5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
Eli Roth stars in this disaster-horror as a traveller caught up in the chaotic aftermath of a Chilean earthquake. While on a night out in an underground nightclub, American traveller Gringo (Roth) and his fellow partygoers find themselves fighting for their lives when a massive earthquake hits the town. They soon discover, however, that finding their way back to the surface is the least of their problems, when they emerge into the lawless streets and are forced to face a bloody fight for survival against marauding gangs of murderers, rapists and looters.
Starring: Eli Roth, Andrea Osvárt, Ariel Levy, Natasha Yarovenko, Selena GómezHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 39% |
Psychological thriller | 4% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A while back, a little-known movie called The Divide was released and told a visceral, dark story of humanity gone mad in an apocalyptic world and under the constraints of close-quarters living, dwindling supplies, and a fear of the unknown that slowly grew into something far more terrifying than whatever might await the survivors outside of their self-induced confinement. Aftershock also attempts to tell a story of dread, terror, and insanity in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, but the results are far less psychological disturbing, emotionally unsettling, and visually terrifying. Aftershock, as with most films attached to Eli Roth, is more about the superficial, the picture more content to simply pile on crude visuals and cruder people for the purpose of making an already bad situation into the most dreadfully grotesque thing the filmmakers could imagine. It misses the potential for greater character study and analysis of the human condition when people are suddenly pushed to the limit and forced to deal with an unthinkable scenario in a dark, unforgiving environment. Instead, Aftershock leans on the crutch of "already bad people doing bad things when nobody can stop them" rather than depicting the decay into madness that made The Divide such an impacting picture.
We can make it! I think.
Aftershock's low budget roots show on Blu-ray. The HD video image appears over processed and overly warm. Colors are over saturated, skin tones appear hot, and blacks are murky and overpowering. There is suitable-to-excellent clarity and definition on faces and clothes -- close-ups before the quake strikes reveal intricate skin details and facial hairs -- but once disaster hits and the film goes significantly darker, it often proves difficult to see that same level of detail, even on rubble or sweaty, bloodied faces. The image also suffers from intermittent banding and regular shimmering; the Gringo's shirt, the edges of the incline, and other surfaces throughout the film, particularly its first act, show the latter problem with some regularity. This is a classic case of a transfer looking rather good at-a-glance (even considering the processed appearance) but showing some warts upon closer examination.
Although Aftershock's video falls on the "iffy" side, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack certainly does not. And for bass lovers, this one is all about the thump. The track begins with ridiculously heavy bass. It's the kind that rattles the windows and scrambles the brain. It's too much, too heavy, too rattly, too unkempt. It lacks that tight, deep polish and favors instead raw power. Fortunately, the low end tightens up considerably through the rest of the film, delivering some fantastic and, frankly, frightening bass during the earthquake and heaviest aftershocks and several moments to follow. The dance club beats, too, deliver a deep, balanced, and very strong low end. The music is loud but fairly clear, a little muddled to reflect that it's reverberating through a club and not overlaid on top of the film. It's an excellent effect that almost makes the long stretches before the action tolerable. Dialogue comes through with natural clarity all over the stage, whether in the rare quieter scene or through the pummeling of the quake or amidst the beats of the dance music. Soundtracks don't get much more purely aggressive than this one.
Aftershock contains a commentary and two featurettes.
Aftershock could have been something more emotionally draining, dramatically relevant, and terrifying beyond the actual earthquake. Instead, it's a cheap, no-thought shocker that's more concerned with carnage for carnage's sake than it is telling a more thorough or exploratory story of humanity under unbelievable pressure. Maybe that's trying to make the movie into something the filmmakers never intended, and to be sure Eli Roth films have never really concerned themselves with much substance, only shock. Fans of schlock will probably enjoy it well enough, but audiences looking for a smart film should stay away. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Aftershock features iffy video, potent audio, and a few extras. Worth a rental for the morbidly curious.
Collector's Edition
2013
2018
2007
2009
2007
1991
2014
2017
2007
2009
Unrated Edition
2006
2016
Unrated
2005
2013
Original Unrated Cut
2005
Day of the Woman
1978
2016
2014
2011
2020