Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Dante's Inferno Blu-ray Movie Review

Is this disc heavenly or hellacious?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 28, 2010

Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

Much like Dead Space: Downfall before it, Dante's Inferno is a feature-length animated film, distributed by Starz/Anchor Bay and released in advance of an Electronic Arts video game release of the same name (scheduled for release on the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable on February 9, 2010). Whereas Dead Space served as something of a prequel to the events depicted in its video game counterpart, Dante's Inferno seems instead to parallel the classic story that's, presumably, of the same path the game will follow, seeing the film's and game's title character battle his way through the nine circles of hell in search of his true love, Beatrice. Though the quality of the film itself is paramount to this review, it's still pertinent to ask one additional relevant question: does Dante's Inferno engender in its viewers a desire to play the game? In a word, yes. Dante's Inferno breaths some new life into an old tale, and while the movie is entertaining and nicely produced, it does offer great potential for a novel and fun video game adventure that allows players to battle an onslaught of demons and historical figures sentenced to damnation in a fairly unique digital environment.

Another one bites the dust.

Dante, a warrior fighting in the Crusades, has fallen in love with a young maiden named Beatrice. They've promised themselves to one another, and when Dante returns for her three years later, he finds her family slaughtered and Beatrice lying mortally wounded outside her home. She soon thereafter perishes and begins an ascent into Heaven when she's suddenly grasped by demons and pulled into the depths of hell. Dante pursues and soon learns that Beatrice has been made aware of his unfaithfulness and betrayal of their love, while Lucifer has his own, secret plans for both Beatrice and Dante, using them to further his own agenda. Nevertheless, Dante is determined to rescue the fair and sinless Beatrice and is forced to traverse the nine circles of hell -- limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery -- to reach his beloved and save her from a fate worse than death and even damnation. Along with his guide, the poet Virgil, Dante battles demons of every shape and size and confronts wayward souls in an epic struggle to right a wrong, save an innocent soul, and discover his true self and the meaning of sacrifice along the way.

Dante's Inferno is a sound, but not exactly engaging, animated adventure that performs its tasks admirably enough and engenders an urge to try out the video game, but leaves the viewer with no real sense of having witnessed a superior picture. That's not to say that Dante's Inferno has nothing to offer; on the contrary, it's fairly well-written, delivers decent animation, and contains a large helping of naked women and ultra-violent swordplay, but a somewhat sluggish pacing and a repetitive tone make Dante's Inferno a good, but far from great, outing. Audiences familiar with the basics of the trip through hell and its nine unique circles will enjoy the film's take on Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, though those looking for a pure adaptation -- from either this film or the soon-to-be-released video game -- need not apply. For audiences interested in a fictionalized and muscled-up version of the classic epic poem, Dante's Inferno delivers an energetic and action-packed motion picture experience that strays from the original but retains many of its crucial elements while constructing a more action-oriented film that is, on a base level, entertaining in a fairly mindless sort of way.

The film's true strength lies in its depiction of the nine circles of hell. While beefed up action, muscular heroes, and scantily-clad women give the film something of a Fire and Ice feel and appeal, Dante's Inferno additionally offers an admirable and balanced look at each circle, giving each due time, unique attributes, various demons, and populating them with plenty lost or otherwise damned souls of historical figures, random individuals, and those Dante knew throughout his life. The film offers a few surprises along the way in terms of who Dante must face, such scenes adding unique drama and flair to a picture that's otherwise fairly basic in its depiction of Dante slaying in succession visually impressive but nevertheless inconsequential and altogether random demons that, admittedly, are given some purpose in the depths of hell but seem fairly interchangeable one to another, with a couple of exceptions. Additionally, the animators have breathed life into the picture by keeping things fresh and evolving from a visual perspective, even when the overlaying themes of the story and the appearance of hell -- rough textures, shades of red and black, and an overall lack of color or visual pizzaz -- would seem to create something of a challenge not only artistically but also thematically considering the bulk of the film never wavers from a fairly uniform appearance.

Dante's Inferno Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dante's Inferno traverses the depths of hell in style, making the trip in a 1.78:1-framed 1080p high definition transfer. The film offers both a harsh, red-and-black dominant visual style within the hellish realm, but also features a more surreal and serene visual tone during the film's open that gives it the look and feel of a dreamy painting rather than an animated film. However, it is the drab look of the underworld that dominates the picture, where only shades of red seem the only companion to an otherwise darkened picture that does lend to it a strong uninviting tone that reinforces both the locale and themes wonderfully. The 1080p presentation allows for all of the fine details of the animation to jump to life; the textured rock faces, stone floors, frayed clothing, glossy armor, and the bumps and ridges on Dante's demonic weapon are all nicely rendered. Additionally, lines are sharp and the image is well-defined, with the only soft or hazy shots seemingly appearing as a result of deliberate filmmaker intent or present in support of some thematic context. Unfortunately, some unsightly banding appears sporadically throughout, but it's the only major drawback to an otherwise fine presentation of an admittedly and deliberately drab animated film.

Dante's Inferno Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray release of Dante's Inferno features a quality Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The film's opening narration is excessively bass heavy, each syllable sending a palpable rumble through the soundstage, but dialogue is otherwise cleanly and suitably reproduced throughout the remainder of the picture, even bouncing about the soundstage in several scenes featuring the spoken word reverberating about more cavernous locales. The soundtrack delivers a full, satisfying, and fairly immersive experience; effects swoop about the listening area -- with a hefty back channel presentation -- with ease, and while some effects seem a bit more pronounced than others, there's generally an engaging and satisfying feel that does well to compliment many of the movie's larger-than-life visuals, enemies, locations, and combat sequences. Ambient effects such as a driving rain are also well-represented, the sound naturally enveloping the listener to fine effect. Bass, while not excessive, is smartly implemented throughout, giving the picture and visuals a heft that only adds to the grandiose scope of some of the film's people, places, and things. A fine soundtrack all around, this one probably won't win any best-of-year awards, but it's a very good offering nevertheless.

Dante's Inferno Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dante's Inferno features a collection of five animatics, presented in 1080p: Beatrice Chase (3:12), Charon (2:17), Dante Stabs Farinata (1:21), Francesco Fight (2:51), and Lust Minions (1:51). Also included is a trailer for the upcoming video game (1080p, 2:15).

Dante's Inferno Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

All told, Dante's Inferno is a solid but not exceptional movie, the film a bit sluggish and certainly taking liberties with Dante Alighieri's original poem but providing more of an audience-accecssible and action-oriented story that, most importantly, makes for a fine companion piece to the upcoming video game adventure. The animation is sound if not a bit repetitive, a forgivable trait considering the lack of opportunity to expand far beyond the basics of what each circle of hell might have to offer. With sturdy voice acting, a fine score, and plenty of blood-soaked action, fans of animated fantasy or those eager to catch a glimpse of what the upcoming game from Electronic Arts may have to offer will want to give this one a spin. This Starz/Anchor Bay release sports a decent 1080p picture quality, a strong lossless soundtrack, but only a couple of scattered extras. Dante's Inferno is worth a rental by those fascinated with the subject material, eager to see a unique perspective on a classic poem, or anxious for the video game release.