Jonah Hex Blu-ray Review

Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a bounty hunter, an ex-Confederate soldier, seeking revenge and redemption for the death of his family at the hands of Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). Turnbull begins assaulting important train routes obtaining a special weapon capable of great destruction. Now the law is looking for Jonah Hex to help them with the problem that Turnbull is posing to the nation, but this serves Jonah Hex as an opportunity to settle the score. Before he can get his hands on Turnbull he must resort to old friends in order to track down the man he hates and get his woman back, Lilah (Megan Fox).

Often times I’ve heard that sex sells. Sure, living in today’s society anything remotely sexy on TV will get the so desired ratings TV networks look for, but in the case of Jonah Hex and the addition of Megan Fox it just simply didn’t work. Many can agree that Megan Fox is eye candy and the advertisements were made to point that out, but yes Jonah Hex lacked more substantial content in order to stand among the great comic book adaptations. As is, Jonah Hex is far from being considered a great comic book adaptation. With that said you must be already thinking that this might not be so good and you might just be on the right path.

Jonah Hex lacked much more than I had expected. Jonah Hex is a character with rich history in the DC Universe, with a great set of adventures, but somehow that character that we have seen in the pages of the comic didn’t quite make it to the big screen. The antihero that graces the pages of the comics seemed to be lacking something and it never really found its way. The plot was a bit weak and the story felt rushed through. The dialogue was decent, but at times just felt corny and non-fitting. Some actors are just simply naturally good, Brolin and Malkovich, but it seems that their abilities weren’t exactly used to the fullest and Megan Fox made her worst appearance to date. It’s a comic book adaptation so if you keep that in mind from the beginning of the film your expectations might be lower and possibly enjoy the film more. I didn’t particularly dislike it, but I can see loopholes in the story that’s all.

Jonah Hex arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p VC-1 encode framed at 2.40:1. Jonah Hex on one end looks fantastic and on the other its problems are not easy to overlook. The image is clean and clear, something expected from a movie filmed a few months ago. Colors are rich and vibrant. The film features an overcooked look with oranges and yellows being over done to give the film its gritty look. Detailing is exceptional and revealing throughout. Jonah Hex has a few issues like some aliasing, distant items aren’t as detailed as we’d hope, and nighttime shots lack detail and look dull. Regardless, Jonah Hex looks decent on Blu-ray.

Jonah Hex arrives on Blu-ray with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtrack. Typically, we are used to loud movies, but Jonah Hex goes a step higher. Jonah Hex is loud in every sense of the word. Dialogue is clean and clear and it barely gets by without being overwhelmed. The rears are disappointing, as they are almost never used. Ambience effects are very subtle. The track is mostly focused in the front speakers that make the soundfield less engrossing. However, there is proper directionality throughout. The LFE output is tremendous, its use is constant and it makes even the slightest gun shot incredibly loud. There’s no doubt this track will make your home theater work.

Picture-in-Picture – This PiP allows director Jimmy Hayward to talk about the movie. Plus, the PiP includes interviews with members of the cast like Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, and Megan Fox to name a few.

The Inside Story of Jonah Hex – Gives the fans a quick overview of the character Jonah Hex and its past in the DC Universe.

Deleted Scenes

Jonah Hex was a letdown considering the history of the character within the DC Universe. With a cast like Josh Brolin and John Malkovich I can’t see how we couldn’t have received a better product. Take it for what it is, if you know ahead of time that it’s not the greatest comic book adaptation then you should keep your expectations low and enjoy the movie. The Blu-ray features a decent video transfer and a very loud sound mix. The supplements are a hit or miss. I would recommend at least a rental.