Camera Obscura Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Camera Obscura Blu-ray Movie Review

"If you knew someone was going to die, would you try and save them?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown May 27, 2024

Camera Obscura is a decent mash-up of several different horror and sci-fi movies you've seen a dozen or more times already. It's a high-concept, low-rent frightfest minus the frights, to say nothing (yet) of its lead performance, one that trips and falls far short of compelling. What works in the film's favor, though, is that indelible, telltale sense that the film might just be an early building block in the career of a talented filmmaker. If, that is, the influx of a proper budget, A-listers and other boons would actually loose his creative potential and not reveal another talent relegated to direct-to-streaming duds. Who can say what the result would be? How could we possibly see into the future. I mean, yes, we've been here before; a movie that shows promise, a writer/director who might just have something to offer Hollywood, and... wait... what? Camera Obscura came out seven years ago? In 2017? And filmmaker Aaron B. Koontz already went back to producing generic mouth-breather horror like The Pale Door, Old Man and Scare Package II: Rad Chad's Revenge? Uh-oh. If only we had a device that could peer into the future and warn us of such things...

Camera Obscura follows a war photographer suffering from PTSD named Jack Zeller (Christopher Denham, miscast here but quite good in Argo and Oppenheimer) who comes into possession of a cursed antique camera that takes photographs of future deaths before they occur. He quickly learns, however, that he can change the future and save the people destined to die. He merely has to kill another person to take the photographed future-victim's place. And of course, Jack has a fiancé (Nadja Bobyleva), and of course, she appears in one of the photographs, and of course, he's bound and determined to save her no matter who he has to murder to do so. Anakin? Padme? Sigh. The film also stars Catherine Curtin, Chase Williamson, Noah Segan, Andrew Sensenig, Gretchen Lodge, Jeremy King, Carol Sutton and Lance E. Nichols.

I'm probably being too hard on Camera Obscura. It wears its indie stripes on its sleeve and doesn't deserve such critical drubbing. But I struggled to find a foothold in the story, and certainly with Denham's mixed-genre Jack and Bobyleva's absurdly naive Claire. The screenwriting is at fault, yet it's Denham and Bobyleva that bear the brunt of the dialogue and serve as the faces of pretentious moments in the script, making their performances a bit grating when everything unfolding on screen should be far more harrowing and intense. There are scenes that brush against greatness -- murder most foul -- but for every sequence that delivers on the film's promises, there's two more that meander, drag or disappoint. Far better at embracing lofty concept plotting and premises is the Koontz-produced The Artifice Girl, which has a smaller budget, lesser known actors and far more chit-chat, yet offers more involving performances, twists and turns, sci-fi/horror blendings, and story; a timely tale of artificial intelligence that neither doomsays nor waxes poetic, and one you won't soon forget.

Still, if you can switch off the critical center of your brain while watching Camera Obscura you'll be treated to a fun little be careful what you wish for horror pic that finds a hesitant man thrust into the role of would-be serial killer, all in the name of saving his lady-love. (Again, visions of Revenge of the Sith dancing through my head.) Denham is certainly competent, and the script is admittedly serviceable, no matter how much I wanted it to reach higher and pull itself up by its boot straps and offer bigger returns on my investment. The kills are mildly entertaining as well, despite the fact that it's all meant to be oh so tragic for poor Jack. As producer, Koontz could conceivably helm a successful remake, handing over the directing reigns to someone with Fincher-esque vision and the mind of a horror maestro a la Jordan Peele. (Now that's a mash-up, kids.) But that isn't the film we get, nor is it a diamond-in-the-rough you'll be anxiously recommending to friends and family.

Camera Obscura Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Camera Obscura's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation is fine, and little more. Shot digitally but without the patented crispness and clarity of a high-end digital production (and lacking the filmic quality one can assume veteran cinematographer Chris Heinrich was attempting), the film bobbles between sharp and soft, with an occasional dimly contrasted haze that might remind you of the low-budget sci-fi productions of the early 2000s. Black levels are nice and deep one minute but rather charcoal-gray the next, contrast is lacking on occasion, colors skew green and are undersaturated (though presumably by design), and the presentation never really pops, struggling with a flatness that robs the image of depth. Still, detail is reasonably well-resolved and, for better or worse, the film looks as I imagine it was intended.

Camera Obscura Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Camera Obscura is saddled with an average Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track. It does its job but doesn't put in the extra effort to stand out. Dialogue is clear and intelligible, prioritization is commendable, and LFE output is solid (albeit a bit lacking in power when called upon). Likewise, the rear speakers serve up enough environmental ambience and acoustic subtleties to make quieter scenes convincing and more chaotic scenes more suspenseful. That said, it's not a very immersive mix, meaning the already ineffective horror is made even less effective; a development nobody wants and none of us ever enjoy.

Camera Obscura Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In terms of special features, we get a Director's Cut of the film, a rather standard audio commentary from Koontz, and a much-too-short behind-the-scenes featurette (HD, 4 minutes) that's essentially a basic EPK.

Camera Obscura Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lacking key fundamentals of memorable sci-fi and horror, Camera Obscura jumps and grabs at things it never quite snatches out of the air. Too bland and generic for its own good, it hinges everything on its script and performances, neither of which deliver. The film's Blu-ray release is hit or miss as well, with a merely decent video presentation, an average lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, and a handful of supplements that fail to really pull back the curtain. Pass.