5.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In a faraway galaxy, a legion of supermen has been developed to police the universe. These men have been altered with radiation and ozone layering to become virtually invincible. They are known as Finders, and they have all taken a sacred vow of protection. They have vowed to defend all life and to put no relationship before their obligation as Finders. Finders see too much; they love too long. Occasionally one goes renegade. Before they can multiply, they must be destroyed and only one man has the power to destroy them... ABRAXAS.
Starring: Jesse Ventura, Sven-Ole Thorsen, Damian Lee, Jerry Levitan, Marjorie BransfieldSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Jessie Ventura went from being a professional wrestling personality to being an actor, and during his transition phase, “The Body” managed to find himself acting alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. The pair made a fine mess of things in 1987’s “Predator” and “The Running Man,” and while Ventura was regulated to supporting roles, he managed to make an impression with his size and steely line delivery. Ventura’s dramatic career didn’t exactly take off, but he was offered a chance to follow in Schwarzenegger’s footsteps, with 1990’s “Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe” giving him a chance to play a “Terminator”-type, stepping into the role of an alien cop on the hunt for a villain looking for ultimate power in a tiny New York town during the Christmas season. Helping to reinforce the mood is the casting of Sven-Ole Thorsen as the villain, who also worked alongside Schwarzenegger (even doing time on “Predator” and “The Running Man”), giving the production a battle of size to go along with writer/director Damian Lee’s vision for sci- fi/action entertainment. “Abraxas” is a little too knotted with terms and fantasy touches, especially when Lee barely has money to make the movie, but as an offering of bottom shelf entertainment, one could do worse than a weirdly detailed battle for the future highlighting bulky characters and their struggles with chases, showdowns, and enunciation.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation carries no information on the packaging, but a press release lists the source as a "New 2K master from the best surviving elements." The viewing experience has some softness to it, but detail is present, offering an acceptable view of skin particulars and cold weather clothing. Business and domestic interiors carry some degree of depth and decoration. Small town tours and rural battles are also passably dimensional. Color is acceptable, enjoying the natural liveliness of Christmas hues and winterscapes. Home visits are also filled with varied primaries, along with clothing choices. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Source has some damaged frames, and scratches are present, with some quite lengthy.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA track deals with the inherent limitations of "Abraxas," which was never a shining example of audio recording and mixing. The listening event is more passable than powerful, offering a slightly muddier sound for the feature, which struggles with its limited budget. Dialogue exchanges are intelligible, but never sharp, keeping conversations basic. Music is also simple, with a milder sense of instrumentation as scoring cues range from jazzy numbers to synth emphasis. Elements of age are detected, along with a few points of damage.
"Abraxas" tries to create its own world of machine-like men and their lust for power, also offering tests of strength and endurance. There's a defined villain and hero, and while Ventura and Thorsen struggle with their lines, they offer a distinct screen presence in a film that's mostly out to entertain with its sci-fi strangeness. It's not quality work, but for those itching for some junky B-movie antics and pleasant winter adventuring, there's some appeal to this nonsense.
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