A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators. Check out Ralph Potts’ Blu-ray review of Crawl from Paramount Home Media Distribution.
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The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
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Extras:
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Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
93
Details:
Studio and Year: Paramount - 2019
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 87 minutes
Genre: Thriller
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 2.39:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio, French/Portuguese/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Starring: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper
Directed by: Alexandre Aja
Music by: Max Aruj, Steffen Thum
Written by:Michael Rasmussen, Shawn Rasmussen
Region Code: A
Release Date: October 15, 2019
"Swim Like Hell"
Synopsis:
“A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.” – Paramount Home Media Distrubution.
My Take:
When a massive hurricane hits her Florida town, young Haley ignores the evacuation orders to search for her missing father, Dave. After finding him gravely injured in their family home, the two of them become trapped by the rapidly encroaching floodwaters. With the storm strengthening, Haley and Dave discover an even greater threat than the rising water level -- a relentless attack from a pack of large, aggressive, alligators.
There’s nothing like a good old throwback style creature feature to get the blood flowing. Crawl makes no bones about its thematic tone and quickly sets about going to business after a very brief story setup. Truth be told there is little to dissect in terms of the plot and narrative context other than to say that, what you see is what you get, in a good way. Kaya Scodelario delivers the goods in her turn as the heroine that is pit against insurmountable odds both from an escalating Cat. 5 hurricane and a pack of bloodthirsty gators that are determined to have their fill, come hell or high water (did you catch that?).
No, this isn’t thought provoking cinema that sparks conversation but, there is certainly entertainment to be had, especially if you just let go of the wheel and let it take you for a ride. Crawl is ample parts cheese fest, B-movie horror and action thriller. My wife didn’t care for it as much as I did but, I suspect those that enjoy its kind of cinematic flavor will have a great time.
Replay Value:
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Parental Guide:
The rating is for bloody creature violence and brief 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.**
Audio: 94
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
This is a pleasing high definition presentation that exhibits video quality that appears faithful to the film’s theatrical elements and consistent with a new release coming Blu-ray Disc. Much of the film is adorned by a teal toned aesthetic that combines with the use of browns, beiges, and crimson to set the mood intended by the filmmakers. It rarely makes for eye catching imagery but the results are pleasing. Fleshtones tend to look a little balmy and fall in line with the film’s visual elements. Contrast is spot on and blacks are fairly delineated and deep. Images are crisp and resolute with defining sharpness that provides appreciable dimension. The video is whistle clean and shows no obvious signs of compression errors or video related anomalies.
The 7.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack doesn’t disappoint. This is an entertaining mix that utilizes the entire system to create a theater like experience. Sound staging is excellent as both the front and rear channels are seamlessly integrated. Sound effects traverse the room during the various gator encounters/raging storm sequences. Dynamics are energy filled and impact felt with discerning articulation and resolute clarity. This is a fairly aggressive mix that makes regular use of the subwoofer to accentuate its dynamics. The quality of the bass is first rate as it floods the room with clean, hard hitting low frequency energy. The first appearance of the large gator will give you a taste of what lies in store. Dialog has excellent presence with clear, defining vocal character and good room penetration. This is a solid audio presentation that offers demonstration worthy material for those who like to show off their home theater systems. I have to imagine that a Dolby Atmos surround mix would have made this presentation all the better.
Bonus Features:
Crawl is the epitome of popcorn entertainment and makes for a great way to spend the evening when you’re up for a creature feature on movie night. It comes to Blu-ray from Paramount Home Media Distribution featuring excellent technical merits mated with a serviceable supplemental package. Crawl is definitely worth checking out on Blu-ray for genre fans.
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Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Electronic Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV7704 Audio/Video Processor
Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3 Seven Channel Amplifier
Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 Amplifier
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and Canton In-Ceiling Series Speakers
SVS Ultra Surrounds (Gloss Finish in Bipolar Configuration)
Dual SVS PC4000 Cylinder Subwoofers
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
AC Infinity Aircom T8 Component Cooling Systems
The Review at a Glance:
(max score: 5 )
Film:
( Max score: 100 )
93
Details:
Studio and Year: Paramount - 2019
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 87 minutes
Genre: Thriller
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC
Video Aspect: 2.39:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio, French/Portuguese/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Starring: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper
Directed by: Alexandre Aja
Music by: Max Aruj, Steffen Thum
Written by:Michael Rasmussen, Shawn Rasmussen
Region Code: A
Release Date: October 15, 2019
"Swim Like Hell"
Synopsis:
“A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.” – Paramount Home Media Distrubution.
