On the package for 2020’s Possessor, writer/director Brandon Cronenberg receives the appellation of a “visionary mind”. Should someone only on his second feature film get that credit?

Probably not, even if said “visionary” is the son of actual legendary director David Cronenberg. Still, even with the excessive hype for the younger Cronenberg, I felt intrigued to see how close the apple might fall from the tree.

Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough) functions as a high-powered corporate assassin. Rather than use the standard tactics, she utilizes special brain-implant equipment that allows her to take control of other peoples’ bodies.

Via this method, Tasya can access her targets more easily and use these others against them. However, one of these infiltrated minds fights back and creates a major struggle.

I’ll give Cronenberg this: he creates a fairly ambitious effort with Possessor. Of course, to live up to his father’s legacy, one would expect nothing less, but I still admire that aspirations of the drama on display here.

Unfortunately, Cronenberg can’t really turn Possessor into a satisfying final product. While it toys with us – and favors the kind of warped visuals embraced by his dad – the movie never quite gels.

Honestly, Possessor often feels more like a rough draft for a story and not a fleshed-out narrative in its own right. I get the impression Cronenberg came up with the basic concept and figured it would offer enough intrigue to carry the day.

And for a while, it does, as the movie’s first act proves compelling. We get drawn into Tasya’s world well and feel interested to dig deeper.

However, Possessor doesn’t truly go to the next level that it needs. Although it plays with Tasya’s internal struggles and the ways that her job messes with her mind – literally – the end result lacks a lot of substance.

As such, Possessor tends to flirt with themes rather than embrace them. It all seems just a bit too superficial, as the movie doesn’t explore its concepts with the vigor it needs.

Ultimately, this leaves Possessor as an intriguing effort but not a wholly satisfying one. Though it does enough to keep us with it, the movie lacks the dimensionality it needs to really connect.

Possessor appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Given the film’s visual choices, the Blu-ray looked mostly positive.

Sharpness was generally fine. A few shots could be a little soft, but the majority of the flick came across as fairly accurate and concise.

I noticed no issues with jagged edges or shimmering, and edge haloes were absent. No source flaws materialized either.

Colors tended toward teals, ambers, blues or reds and they could seem less than appealing, though the design contributed to that. While never particularly attractive, I thought the hues likely replicated the desired tones.

Blacks were dark and deep, and low-light shots exhibited decent clarity, though they could seem a bit murky at times. Across the board, this became a reasonably positive transfer.

As expected, the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack emphasized atmospheric information, as the movie’s tone focused on a moody vibe. Some more engaging elements did appear, though.

In particular, violent effects cropped up in appropriate spots. These all melded together well to create an often subdued but engaging soundscape.

Audio quality satisfied, with speech that felt natural and concise. Music was warm and full as well.

Effects rarely stood out as impactful, but they showed positive clarity and range, with good oomph as necessary. Though not a showcase mix, the audio suited the film.

A smattering of extras appear here, and a three Behind the Scenes featurettes fill a total of 37 minutes, 26 seconds. We find “A Heightened World” (10:31), “Identity Crisis” (14:43) and “The Joy of Practical” (12:12).

Across these, we hear from production designer Rupert Lazarus, writer/director Brendan Cronenberg, cinematographer Karim Hussain, special makeup designer Dan Martin, and actors Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Tuppence Middleton, and Sean Bean.

Across these reels, we learn about production and visual design, various effects, photography and colors, story/characters, cast and performances.

Overall, the three featurettes add up to a pretty good look at Possessor. They mix technical and creative elements to form an informative view of the production.

Three Deleted Scenes appear. We get “Panic Attack” (3:46), “Reid’s In the Pool” (3:02) and “Wake Up and Count” (1:25).

“Attack” adds a little depth to Tasya’s crisis, and “Pool” offers a bit of exposition. “Count” just gives us a look at the technical issues connected to Tasya’s work. “Pool” becomes the only one that really goes anywhere.

The disc opens with ads for Synchronic, Cut Throat City, and Freaks (2019). We also find three trailers for Possessor.

As a mind-bending mix of sci-fi and action, Possessor offers the potential to become a dark, deep ride. While it toys with those achievements, it doesn’t quite get there, as it seems a little too underdeveloped. The Blu-ray brings generally positive picture and audio along with a few bonus materials. Though occasionally gripping, the movie doesn’t completely fulfill its goals.