Movie Review: Hanna Blu-ray & DVD

Hanna learns how to survive, how to kill and just about everything else her CIA father can but only tells her about technology like a transmitter that will call in the bad guys.

Blu-ray

Film making 22/25

Video 24/25

Audio 25/25

Bonus Features 16/25

Total 87/100

DVD

Film making 22/25

Video 22/25

Audio 23/25

Bonus Features 16/25

Total 83/100

Hanna tells her father she is ready and pushes the button on the transmitter, her father sees this and leaves her to her fate. The bad guys soon descend on the remote cabin in Finland only to find Hanna really can handle herself against all odds.

16 year old Hanna Heller is raised by her father since the age of two as an assassin, mostly to take revenge on her father's past. Erik is an ex-CIA operative who risked it all years ago to save Hanna but his secret is one Marissa Wiegler wants to keep secret.

Hanna, played by Saoirse Ronan leads Marissa, Cate Blanchett, on a merry chase across parts of Europe and the Middle East to actually lead her father to Marissa. Marissa has more assets but Erik finally tells Hanna who she really is which puts a fire into her to end the secret that Marissa is trying to keep from the world.

Hanna uses a freewheeling family several times to help her get to where she wants to go by sticking with one of her multiple cover stories. Hanna does use the family and even makes friends with the daughter but they also end up revealing information about her when Marissa captures them.

Instead of nonstop action like the Bourne saga we get fast paced and furious action sequences between the explorations of the new world that Hanna now finds herself in. Hanna is an action thriller film with overtones of popular fast paced action flicks like Bourne but with a real twist.

We get to see how Hanna, innocent and young finds her way in a world that she knows only tales told to her by her father while growing up in the wilds of Finland. She has never seen technology except a transmitter her father uses to signal Marissa when Hanna is ready.

Hanna handles technology and using the modern world of the internet easily as she has a talent which is part of her secret. Hanna and other children were genetically altered to enhance strength and intelligence in a CIA project that was scrubbed.

Erik was there during the end of the project and saved Hanna, trying to escape with Hanna and her mother but Marissa tried to stop them. All the children and mothers of the project were to be eliminated to cover up the government involvement but Erik could not go through with the killing.

Hanna on Blu-ray is a real treat for both video and audio with some very good looking scenery throughout the film along with some great surround sound. Video is excellent, colors are toned down but still beautiful while scenes look great with nice sharpness and clarity.

Audio is also excellent, as good as you're going to get and with superb surround sound that really makes you sit up and pay attention. Both video and audio lend a certain finesse to the film along with the story that is unlike many other action films I have reviewed and seen.

Bonus content on the Blu-ray edition includes audio commentary, making of features, deleted and alternate endings. The bonus content could have been better but with just enough to make the extras worthwhile along with the film as a movie purchase.

Hanna is a great film and well worth an addition to any collection for a great action film with an unusual filming style. The action sequences are well done but not used so often that you get dulled by constant fight scenes, there is a great story here as well as the well done action.

I also received the DVD version of this action thriller and was impressed with the DVD copy but the video quality was lower than the Blu-ray edition. Both the video and audio quality are slightly less on the DVD edition which is to be expected but not so much that it will be disappointing.

The DVD edition does have the same extras that the Blu-ray edition does which is kind of surprising but not really when you look through them all. The DVD edition is worthwhile if you do not have the HD quality player or want a mobile copy of this great film.

Hanna Blu-ray is a definite must see and a great addition to any action movie collection with enough unique action and genre defining moments. The Blu-ray edition may be the better quality but the DVD also has its good points for a mobile copy for use in a laptop that may not have a Blu-ray player.

Hanna has a great story and is very well made, has some great acting and is a great action thriller that makes a great addition to nay movie collection.

Hanna Website