Beyond the Wasteland Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Beyond the Wasteland Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 3, 2025

Sometimes changing a title of a movie may not be an entirely wise idea. This particular production evidently was originally exhibited under the name M, which of course probably made some "discerning cineastes" think it might be a remake of M, something that is perhaps especially ironic given that this film focuses on children as protagonists. For some unknown reason probably attributable to some marketing "genius" somewhere, the erstwhile M is now out on Blu-ray under the title Beyond the Wasteland, a title which is also shared with another cinematic property, specifically a documentary covering the almost absurd lengths fans of the Mad Max franchise go to in order to honor their love of the films.

The "M" in this case refers (at a bare minimum) to Marko (Matej Sivakov) a sweet if obviously troubled little boy attempting to survive in yet another post-Apocalyptic landscape with his taciturn father (Sasko Kocev). Already the film is trafficking in any number of well worn tropes that have been especially prevalent in recent horror or horror adjacent outings, including the rather recently reviewed Never Let Go. Suffice it to say there are "Evil Ones" supposedly lurking in the forest where Marko and his Dad try to eke out whatever they consider a "life", and events soon enough thrust Marko into both figurative and literal unexplored territory.

Beyond the Wasteland is very strong on mood, but it never really tries to exploit any consistent "fear factor", which may in fact be one of the film's refreshing if unintended aspects. The film just can't quite escape from the looming shadows of similar fare like The Last of Us. That said, Sivakov is absolutely stunning in a role that requires him to be on screen for virtually the entire running time of the film, often in rather long sequences where not much dialogue is offered and instead performances rely on more subtle elements like facial expressions and reaction shots.

Beyond the Wasteland Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beyond the Wasteland is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Probably unsurprisingly, I haven't been able to find any authoritative information on the shoot, but this is a nicely detailed digital capture that I'm assuming had a 2K DI (as always with my reviews, if anyone is privy to verifiable information, Private Message me and I'll happily update things here). While there are some recurrent deficits in shadow definition due to the abundance of dimly lit forest material, on the whole this presentation offers nicely secure fine detail levels on everything from the tangled foliage to the grubby outfits the survivors wear. The palette is natural looking almost all of the time and there's a refreshing lack of aggressive grading to supposedly help support the mood, which is visceral enough with any visual "bells and whistles". Despite the melancholy aspects of the story, there is actually some rather gorgeous scenery on tap throughout the film.

Beyond the Wasteland Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Note: Macedonian is such a rare language for Blu-ray releases that our audio spec database needs to be updated, which is in process. This disc does have a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Beyond the Wasteland has just a smattering of English, but is mostly in Macedonian, with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is nicely immersive, courtesy of both some spooky and typically enveloping sound effects as well as a really evocative score by Nathanaël Bergese. Perhaps unexpectedly, the relative lack of dialogue throughout the film actually may help to point out the surround activity, as the listener is frequently presented with nothing other than the sounds of the forest as M and various other characters make their way through the wilderness. What dialogue there is is presented without any issues, other than some slightly thick accents in the minimal English language moments. Optional English and French subtitles are available.

Beyond the Wasteland Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 1:40)

Note: As tends to be the case with Well Go USA Blu-ray releases, the disc has been authored to automatically move on to trailers for other Well Go USA releases after the trailer for this film plays. Those trailers for other Well Go USA releases also play automatically at disc boot up.

Packaging features a slipcover.

Beyond the Wasteland Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You've seen large swaths of Beyond the Wasteland (and/or M) before, but this film at least has an interesting "child's eye" perspective about its post-Apocalyptic world, even if that aspect is also well worn (as the aforementioned Never Let Go may prove). Little Matej Sivakov carries this film rather superbly, and may help jaded viewers overcome the feeling of déjà vu this film will probably unavoidably engender. Technical merits are solid for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.