Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Dead Space Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 28, 2022

Roger Corman is known for recycling anything he can to keep producing genre entertainment for a cult audience, and he does it again with 1991’s “Dead Space,” which is a remake of 1982’s “Forbidden World.” Characters have been slightly reworked, but the plots are basically the same, following a man of action as he goes up against a mutated monster in the middle of nowhere. Of course, such a setting allows Corman to keep the effort as low budget as possible, tasking director Fred Gallo (“Dracula Rising”) to figure out ways to make tight hallways, labs, and living spaces interesting for 75 minutes of screen time. It’s a challenge Gallo can’t conquer, as most of “Dead Space” is repetitive and silly, but he has a committed lead performance from Marc Singer to help keep the endeavor somewhat palatable, with the actor trying to make extended nothingness look exciting.

Commander Steve (Marc Singer) and his robot partner, Tinpan, tour space, hoping to avoid entanglements with their enemies. Responding to a distress call, Steve lands on a distant planet, entering a research facility dedicated to eradicating a deadly virus. Meeting the staff, including Dr. Marissa (Laura Mae Tate) and Dr. Frank (Bryan Cranston), Steve is introduced to a metamorphic mutant they've created during testing. The small creature soon breaks out of containment, growing at an incredible rate, putting Steve and Tinpan in charge of killing the violent beast.

Steve’s introduction to “Dead Space” involves a skirmish with other ships trying to blast him to bits. Naturally, Corman returns to footage from “Battle Beyond the Stars” to provide some screen action, though Gallo does an acceptable job generating tension with Steve’s efforts to contain a fire, also keeping banter going as the commander and Tinpan carry on like an old married couple. Spaceships are quickly traded for a more affordable lab setting, keeping “Deep Space” minimal as the characters deal with scientific explanations (the screenplay is credited to Catherine Cyran). The monster eventually breaks free of containment, which should launch an “Alien”-style approach to suspense, but Gallo can’t bring much to the movie, content to repeatedly photograph the cast looking frightened as mutant movement is offered through sound effects and occasional puppetry.

“Dead Space” is presented in two versions: an Extended Cut (78:23) and a Theatrical Cut (72:12), with the latter offered in SD only.

Dead Space Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

"Dead Space" arrives on Blu-ray with an Extended Cut, which is sourced from a 2K scan of the interpositive. The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation looks very appealing, with fine and film-like grain and satisfactory delineation, making sense out of the picture's limited lighting and shadow play. Detail is good, exploring skin surfaces and set design, surveying limited spaces. Monster textures also stand out. Color is distinct, with blue favored heavily in mood lighting. Crisp whites on lab coats are noted, and adventures outdoors retain decent desertscape hues. Source is in shape, without elements of damage.

Dead Space Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix deals with age and production limitations, and while dialogue exchanges are intelligible, they do encounter very mild volume fluctuations. Scoring retains a sharp synth sound, with occasional piano breaks. Sound effects are appreciable without slipping into chaos, including monster attacks and gunfire.

Dead Space Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary (Theatrical Cut only) features director Fred Gallo.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:20, HD) is included.

Dead Space Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Dead Space" delivers some gore and makes time for nudity, keeping up with Corman standards, but the bulk of the viewing experience involves watching actors try to sell some level of screen tension when nothing is actually happening. This is also the Corman way. "Deep Space" doesn't build on "Forbidden World," merely trying to keep up with the original picture while working with less money and creativity. There's Singer, who's straining to turn every scene into a hero moment, but he's giving his all to the work, which is welcome, as the rest of the endeavor doesn't share the same dedication to conjuring excitement, often sticking with dull routine.