5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
Gibson Rickenbacker is a hired fighter living in a plague-ravaged apocalyptic America where a plague has infested most of the United States and the rest of the world. In New York City, Gibson encounters a woman named Pearl Prophet. Pearl reveals to Gibson that she is a cyborg who is carrying vital-information for a group of scientists in Atlanta who are working on a cure to the plague and Pearl hires Gibson to escort her back to Atlanta. But Pearl is kidnapped by "Pirates" a murderous gang led by Fender Tremolo, who wants the cure for themselves and they decide to take Pearl to Atlanta themselves. Gibson, joined by a young woman named Nady Simmons, goes in pursuit of Fender and his gang, as Gibson sets out to rescue Pearl, stop Fender and his gang from reaching Atlanta and defeat Fender who slaughtered Gibson's family
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Richter, Vincent Klyn, Dayle Haddon, Ralf MoellerAction | 100% |
Martial arts | 98% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital Mono
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
I like the death. I like the misery.
Director Albert Pyun often falls into that chastised/derided director category, a filmmaker whose
pictures earn a bad rap in cinema circles, are usually met with ridicule from more demanding viewers, and are sometimes even brushed off by some
casual audiences influenced by the more vocal of the highbrow critics. At best it would seem Pyun's name has become synonymous with "mediocrity,"
but if there's a diamond in the Albert Pyun canon rough
it's Cyborg, a simple but stylish, straightforward, and hugely effective post-apocalyptic Action flick made well ahead of its time before
end-of-the-world material
was all the rage in entrainment, filmed and printed both. The picture finds a lot of muscle and mileage out of a tiny budget and a script largely devoid
of depth. Pyun squeezes every last ounce of potential from the material and the result is a highly entertaining, surprisingly well-made, and
nicely acted little gem that should be the envy of small Action movies everywhere.
Slinger Blade.
Cyborg is the sort of movie one might expect to be shoveled onto Blu-ray with little thought -- MGM has countless more historically significant and better-received movies than this to worry about -- but the transfer is actually quite good and fans should be elated with the results. The transfer displays sharp, natural, film-like details. There's no evidence of major noise reduction, leaving facial lines, war-torn textures, and clothes natural and very well defined. Even the finest bit of dust on Fender's sunglasses is made clearly visible. The image is clean, covered by light grain but with no excess wear or, better, major digital tinkering. There are certainly a few hazy and soft shots -- notably when Gibson first meets Pearl -- but generally the image borders on striking, particularly compared to older VHS and DVD releases. Colors are excellent as well. Splashes of green veneration play nicely against what is otherwise a fairly barren and gray assortment of hues across landscapes, industrial backdrops, and clothing. Flesh tones are fine, and blacks are good, too, not too overpowering or too bright but a little noisier than some might like. On the whole, however, this is a very good image that should delight longtime fans.
Cyborg's audio soundtrack isn't quite as revealing as MGM's video presentation. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack leves a bit to be desired all around. It's somewhat subdued and not exactly the sort of experience one might want paired with an Action movie. There's minimal energy to every element, but the front-end spacing suffices and clarity is acceptable. Some of the deeper musical elements prove satisfying on a general level, but the absence of a fuller stage, greater robustness, and attention to detail leave this one wanting and playing with an obvious lower-end feel. Gunshots are rather puny, the driving rain at the end is only basically effective, and ambient effects are minimal, including the rather mushy and indistinct sound of a campfire and gently rolling ocean waves during a nighttime dialogue scene in chapter eight. However, dialogue is usually centered and suitably clear and intelligible. This track gets the job done, but those hoping for a more revelatory sonic experience will be disappointed with what is a fairly nondescript sound experience.
Unfortunately, the only included supplement is is the Cyborg trailer (HD, 1:30).
If one were to summarize Cyborg in a word, it would have to be "intensity." This isn't smart storytelling or Oscar-caliber filmmaking, but it's a remarkably strong movie with fine pacing, good characters, sufficient acting, a great score, robust action, strong photography, a convincing landscape, and relentless energy, all on a small budget. It's a movie that demonstrates the effectiveness of resource utilization, mood, music, and photography in masking budgetary shortcomings. It's also a good example of how style and screen presence can be substituted for excess dialogue and make a movie of this sort all the more dangerous and potent. Most of all, Cyborg is a fun ride with high replay value, one that with every viewing comes a reminder of how good it really is on a technical level and under budget constraint. It's too bad Pyun's director's cut probably will never find a home video release through a major label, but hopefully it will one day see the light of day on Blu-ray, one way or the other. Considering this cut's effectiveness, one can only wonder what the film might be like under what are some supposedly drastic changes. MGM's Blu-ray release of Cyborg features great video, adequate audio, and practically no extras. Recommended on the strengths of the film and the video transfer.
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