6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.
Starring: Elijah Wood, Alison Pill, Rainn Wilson, Sunny May Allison, Armani JacksonHorror | 100% |
Dark humor | 7% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ah, for the halcyon days of elementary school, when we little boys were convinced girls had cooties and where writing “FBI” on the palm of your hand gave you the only known protection, “flea bag insurance” (I am not here to provide any logical reason as to why flea bag insurance keeps one cootie free; I attempt only to describe the situation). And also ah, for the halcyon days of carefree eating choices, in a pre-gluten, pre- vegan, pre-worry atmosphere where anything that was deemed “food” had to be good for you, or at least not too terribly bad for you. Both of these seemingly unrelated bits of nostalgia are rather unceremoniously combined in the fitfully amusing Cooties, a film that depicts the rather quick devolution of a horde of kids into feral beasts that are reminiscent of denizens of entries like Lord of the Flies or even The Walking Dead. The culprit causing all of this havoc is a pretty disgusting looking chicken tender that an unaware little girl munches on during her school lunch, but the film actually begins with the sad journey of that particular chicken through the food processing regimen that ultimately makes it into a bite sized chunk of breaded protein. That sequence may do for others what a little remembered documentary called The Animals Film did for me—i.e., convert me unabashedly to the ranks of vegetarians—for it details in a kind of sickening specificity how the sausage (or in this case, a chicken tender) gets made. For audience members who are already feeling squeamish, that tendency will probably only continue through the opening moments of the film, where the disgustingly discolored piece of former chicken flesh gets put through various preparatory steps before that unwitting little girl clamps her teeth down on it and we’re greeted by the sight of an ooey, gooey gray - green ooze dripping out of the meat, obviously wending its way into the metabolism of the child eating it.
Cooties is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Co-directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, along with cinematographer Lyle Vincent, invest the film with a playful if often gruesome visual sense which begins with the first sequence of the hapless chicken meeting its fate and being turned into a perhaps questionable "food" item. This sequence has some unusual color grading, as does a much later segment capping the film. The opening is cast in a weird blue-green tint that when combined with lighting effects and pushed contrast tends to give the film a glossy, almost surreal, quality. The ending sequence which offers copious shades of a red hue actually offers commendable fine detail and sharpness. The bulk of the film is surprisingly sunny feeling, with a bright and colorful array of tones throughout the school environment. Sharpness and clarity are excellent throughout the brightly lit scenes that fill up a lot of the central portion of the film. There's slightly less detail evident in a longish sequence involving the teachers trying to wend their way through various tight spaces where lighting is not in abundance. Several scenes play with perspective, offering a slightly skewed view of this already topsy turvy environment. There's also abundant fine detail in some of the pretty gory looking special effects, and that level of detail may actually be a bit stomach churning for some.
Cooties has a fun and playful soundtrack offered in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. There are some well done sound effects, though again some are a bit on the stomach churning side of things, and immersion is very nicely detailed, especially once the kids go feral and things become more and more chaotic. There is also nice attention paid to various changes in the ambient environment and associated elements like room reverb as the film segues from space to space within the school, or even ventures out of doors during a couple of sequences. Dialogue is cleanly presented and well prioritized. Dynamic range is very wide.
Cooties' horror is probably more consistently effective than its comedy, and so those expecting a more or less equal blend of mayhem and mirth may be feeling disappointed in their laugh quotients. The film has whimsy to spare, but the grotesque blood and guts effects are so aggressive that the comedy tends to arrive pre-deflated, as it were. The cast is very energetic and fun to watch, and co-directors Milott and Murnion are obviously talents to keep an eye on. Recommended.
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