The Review at a Glance: ( max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
83
Studio and Year: Image Entertainment - 2009
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 102 minutes
Genre: Action/Sci-fi
Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SHD, Spanish
Starring: Adrian Paul, Danny Trejo, Megan Blake, Luke Eberl
Directed by: Richard Clabaugh
Music by: Mark Brisbane & Guy-Roger Duvert
Written by: Fran Clabaugh & Richard Clabaugh
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: July 6, 2010
"You Are Being Watched!"
Film Synopsis:
In the near future as fear of terrorism escalates, privacy is a luxury of the past. Now, in people’s homes, on the streets, in the workplace, everyone is constantly being watched by mobile robotic cameras known as “Eyeborgs.”
My Take:
‘Eyeborgs', where 1984 meets the Patriot Act and the general population doesn't seem to care. The government got us to believe that the threat of terrorism, crime and our over-all safety would be so much better if we had these ‘Eyeborgs' watching over our every move 24/7. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I saw the possibility of a decent silly Sci-Fi flick with a message in that premise.
This type of plot would be dead in the water without a few token 'wacko's' who are raging against the machine because, with these robots, (of course) there is more than meets the eye. The cast of characters includes 'The (you guessed it) Detective', played way too seriously by Adrian Paul of Highlander the TV series fame. We also are treated Megan Blake as 'The (overly snooping and in your face) Reporter' (who delivered some of her lines so terribly that I had to scan back to do a double-take), and 'the metal kid with the dyed hair' who just happens to be the Presidents Nephew. With those 3, a whole schlew of CGI ‘Eyeborgs' who are watching and listing to your every move and a healthy serving of secret agenda by 'big brother', we have the makings for a colossal low budget Sci-Fi catastrophe. Luckily it is not as bad as it could have been, but I think I would have enjoyed it better if it was! I need to believe there was a good idea that started this story blossoming in Writer/Director Richard Clabaugh's head, but all we really got was the "silly Sci-Fi flick" as all the deeper meanings seemed stripped out.
Besides the non-important stuff (you know, acting and plot), ‘Eyeborgs' was a decent production with good CGI on low budget. For all its faults, I didn't feel I needed to give up on it and that it was a waste of time. I think if I caught it late night (by accident) on the SyFy channel, its campiness and failing reach for allegories about government control over our rights and privacy would have made more sense and been less of a detriment to the movie.
Parental Guide:
Rated R for language and some violence.
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: 84
Video: 82
‘Eyeborgs' comes to Blu-ray Disc from Image Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 16.8 mbps and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround Sound that has an average bitrate of 2.8 mbps.
Hey, at least ‘Eyeborgs' looks and sounds pretty darn good. The AVC encode has a nice level if detail, resolving definition on fabric, surfaces and showing off facial features. The low budget CGI isn't the best we have seen, but the ‘Eyeborgs' look cool and move pretty believably (one model looks like a prototype for a Sony VW95 projector). The releases major weakness is black levels that loose shadow detail, appearing a bit crushed and making dark scenes annoying. Colors and flesh-tones appeared pretty natural and the look of its many different cameras (from surveillance shots, the ‘Eyeborgs' point of view etc.) all look equally decent.
The DTS-HD MA audio track has some cojones and sure is fun. It’s far from delicate, using the surrounds with reckless abandon, especially while whizzing bullets around during action scenes. The LFE is big and booming, adding more bubblegum to the mix. There is the occasional moment where dialogue was not discernible, but nothing that ruined the experience. This audio track was the best part of the release and was a blast to listen to. I enjoyed Image Entertainments release MUCH more than the film itself.
Bonus Features:
Final Thoughts:
‘Eyeborgs' is a classic example of a good idea gone very awry. I did enjoy seeing that this level of quality technical work (well, not on the story and acting side) can be achieved with a low budget. Thankfully (for me) it was not completely terrible and I can see it being sort of fun as a late night find on cable. I cant suggest seeking it out on Blu-ray, even thought the audio and video are above average. Sorry folks, bottom line is pass on this.
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS35 1080p High Definition Front Projector (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)
Custom 1.3 Gain 128" 2.37:1 CinemaScope Screen
Pioneer SC27 Receiver (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)
Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Triangle Zerius Speakers (7.1)
SVS PC13-Ultra Subwoofer
The Review at a Glance: ( max score: 5 )
Film:
Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
83
Studio and Year: Image Entertainment - 2009
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 102 minutes
Genre: Action/Sci-fi
Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles: English SHD, Spanish
Starring: Adrian Paul, Danny Trejo, Megan Blake, Luke Eberl
Directed by: Richard Clabaugh
Music by: Mark Brisbane & Guy-Roger Duvert
Written by: Fran Clabaugh & Richard Clabaugh
Region Code: A
Blu-ray Disc release Date: July 6, 2010
"You Are Being Watched!"