My Take:
When a massive hurricane hits her Florida town, young Haley ignores the evacuation orders to search for her missing father, Dave. After finding him gravely injured in their family home, the two of them become trapped by the rapidly encroaching floodwaters. With the storm strengthening, Haley and Dave discover an even greater threat than the rising water level -- a relentless attack from a pack of large, aggressive, alligators.
There’s nothing like a good old throwback style creature feature to get the blood flowing. Crawl makes no bones about its thematic tone and quickly sets about going to business after a very brief story setup. Truth be told there is little to dissect in terms of the plot and narrative context other than to say that, what you see is what you get, in a good way. Kaya Scodelario delivers the goods in her turn as the heroine that is pit against insurmountable odds both from an escalating Cat. 5 hurricane and a pack of bloodthirsty gators that are determined to have their fill, come hell or high water (did you catch that?).
No, this isn’t thought provoking cinema that sparks conversation but, there is certainly entertainment to be had, especially if you just let go of the wheel and let it take you for a ride. Crawl is ample parts cheese fest, B-movie horror and action thriller. My wife didn’t care for it as much as I did but, I suspect those that enjoy its kind of cinematic flavor will have a great time.
Replay Value:
The rating is for bloody creature violence and brief 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.**
Audio: 94
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Dynamics:
- Low frequency effects:
- Surround Sound presentation:
- Clarity/Detail:
- Dialog Reproduction:
- DSU/DTS Neural:X Rating * (non-rated element): NA
(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)
- Resolution/Clarity:
- Black Level/Shadow Detail:
- Color Reproduction:
- Fleshtones:
- Compression:
This is a pleasing high definition presentation that exhibits video quality that appears faithful to the film’s theatrical elements and consistent with a new release coming Blu-ray Disc. Much of the film is adorned by a teal toned aesthetic that combines with the use of browns, beiges, and crimson to set the mood intended by the filmmakers. It rarely makes for eye catching imagery but the results are pleasing. Fleshtones tend to look a little balmy and fall in line with the film’s visual elements. Contrast is spot on and blacks are fairly delineated and deep. Images are crisp and resolute with defining sharpness that provides appreciable dimension. The video is whistle clean and shows no obvious signs of compression errors or video related anomalies.
The 7.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack doesn’t disappoint. This is an entertaining mix that utilizes the entire system to create a theater like experience. Sound staging is excellent as both the front and rear channels are seamlessly integrated. Sound effects traverse the room during the various gator encounters/raging storm sequences. Dynamics are energy filled and impact felt with discerning articulation and resolute clarity. This is a fairly aggressive mix that makes regular use of the subwoofer to accentuate its dynamics. The quality of the bass is first rate as it floods the room with clean, hard hitting low frequency energy. The first appearance of the large gator will give you a taste of what lies in store. Dialog has excellent presence with clear, defining vocal character and good room penetration. This is a solid audio presentation that offers demonstration worthy material for those who like to show off their home theater systems. I have to imagine that a Dolby Atmos surround mix would have made this presentation all the better.
Bonus Features:
- • Intro to Alternate Opening
• Alternate Opening
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Beneath Crawl
• Category 5 Gators: The VFX of Crawl
• Alligator Attacks - DVD
- Digital Copy
Crawl is the epitome of popcorn entertainment and makes for a great way to spend the evening when you’re up for a creature feature on movie night. It comes to Blu-ray from Paramount Home Media Distribution featuring excellent technical merits mated with a serviceable supplemental package. Crawl is definitely worth checking out on Blu-ray for genre fans.
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6-HDR Meter from Spectracal )
Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Electronic Horizontal Masking System
Marantz AV7704 Audio/Video Processor
Emotiva XPA-7 Gen 3 Seven Channel Amplifier
Emotiva XPA-11 Gen 3 Amplifier
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control
Canton "Ergo" and Canton In-Ceiling Series Speakers
SVS Ultra Surrounds (Gloss Finish in Bipolar Configuration)
Dual SVS PC4000 Cylinder Subwoofers
Panamax M5400-PM Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, Better Cables (Silver Serpent) - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
AC Infinity Aircom T8 Component Cooling Systems
