Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Amusement Blu-ray Movie Review

When a studio bumps a film's release date, it's usually a sign that the production encountered some unforeseen problems. However, when a studio delays a flick on four separate occasions, scraps any theatrical plans in favor of a barebones direct-to-video release, and banishes the subsequent DVD debut to the middle of January, it's a clear indication that the project completely imploded, leaving its production heads with no other choice but to recoup costs any way they could. Initially slotted for an early 2008 stint in theaters, Amusement quickly became a New Line nightmare. Pushed back from January to April... then to September... and then to December, the studio finally gave up and decided to quietly toss the film onto DVD without any fanfare whatsoever. Well, dear readers, I've just had the displeasure of sitting through Amusement's mind-numbing 85-minute cut and, to be blunt, it's an inconceivable mess that honestly should have been delayed indefinitely.

After tapping on my keyboard for fifteen minutes in an effort to condense the film's tiresome and unnecessarily complicated plot into a coherent paragraph, I realized that the most effective way to convey how much drivel has been packed into Amusement was to let its own synopsis speak for itself:

Tabitha. Shelby. Lisa. They're longtime friends on separate life paths. But they share a horrific destination when a seemingly innocent incident from their school days comes back to terrify them. Something -- someone -- wants payback: warped vengeance... mind-games vengeance... taunting, shredding, slashing vengeance. Inside a stone-walled chamber of prison cells and mechanisms of doom, the three women and other victims face a fierce fight to survive. Who lives? Who dies? It's all for someone's Amusement. From screenwriter Jake Wade Wall (The Hitcher) and director John Simpson (Freeze Frame) comes a new film foray into horror. Turn down the lights. Turn up the fear.

If that sparkling back-cover gem didn't leave you laughing, do yourself a favor and read it one more time. Finished? As it turns out, reading the official plot synopsis isn't just good for a quick chuckle, it's also the perfect way to prepare yourself for Wall's clumsy, ill-conceived, and painfully unoriginal screenplay. Character logic ranges from incredibly stupid to insanely idiotic, the plot is a haphazard retread of countless horror classics, and the vast majority of the dialogue is dull, redundant, and burdened with extraneous exposition. It doesn't help that the killer (admittedly played to decent effect by character actor Keir O'Donnell) is an underdeveloped cliche and the female protagonists (Katheryn Winnick, Jessica Lucas, and Laura Breckenridge) aren't given anything interesting to do -- well, aside from genre staples like running, screaming, and spouting out weak one-liners. I know Wall hasn't written his way into fans' hearts with the drivel he penned for the critically-panned remakes of The Hitcher and When a Stranger Calls, but Amusement is so ridiculously bad that it makes those two cinematic blunders look like The Godfather and Casablanca.

As suspiciously familiar as it may be, Wall does manage to craft one effective scene in which the emerging female lead is confronted with a room stuffed with dolls and clowns. Unfortunately, it's an all-too-short respite in the middle of an unbearable assault on his audience's intelligence. Likewise, Simpson shows himself to be a fairly capable director, but still has to work on tightening up his edits (for more effective scares), being more inventive with his cinematography, and pushing his actors to further extremes. The film's only saving grace is Winnick, a Scarlett Johansson lookalike who had clearly identified the script's flaws and worked as hard as she could to compensate for them. Her efforts don't make her character's lines any easier to stomach, but she does manage to upstage her co-stars and command a bit of attention.

I'm sure if I was handed a budget report, had a chance to hear about the filmmakers' on-set challenges, or watch a documentary that explored their production limitations, I'd be far more forgiving -- after all, if it weren't for the film's positively uninspired script, Amusement might have been a decent genre outing -- but I can't possibly recommend it to anyone. Gorehounds will be disappointed with its tame violence, slasher fans will cry foul when they realize how often Wall pickpockets other films, and torture-porners will yawn at the visuals and on-screen abuse. Regardless of the sort of horror fan you are, I wouldn't even spend three bucks to rent this one.

Amusement Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

At least Amusement features an impressive 1080p/VC-1 transfer. Even though Wall and Simpson set the majority of the film at night and wrangle most of their characters into dimly lit interior spaces, colors are vibrant, primaries are bold (particularly reds), fleshtones are natural, and contrast is stable and strong. There are several occasions in which the darkest portions of the screen aren't as perfectly resolved as they should be, but blacks are generally deep, shadow delineation is noteworthy, and the image boasts a convincing level of depth. Even so, the transfer's best attribute is its revealing fine details. Textures are crisp, edges are nicely defined, and exterior shots are brimming with sharp foreground and background objects. Scenes filmed during the day are even more stunning, leaving very little to the imagination. A few soft shots pop up here and there, but they seem to be the result of the original print rather than an encoding error. Thankfully, the picture is also very clean -- I didn't detect any significant artifacting, noise, banding, or crush. A visible veneer of grain is present at all times, but it never spikes, fluctuates, or becomes a distraction.

As it stands, Amusement actually has something to be proud of: a striking video presentation. Horror fans may lament Simpson's aesthetic choices, but the BD's technical transfer is worthy of some legitimate praise.

Amusement Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Amusement's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track also adds some substantial value to an otherwise worthless release. Sure, the film's sound design isn't as sophisticated as the most discerning audiophiles may prefer, but its direct-to-video sonics are actually on par with other low-budget theatrical releases. Dialogue is crystal clear and well prioritized in the mix, reliable LFE support adds punch to horror beats and chase sequences, and the rear speakers create an immersive soundfield, deliver realistic interior acoustics, and enhance many scenes with subtle ambience. Moreover, pans are smooth, treble tones are clean and stable, and solid dynamics allow the film's score to become an active participant in the proceedings. If I have any major complaint, it's that directionality is a bit inaccurate and overdone. For the uninitiated, it's a common genre shortcoming -- horror filmmakers are constantly working to make a viewer jump and, to increase the effectiveness of a scare, their sound techs often flood every channel with sound, regardless of which speaker the sound should originate from. Simply put, the track's imprecision is most likely the result of the director's intention.

It's nice to see Warner/New Line finally delivering lossless audio on every Blu-ray release. Amusement may be a low-budget, direct-to-video fiasco, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be given the chance to sound as good as it possibly can. Kudos, Warner. Continue giving BD enthusiasts what they deserve and you'll patch up your high-def reputation in no time.

Amusement Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from a digital copy disc, the Blu-ray edition of Amusement doesn't include any supplemental material. I doubt any number of features could have redeemed the film itself, but it still would have been interesting to hear the director's thoughts on the production, its subsequent delays, and its eventual release.

Amusement Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Amusement is a cinematic failure in every regard -- it suffers from a terrible script, an unoriginal story, and the most ineffective scares I've ever seen in a modern horror flick. Luckily, blind-buyers and B-movie fans intent on ignoring my warning and picking up the Blu-ray edition of the film anyway are at least in for an AV treat. The disc doesn't offer any supplemental content, but it does feature an unexpectedly strong video transfer and TrueHD surround track. In the end, the film itself made me want to hit the eject button more and more with every passing second, but the Blu-ray disc kept me moderately sane with its visual and sonic prowess.