Film Synopsis:
In the near future as fear of terrorism escalates, privacy is a luxury of the past. Now, in people’s homes, on the streets, in the workplace, everyone is constantly being watched by mobile robotic cameras known as “Eyeborgs.”
My Take:
‘Eyeborgs', where 1984 meets the Patriot Act and the general population doesn't seem to care. The government got us to believe that the threat of terrorism, crime and our over-all safety would be so much better if we had these ‘Eyeborgs' watching over our every move 24/7. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I saw the possibility of a decent silly Sci-Fi flick with a message in that premise.
This type of plot would be dead in the water without a few token 'wacko's' who are raging against the machine because, with these robots, (of course) there is more than meets the eye. The cast of characters includes 'The (you guessed it) Detective', played way too seriously by Adrian Paul of Highlander the TV series fame. We also are treated Megan Blake as 'The (overly snooping and in your face) Reporter' (who delivered some of her lines so terribly that I had to scan back to do a double-take), and 'the metal kid with the dyed hair' who just happens to be the Presidents Nephew. With those 3, a whole schlew of CGI ‘Eyeborgs' who are watching and listing to your every move and a healthy serving of secret agenda by 'big brother', we have the makings for a colossal low budget Sci-Fi catastrophe. Luckily it is not as bad as it could have been, but I think I would have enjoyed it better if it was! I need to believe there was a good idea that started this story blossoming in Writer/Director Richard Clabaugh's head, but all we really got was the "silly Sci-Fi flick" as all the deeper meanings seemed stripped out.
Besides the non-important stuff (you know, acting and plot), ‘Eyeborgs' was a decent production with good CGI on low budget. For all its faults, I didn't feel I needed to give up on it and that it was a waste of time. I think if I caught it late night (by accident) on the SyFy channel, its campiness and failing reach for allegories about government control over our rights and privacy would have made more sense and been less of a detriment to the movie.
Parental Guide:
Rated R for language and some violence.
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: 84
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency extension:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialogue Reproduction:
Video: 82
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black level/Shadow detail:
- Color reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
‘Eyeborgs' comes to Blu-ray Disc from Image Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 16.8 mbps and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround Sound that has an average bitrate of 2.8 mbps.
Hey, at least ‘Eyeborgs' looks and sounds pretty darn good. The AVC encode has a nice level if detail, resolving definition on fabric, surfaces and showing off facial features. The low budget CGI isn't the best we have seen, but the ‘Eyeborgs' look cool and move pretty believably (one model looks like a prototype for a Sony VW95 projector). The releases major weakness is black levels that loose shadow detail, appearing a bit crushed and making dark scenes annoying. Colors and flesh-tones appeared pretty natural and the look of its many different cameras (from surveillance shots, the ‘Eyeborgs' point of view etc.) all look equally decent.
The DTS-HD MA audio track has some cojones and sure is fun. It’s far from delicate, using the surrounds with reckless abandon, especially while whizzing bullets around during action scenes. The LFE is big and booming, adding more bubblegum to the mix. There is the occasional moment where dialogue was not discernible, but nothing that ruined the experience. This audio track was the best part of the release and was a blast to listen to. I enjoyed Image Entertainments release MUCH more than the film itself.
Bonus Features:
- (HD) Behind the Scenes Featurettes
- (HD) Deleted Scenes
- (HD) Trailer
Final Thoughts:
‘Eyeborgs' is a classic example of a good idea gone very awry. I did enjoy seeing that this level of quality technical work (well, not on the story and acting side) can be achieved with a low budget. Thankfully (for me) it was not completely terrible and I can see it being sort of fun as a late night find on cable. I cant suggest seeking it out on Blu-ray, even thought the audio and video are above average. Sorry folks, bottom line is pass on this.
Lee Weber
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS35 1080p High Definition Front Projector (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)
Custom 1.3 Gain 128" 2.37:1 CinemaScope Screen
Pioneer SC27 Receiver (Calibrated by Jeff Meier)
Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Triangle Zerius Speakers (7.1)
SVS PC13-Ultra Subwoofer