7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
On the night of an astronomical anomaly, eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of reality bending events. Part cerebral sci-fi and part relationship drama, COHERENCE is a tightly focused, intimately shot film that quickly ratchets up with tension and mystery.
Starring: Nicholas Brendon, Emily Baldoni, Lauren Maher, Maury Sterling, Alex ManugianMystery | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
James Ward Byrkit's Coherence is a pretty special micro-budget sci-fi film that's probably best approached blind, so I'll do my best to keep this short and spoiler-free. It concerns eight friends who reunite for a dinner party on the night a comet is passing overhead, which may or may not be responsible for a sudden blackout that renders the neighborhood without power or wi-fi. One house in the distance seems unaffected, so party guests Hugh (Hugo Armstrong) and Amir (Alex Manugian, who also wrote the story) set off into the blackness; they're hoping to call Hugh's brother, a quantum physicist who warned them of potential unexplained anomalies related to the rare astronomical event. What follows is a twisted, engrossing puzzle-box akin to an escape room in movie form: these eight guests are faced with the possibility of multiple realities, mysterious messages, and all the fear-fueled paranoia that comes along for the ride.
Originally shot in 2011 and released in 2013, Coherence earned a DVD release two years later from the reliably great Oscilloscope Pictures.
This long-overdue Blu-ray upgrade from the studio can't exactly wring much more A/V detail from the film's limited source material, but the
addition of a second audio commentary with cast and crew members makes it a definitive package for fans and an ideal introduction for
first-timers. But again, go in blind for this one.
There's no avoiding it: Coherence is a micro-budget film shot on what appears to be professional-grade digital video which, of course, was a different beast when this was shot in 2011. It ain't always a pretty picture. The good news is that, while Oscilloscope's 1080p transfer obviously exceeds the 2015 DVD by a few steps, it's not a night-and-day improvement thanks to the relatively dark and dimly-lit nature of its original roots. Black levels prove to be something of a challenge and are, for the most part, flat with not a whole lot of shadow detail. Colors are mostly warm in all but a few bookending scenes and other stray moments, such as a quick trip outside with a much cooler lighting scheme. Image detail, not surprisingly, is limited as are clothing textures, and very little depth is achieved as well.
However... Oscilloscope's Blu-ray is still a best-case scenario for this production and, even on a single-layer disc, it seems to be largely free from potential DVD-grade roadblocks such as compression artifacts, banding, and aliasing, except for stray anomalies that seem to be baked in to the source material, as well as copious amounts of noise during extremely dark moments. (To be honest, though, with films like this it's tough to know where built-in problems end and compression problems begin.) As such, good-looking screenshots were a bit tougher than usual to grab.
Oscilloscope's Blu-ray offers two main options: DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio (the default) and a lossless 5.1 mix. Both are somewhat lacking for different reasons: the former offers fuller dialogue and a more stable, steady presence, while the latter adds in more than a few well-placed surround effects during some of the film's most intense moments... but it oddly funnels the majority of its dialogue into a somewhat cramped-sounding center channel. It's a shame that these two tracks couldn't be combined into "the best of both worlds", but neither should adversely affect your enjoyment of the film in a substantial way so you'll have to choose based on personal preference or setup limitations.
Optional English (SDH) subtitles are also included during the main feature only.
This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with attractive cover artwork and no inserts. As usual for the studio, a limited edition Digipak is also available on Oscilloscope's website. Extras are identical on both versions.
James Ward Byrkit's Coherence is a solid little sci-fi gem whose reach equals its grasp -- pure proof that you don't need tons of resources to create uniquely compelling entertainment. Oscilloscope's new Blu-ray exceeds their 2015 DVD in all departments and comes Highly Recommended to die-hard fans and newcomers alike.
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