Apocalypse Pompeii Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Apocalypse Pompeii Blu-ray Movie Review

The vacation's over.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 19, 2014

There's a new big movie out in theaters, so that means it's time for a new Asylum flick to rip off said big movie and prey on naive movie buyers and renters and capitalize on fan fetishes for ultra-cheap cinema (some of whom are still waiting for The Asylum to release White House Has Fallen, Captain Phil, DFW Buyer's Club, A Dozen Years a Slave, and United States Hustler). This time, the victim is Director Paul W. S. Anderson's historical Disaster epic Pompeii. Of course, The Asylum has shifted things around and transformed its version, Apocalypse Pompeii, into a modern Disaster film in which a bunch of people cower in fear while waiting for super dad and recent Asylum staple John Rhys-Davies to come to the rescue (with Davies playing the same character, no less, that he portrayed in 100° Below Zero). It's about as uninteresting as it sounds and another example of how the cheap cash-in works, a movie that shares only a common word in the title and a "Disaster" theme driving the story. Otherwise, it's pretty much its own movie and could have taken place almost anywhere else in the world where a volcano resides, but then again, there wouldn't be a cheap-shot tie-in to help sell a few extra copies.

The special effects are amazing.

Rio de Janeiro is devastated by a major earthquake. No worries, it's half a world away from Pompeii, new home for the Pierce family: ex-special forces father Jeff (Adrian Paul), mother Lynne (Jhey Castles), and teenage daughter Mykaela (Georgina Beedle). While Jeff is busy securing his dream job, junior geologist and historian extraordinaire Mykaela and her mother travel to see famed Mount Vesuvius. Unfortunately, disaster strikes. Vesuvius erupts and threatens to kill the entire tour group. Only Mykaela's quick thinking and deep understanding of the area's architecture and volcanic activity save them. Meanwhile, Jeff learns that his family is in imminent danger. Pompeii will be under 60 feet of lava in a matter of hours, reports say. He's denied permission to undertake a rescue operation from former military buddy Colonel Carlos Dillard (John Rhys-Davies). Of course, that doesn't stop Jeff from doing whatever he can to ensure his family's safety.

At first glance, Apocalypse Pompeii feels a bit more smooth than the standard Asylum film. The direction seems to have a bit of purpose and pizazz about it, showing some engaging movement and life. It becomes clear rather quickly, however, that the film sports direction that's kind of like the cinematic equivalent of ADD. The endless camera moves, slight as they may be, transform from "stylish" to "hurtful" rather fast. Michael Bay has mastered the art of the kinetic camera; The Asylum has not. Where Bay succeeds in creating a dazzling visual tour through his worlds, Apocalypse Pompeii seems only to want to mimic a style rather than understand a style. The technical know-how is there, but the finer points of piecing it all together aren't. Then again, one cannot really fault the filmmakers all that much for trying to add something to the movie, something that distinguishes it from the script, gives it a bit of life, reminds audiences that there's something actually going on beyond the grind of watching the victims wait around for rescue.

Indeed, Apocalypse Pompeii gets bogged down in a repetitious "wait around" structure that sees the characters enduring a little heat and moving from place to place but generally twiddling their thumbs while waiting and whining as they await rescue from a man who just so happens to have a background in special forces and "access" to some "sophisticated" military equipment (i..e. CGI helicopters) in order to mount a rescue (rescue the audience from its doldrums is more like it). There's not much drama, tension, or anticipation on either end. The film pushes through standard survival cliché, killing off someone here and there -- once or twice in the middle of a bad special effect -- but never leaving any doubt as to whether the main focus family will be safely reunited or not by the end. In most ways beyond, of course, the lame visual effects, poor pacing, go-nowhere story, headache-inducing direction, and lifeless acting, Apocalypse Pompeii mostly hits all of the suspect Disaster movie elements but without the flair for the dramatic, visual excitement, production stability, and workable script that help make the bigger kids on the block worth watching.

Apocalypse Pompeii Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Apocalypse Pompeii features a typically good Asylum Blu-ray presentation. The 1.78:1 high definition presentation, sourced from a digital shoot, yields a crisp and smooth image, one that lacks the organic feel of film but doesn't appear overly glossy and is certainly not short on detail or color. The image showcases revealing textures and the finest details with ease, whether skin, garments, or brick façades. Image clarity ranks very highly and assists in putting all of the eye-catching textures on display. The color palette enjoys even, vibrant shading, presenting the film's broad range of colors with the sort of natural accuracy one expects from a high end digital shoot. The image does suffer from some noise and washed out skies but otherwise appears largely free of intrusive eyesores. Overall, this is a typical top-shelf transfer from The Asylum.

Apocalypse Pompeii Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Apocalypse Pompeii features a satisfying and robust DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music plays with crisp, well-defined accuracy across the stage and includes a fair and consistent surround support. Light ambient effects come into play on occasion, but most of the prominent sound effects come in the form of higher powered action-oriented pieces such deep, well-prounounced earthquakes and buzzing helicopters. The low end is active when necessary and provides a solid, film-reinforcing jolt. Dialogue plays with smooth, center-focused placement and natural accuracy. This is a solid listen across the board.

Apocalypse Pompeii Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Apocalypse Pompeii comes about as feature-packed as any Asylum title to date, sporting not only the obligatory "making-of" and gag reel but also deleted scenes and an audio commentary (neither of which are advertised on the packaging).

• Audio Commentary: Director/Cinematographer Ben Demaree, Actress Jhey Castles, and Editor Ana Florit discuss the film, including a good bit surrounding the process of shooting in Bulgaria and Pompeii. It's a rather light track that's only for diehard Asylum fans only.
• "Making of" Featurette (HD, 6:47): A straightforward piece in which cast and crew discuss shooting locales, stunts, John Rhys-Davies' recurring character, cast camaraderie, editing, visual effects and the benefits of blending practical and digital effects, and more.
• Gag Reel (HD, 1:28).
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 4:13): Nothing Jeff Can Really Discuss, Megalomaniacal Bastard, and Goats.
• Trailers: Additional titles from The Asylum

Apocalypse Pompeii Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Apocalypse Pompeii doesn't set the cinema world on fire -- literally or figuratively -- and it's a far cry in terms of the production, scope, and polish of its inspiration. It's typical Asylum from start to finish, a movie that shows a few flashes of competency but that falls apart at nearly every turn. Awful special effects, a terrible pace, a go-nowhere structure, listless acting, and overdone direction all contribute to what is one of the lesser films the studio has released of late, certainly a far cry from the manageably entertaining Android Cop and Mother. The Asylum's Blu-ray does, however, impress. Rock-solid picture, high-end sound, and a fair assortment of extras -- more than a lot of bigger movies enjoy -- round out a pretty good package. Too bad the movie just isn't all that good. Rent it for a laugh.