Based on its title, some may believe they’ll get a tale about Superman’s dog from 2019’s Crypto. Instead, it comes billed as a “cyber thriller”.

Martin Duran (Beau Knapp) grew up on an upstate New York farm with father Martin Sr. (Kurt Russell) and brother Caleb (Luke Hemsworth). However, he turned his back on country life and became a banker on Wall Street instead.

Eventually Martin gets sent to a branch near his home, and while there, he uncovers suspicious transactions. These lead him to an investigation of cyber crimes that may endanger those closest to him.

When we last saw director John Stalberg Jr., he led 2010’s High School, a thoroughly awful stab at a stoner comedy. What kept him away from movies for nine years? I don’t know, but if he learned anything in that span, he didn’t apply these skills to the meandering Crypto.

Eep, what a mess! Crypto touts itself as a cyber thriller, but it dabbles in so many narrative domains that it can’t keep its focus straight.

Not that the story needs to follow one specific path to the exclusion of all else, but Crypto flails about in an unsteady, uncertain manner. It doesn’t tie together the various threads in a compelling way, so the whole thing feels like a mix of detours.

A better-constructed movie would’ve concentrated mainly on the primary plot related to the cyber crimes. While those exist as a theme, they don’t become the focal point to the expected degree, so the narrative ambles around them.

Instead, we find ourselves stuck with a nascent connection between Martin and local hottie Katie (Alexis Bledel) as well as melodrama connected to Martin’s estranged family. These feel like extraneous plot points that exist to attempt manufactured emotion, and they don’t integrate organically into the tale.

Not that anything about Crypto progresses smoothly, as the movie lacks narrative development. Stuff happens, threats occur, and we don’t care – none of it draws in the viewer.

We do find a pretty good cast, and they do their best with the material. Unfortunately, Crypto becomes such a convoluted mess that they can’t do anything to make it watchable.

Crypto appears in an aspect ratio of 2.66:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a mostly positive presentation.

Overall delineation looked fine, as the movie usually seemed well-defined. Some wider shots could be a little soft, but not to a substantial degree. I saw no jaggies or shimmering, and both edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.

To the surprise of no one, teal dominated the film’s palette, with the occasional splash of orange as well. While predictable, the colors seemed well-executed.

Blacks showed good depth, and shadows were fine; some low-light shots could be a smidgen thick, but not terribly so. All this led to a more than competent presentation.

Similar thoughts accompanied the fairly good DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Crypto. This wasn’t exactly an action-packed mix, so one shouldn’t expect constant auditory shenanigans. When appropriate, the soundscape kicked to life well, but much of it focused on ambient information and music.

Audio quality worked fine. Due to accents and slang, dialogue could occasionally be tough to understand, but the recordings themselves were fine; the lines seemed natural and concise.

Music offered good range and impact, and effects followed suit. These elements contributed fine dimensionality, with strong low-end at appropriate times. All of this led to a worthwhile soundtrack.

Among extras, we find an audio commentary from director John Stalberg Jr. and writers David Frigerio and Carlyle Eubank. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, cinematography and music, influences, themes and connected domains.

Overall, this becomes a pretty good chat. The three men interact well and make this a lively and fairly informative view of the production.

Creating Crypto goes for nine minutes, two seconds and features Stalberg, Frigerio, Eubank, and actors Beau Knapp, Luke Hemsworth, Jeremie Harris, Vincent Kartheiser, Alexis Bledel, and Kurt Russell.

“Creating” examines story/characters, cast and performances, and Stalberg’s impact on the production. This becomes a fairly fluffy promo piece without much substance.

The disc opens with ads for Spinning Man, Affairs of State, and Bent. We also get the trailer for Crypto.

A confused mix of plot points, Crypto fails to develop into a compelling tale. It lacks focus and can’t find the drama or tension it needs to prosper. The Blu-ray brings generally positive picture and audio along with a few bonus features. This becomes a wholly forgettable film.