gel together. I wish I could elaborate more, but this is very much the type of movie that you have to be careful talking about to avoid key spoilers.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? The hi-def picture quality is satisfactory.

audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Expect an effective 5.1 track.

Extras include 3 deleted scenes, a “Flashback” trailer, a Digital copy and a commentary by director Christopher MacBride

June 3, 2021 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Dylan O'Brien, Flashback Blu-ray Review, Maika Monroe, Sci-Fi Movie