Following its theatrical release earlier this year, the thrilling Missing is available to bring home on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital.
While Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian do not return to direct or write the script, they were still instrumental in shaping the sequel to Searching. Both came up with the story and also produce the film with Natalie Qasbian. In any event, Missing plays with some of similar themes and storytelling motifs as its predecessor. For starters, they switch things up on the audience. Instead of a father searching for his daughter, the film features a daughter looking for their missing mother. Prior to helming the sequel, both Will Merrick and Nick Johnson were editors on the first film. As such, they’re familiar with what works and what doesn’t worth with this franchise.
Missing is another thriller in the same vein as Searching. June (Storm Reid) goes to LAX to pick up her mother, Grace (Nia Long), and Grace’s new boyfriend, Kevin (Ken Leung). Unfortunately for June, neither are at the airport and so she starts looking for them by ways of digital technology. She turns to Taskrabbit, where Javi (Joaquim de Almeida) responds to her request. Javi is not the best when it comes to phones and probably isn’t even the right person for the job. In any event, he feels bad for June so he goes through with it anyway. There’s so much international red tape at hand. June is stuck in Los Angeles, miles and miles away from being able to track Grace and Kevin down in Colombia. But for all of her digital expertise, she’s going to find twists and turns along the way. Will it be too late?
There are questions one must ask. Who exactly is Kevin? Grace might have hit it off with him but what if he’s responsible? Not surprisingly, June learns who Kevin is rather quickly–again, it’s the joy of technology. Meanwhile, Grace’s friend, Heather (Amy Landecker), checks in on June during this time, too.
The beauty of technology is that it is constantly adapting and involving. It’s been five years since the release of Searching. In this time, there have been so many changes. Hell, I didn’t even know that Zoom was a thing until the start of the pandemic. Take all of this into account and one has a good starting point for developing Missing. It’s an all-new story with more adrenaline and thrills. Some of digital tools in the film include Facetime, Taskrabbit, etc. But because of how the technology is handled in the film, it places the camera directly in an actor’s hand. What a world we live in.
Missing ups the stakes not only with its use of digital technology but in giving the film an international flavor. One can only wonder what will happen in the inevitable third film. After Searching and Missing, it would make a lot of sense for filmmakers to opt for Looking when it comes to the third one.
Bonus Features
- Deleted Scenes (Blu-ray only)
- Hunting for the MISSING Easter Eggs (Blu-ray only)
- Behind-The-Scenes Featurettes:
- Storm Reid and the Challenge of MISSING
- Misdirects, Online Crimes and the Social Media Mystery
- The Screens that Rule Our Lives
- Filmmaker Commentary
DIRECTORS/SCREENWRITERS: Will Merrick & Nick Johnson
CAST: Storm Reid, Joaquim de Almeida, Ken Leung, Amy Landecker, Megan Suri, Tim Griffin, with Daniel Henney and Nia Long
Stage 6 Films and Screen Gems released Missing in theaters on January 20, 2023. Grade: 4/5
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