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The Dead (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

5K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  GoCaboNow 
#1 ·


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

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

76






Studio and Year: Anchor Bay Entertainment - 2010
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 105 minutes
Genre: Horror, Action

Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Starring: Rob Freeman, Prince David Oseia and David Dontoh
Directed by: Howard J. Ford, Jonathan Ford
Music by: Imran Ahmad
Written by: Howard J. Ford, Jonathan Ford
Region Code: A

Blu-ray Disc release Date: February 14, 2012







"No One Is Safe."



Film Synopsis:

After crashing off the coast, Lt. Brian Murphy battles for survival across the vast terrains of Africa in search for a way to get back to his beloved family. Joined by local military man Daniel Dembele, who is also searching for his son, both men join forces, all the while battling against the ever-present threat of the living dead!



My Take:


I gotta give the Ford Brothers credit where credit is due. I cant believe since 1968's George Romero classic "Night of the Living Dead", that this name has yet to be used. We had Dawn of the, Day of the, Return of the, The Walking, The Grateful and now finally, just plain ol' The Dead.


The story is of American Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) on a fight for survival after becoming the last of his troops left while trying to fight this zombie epidemic that has taken over the continent of Africa. He walks across the land, alone, fighting flesh-eater after flesh-eater. He has no destination in mind, he just keeps on going. Once he finally connects with another "human", an African soldier named Sgt Daniel Dembele (Prince David Oseia), who is on the hunt for his son whom he was told was still alive, the two work together to survive and find a way out.

The Dead is a run of the mill virus-makes-zombies flick. What helps it be a bit stronger is its setting of Africa. The earth tones, the dry desolate landscape, and the feeling of being alone are an asset to the film. This sure is one violent and gory flick and will make zombie fans smile. It does start off slow, and is lacking on character development until it to a point that we don't need any, then it unfortunately shoves it down our throats. The Dead is at its best when it lets the look, land and gore take over, and isn't feeding us sub-par acting and robotic dialogue. But really, who cars? It's gory as hell and has some awesome kills...




Parental Guide:


Rated R for bloody zombie violence and gore.




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: 80


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:



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

Video: 78


  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

The Dead limps onto Blu-ray Disc from Anchor Bay Entertainment & Starz featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 22.2 mbps and Dolby TrueHD Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 2.0 mbps

The Dead, filmed in 35mm has a gritty look that is an asset to the film though it is far from high definition eye candy. Warm tones take over the arid and sun-scorched African desert, while details are strong on close-ups they fall short on wider shots. Film grain is palpable and a bit more then we are used to, adding more grit to this films already dirty look. Black levels, while strong do seem to a crush a bit during the films evening scenes. This is an over-all pleasing HD release, just held back by production choices. The audio is also a bit unorthodox, however, it fairs quite a bit better than the video. This track is all about the atmosphere and creating a mood. This tracks best trick is its use of silence and when Lt. Brian Murphy is alone, we feel it. Surrounds use far off screams, winds, gunfire coming from all over the room, adding to the films intensity. This track wont wow you with LFE or dynamics but it does what it tries to do well.





Bonus Features:

  • Feature Commentary track with Writer/Director's Howard J. Ford, Jonathan Ford

  • (HD) Unearthing The Dead: Behind The Scenes

  • (HD) Deleted Scene





Final Thoughts:


The Dead is at its best when it lets the look, land and gore take over, and isn't feeding us sub-par acting and robotic dialogue. The A/V quality isn't the best of recent new Blu-ray releases, but it has personality, and rating aside, I enjoyed the presentation. As far as zombie flicks go, genre fans will dig it even though its plot is point a to point b with no real social commentary or much character development. But really, who cars? It's gory as hell and has some awesome kills.












Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews




Reference Review System:




JVC DLA-RS45 3D 1080p 3D High Definition Front Projector

Screen Innovations Solar HD 1.3 120" 2.40:1 CinemaScope Screen

Denon AVR 4311 Pre/Pro

Sunfire Theater Grand 7201 Amplifier

Sony PS3 Slim Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

MK Sound S-150MKII LCR

MK Sound S-150T Tripole Surrounds

MK Sound MX-350MKII Subwoofer
 
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#3 ·
#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilgore /forum/post/21665876


When I think of "The Dead", I think of the John Huston directed film that was based on the story by James Joyce. Maybe these guys never heard of it.

I have seen it, great film. I meant pertaining to this genre.
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kilgore /forum/post/21665876


When I think of "The Dead", I think of the John Huston directed film that was based on the story by James Joyce. Maybe these guys never heard of it.

Moviemakers reuse titles all the time! For example: CRASH. And there's one coming out called PROJECT X (guess they never saw the Broderick movie). And how often has ASYLUM been used?!?! Geez, I wish they'd check IMDB or something once in a while.
 
#6 ·
Loved it . I've read reviews that complain about the repetitous action but for a Zombie fan this made sense . You slow down or stop you die . The film demands a second look to notice that the banality of their situation contributes greatly to the horror . The damned things are everywhere . This is what gave NOTLD it's power . It was'nt happening in the castles of europe or the small american town that is'nt on the map . It was the dead next door who occupy the world you once knew . Setting it in Africa made the country another character in the film . While it has some righteous kills the scene with the mother and baby toward the end was the most disturbing and heartbreaking scene that really got to me in a while . P.S One of our subs maybe needing some attention because even though there are better tracks available this movie simply POUNDED . Try the scene on the beach .
 
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