Can film buffs encounter a movie titled Monolith and not assume some connection to 1968’s classic 2001: A Space Odyssey? Probably not, and this 2022 release definitely bears a connection to the notion of the strange object prominently in the Kubrick flick.

A journalist (Lily Sullivan) suffers from a disgrace that derails her career. In an attempt to rebuild, she launches a podcast about unsolved mysteries.

This relies on listeners to submit their tales, and the journalist eventually latches onto discussions of a perplexing black brick. As her investigation proceeds, the journalist finds herself drawn into uncomfortable domains.

Although both include stories of mysterious objects, Monolith and 2001 feature radically different scopes. Whereas the 1968 film literally crossed through space and time, Monolith comes with a tightly concentrated setting.

Almost all the “action” revolves around the unnamed journalist and her audio interactions with folks on the phone. A few scenes shift to show flashbacks from the listeners’ perspectives, but a large percentage of the film sticks in the recording studio.

That creates a stagnant setting, obviously, but it also makes for an unusual and intriguing approach to the story. I actually wish Monolith avoided those cutaways, as the claustrophobia involved with one location would add tension.

Regardless of those choices, Monolith works better as a cinematic experiment than a finished product. Because I admire the risks taken here, I want to like the film, but the end product simply seems incomplete.

By that I mean Monolith comes across as a concept more than a well-thought-out movie. I get the impression those involved came up with the basic notion of a lone character’s pursuit of truth and descent into madness but didn’t bother to flesh out the rest especially well.

This means the movie tends to drag and feel like a short film extended to feature length. As written, the film simply lacks the content to fill even 95 minutes.

Monolith features less than stellar performances from the voice actors who interact with her remotely. This iffy work makes the end result less convincing and compelling.

Add to this a climax that doesn’t deliver much in terms of thrills and Monolith winds up as a mostly flat offering. As much as I appreciate the unusual structure, the film just doesn’t click.

Monolith appears in an aspect ratio of 2.00:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The image largely looked positive.

Overall sharpness seemed appropriate. A bit of softness crept in at times – partly to give the movie a murky vibe – but the majority of the flick appeared reasonably accurate and concise.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects popped up, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws also remained absent.

Colors emphasized a dull blue with some amber thrown in as well. Though the hues lacked ambition, the disc reproduced them as intended.

Blacks seemed fairly deep, while shadows offered appealing clarity. Nothing here excelled but the visuals suited the story.

In the same vein, one shouldn’t accept theatrics from the subdued DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Monolith. Given the movie’s focus on one character, the soundfield’s scope felt limited.

Basically this meant the various speakers emphasized moody music and not much else. Effects became a minor aspect of the track.

Audio quality worked fine, with speech that seemed natural and concise. Effects didn’t get much to do but they felt accurate enough.

Music showed good range and impact. Nothing here impressed but the soundtrack worked for the narrative.

A few extras appear and we launch with an audio commentary from director Matt Vasely, writer Lucy Campbell and producer Bettina Hamilton. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific look at the film’s origins and path to the screen, story, characters and themes, cast and performances, sets and locations, music, editing, photography, effects and other topics.

Expect a top-notch commentary here. The participants cover all the appropriate domains and do so in a lively, informative and engaging manner.

Behind the Scenes lasts seven minutes, 49 seconds. It brings info from Vassely, Hamilton, Campbell, director of photography Michael Tessari, and actor Lily Sullivan.

The featurette looks at the movie’s roots and development, story/characters, cast and performances, cinematography, sets and locations. This turns into a brief but tight little overview.

The disc opens with ads for Sting, A Creature Was Stirring and Your Lucky Day. We also get the trailer for Monolith.

Although I like the movie’s concept, Monolith never gets into a groove. It lacks drive and fails to find many interesting paths. The Blu-ray comes with generally positive picture and audio as well as a few bonus features. Monolith shows promise but the end product fails to satisfy.