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Dead Space Aftermath (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

6K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Rei86 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

71






Studio and Year: Anchor Bay - 2011
MPAA Rating: NR
Feature running time: 78 minutes
Genre: Sci-Fi/Animation

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Christopher Judge, Peter Woodward, Ricardo Chavira, Gwendoline Yeo

Curt Cornelius
Directed by: Mike Disa
Music by: Christopher Tin
Written by: Brandon Auman
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: January 25, 2011







"The end was only the beginning"



Film Synopsis:


The year is 2509 and not only has Earth lost contact with the Ishimura and Isaac Clarke, but now also the USG O'Bannon, the first responder ship sent to rescue them. Four crew members of the O'Bannon have survived. But what happened to the rest of the crew? What were they doing? What secrets are they keeping? All to be revealed...in the Aftermath! Dead Space: Aftermath is a fast paced, horrifying thrill ride told through the perspective of the 4 survivors.



My Take:


Dead Space: Aftermath is an animated feature based on the Electronic Arts video game Dead Space. The film centers on the Aegis VII disaster and explores how the world’s futuristic governing body exposes the unwitting crew of the USG O’Bannon to an alien device in the hopes that those that come into direct contact with it will return with a viable “Marker blueprint”, no matter the costs. The story is told from the four perspectives of the only survivors as they are forced to recount how exposure to only a small shard from the mysterious object induced hallucinations in the living and turned cadavers into mutated alien zombies.

I am not a gamer per se and have not played EA’s popular Dead Space series. The first Dead Space animated film wasn’t bad and made for a decent segue into the then upcoming game. Aftermath is designed for a similar purpose for the upcoming Dead Space 2 but as a stand alone film leaves much to be desired. The script is uneven and shallow and the action is bland, repetitive and boring. This is made worse by the use of poorly conceived/executed animation that results in a distracting visual presentation that is as uneven as the script. Fans of Dead Space may enjoy the conceptual connection to its world here but I suspect that viewers not familiar with the game will be less inclined at acceptance of Aftermath as a standalone sci-fi animate feature worthy of their time.


Parental Guide:


This film contains animated gore, violence, nudity and language.





AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 78


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:





Video: 64


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

Dead Space Aftermath comes to Blu-ray from Anchor Bay featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 25 Mbps and lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel audio that has an average bitrate of 2.6 Mbps.

The opening sequence of the film looked pretty decent and exhibited defining contrast, delineated color and fairly punchy blacks. As things progress the stylized color palette and two stroke shading used tends to highlight what appears to be an inordinate amount of banding. Resolution is fair but marred by edge enhancement, aliasing and a noticeably dull finish. Compared to the animated imagery that predominates titles coming to Blu-ray this high definition presentation comes up short. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel surround mix fares much better and makes for a decent listening experience. Dialogue is a bit forward sounding with clear intonation that occasionally bordered on sibilant. Robust dynamics coupled with the frequent surround use helps to generate a busy sound field that contains a host of sound effects. Front and rear soundstage integration is very good which enhances directional correlation. I expected to experience more of an aggressive low end with a film like this. While there are instances where bass response has appreciable solidity it never reaches room engaging levels. Be that as it may I would say that the presentation as a whole shines more often than not.



Bonus Features:

  • Trailers:

    1. Dead Space 2 video game
    2. Let me in
    3. Dante’s inferno
    4. The Bleeding





Final Thoughts:


The press jacket for Dead Space Aftermath describes it as a “fast-paced horrifying thrill ride that stretches the limits of time and space”. It is an animated feature based on the popular Electronic Arts video game Dead Space. Designed to coincide with the release of the upcoming Electronic Arts video game Dead Space 2 this film is a far cry from the description above and leaves much to be desired. The script is uneven and shallow and the sci-fi action is bland, repetitive and boring. Much like the film, its high definition video quality and lack of bonus content leaves much to be desired. Its lossless soundtrack is the only bright spot in an otherwise lackluster Blu-ray offering from Anchor Bay Home Entertainment.















Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





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Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen

Anthem AVM50v THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor

Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier

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Canton "Ergo" Series speakers

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#4 ·
I have played both games (1 and soon 2) and must say that if you are not into the games these movies will bore you. But, on the other hand, if you do play them, they will add a little extra to the background and surroundings of the game which are nice.
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGigaShadow /forum/post/19887869


Wait just a minute here. Lee reviewed Lebanon and Animal Kingdom and Ralph is reviewing Dead Space Aftermath?



Are these reviews coming from the backwards Bizarro Universe or did Ralph just draw the short straw this week?

Greetings,


Gotta share the pain..



It depends on the studio release and who is covering.




Regards,
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Busa /forum/post/19892655


I didn't think people would still be driving a 'segway' in the year 2509


Sorry, Ralph, that's the 2nd time I've seen you spell it like that. Should be 'segue'

Greetings,

Thanks for the correction Busa..



Regards,
 
#8 ·
I actually enjoyed Dante's Inferno and Dead Space Downfall.


Not only that if you're a gamer and actually played Dead Space, Downfall was a nice intro to the game.


Just like Mr Potts said Aftermath was a prequel to Dead Space 2 but good god does it suck. The script is pretty mindless but I'm here to be entertained and I'm scratching my head on what the hell the animation studio was thinking. The 3D models and presentation was awful to tell the story of present, then you have the usual EA anime tie in animation to tell the past that I prefer over the cheap 3D. I really wish I knew why they did that because god...it was some grade A just got out of programming school crap.
 
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