Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Death Trance Blu-ray Movie Review

A death trance is exactly how I'd describe the state I was in after watching this film.

Reviewed by Dustin Somner August 6, 2009

Death Trance is a difficult film to categorize, since it doesn’t fit comfortably within any specific genre. Most releases from the Tokyo Shock studio are unsettling gorefests with buckets of Kool Aid spraying from severed limbs, so I was halfway expecting this release to fall in the same vein. Much to my surprise, Death Trance doesn’t fit into that mold, but still retains its fair share of bloodletting from time to time. Considering the setting of the film, it would only be natural to compare it with the laundry list of lavish Chinese productions in recent years (such as House of Flying Daggers or Hero), but it lacks the beautiful visuals and graceful storytelling of those far superior cousins. In actuality, the film I’m sitting down to review today contains a wide range of elements, yet never demonstrates the ability to firmly grasp a single idea with success. As a long-time anime lover, I’m still waiting for Japanese filmmakers to break onto the live-action scene and show audiences what they’re capable of, but Death Trance feels like another step in the wrong direction.

The stolen coffin is a cumbersome object to drag across the countryside.

In an undisclosed time and place, a sacred temple comes under seige by a lone warrior named Grave (Tak Sakaguchi), who possesses a thirst for battle. After stealing an ancient coffin reportedly containing the remains of the goddess of destruction, Grave sets out to find a portal that will transport him and the coffin to a mystical location that grants any man one wish. On his journey, he’s accompanied by a small female child, who demonstrates an appreciation for his violent antics, beaming with a devilish grin as he dispatches one foe after another. Meanwhile, a young monk named Ryuen (Takamasa Suga) has been sent by the Tougan Temple to retrieve the coffin before the goddess of destruction is released. Entrusted with an ancient sword that can only be drawn by the chosen one, the timid young man reluctantly tracks down Grave with the help of another warrior known as Sid (Kentaro Seagal, son of Steven Seagal). While the three men trade control of the coffin amidst random skirmishes, a mysterious female warrior arrives with her own agenda, expressing a keen interested in Ryuen’s mystical sword. As the four unlikely warriors square off in battles against each other and the various demons that spring up through the course of their journey, more is revealed about each character’s motivations and the truth behind the ancient coffin.

Death Trance is the type of film that looks and sounds a lot cooler than it really is. If you’re like me, you’d be tempted to pick the film up merely based on the intriguing name and promise of non-stop action. With the proper execution, there may have been a gem someplace in the incoherent production, but as it stands, Death Trance is merely an exercise in over-the-top style and zero substance. I’m not sure how it took four people to generate the juvenile plot, but I eventually arrived at the conclusion that a cohesive story was the last thing on anyone’s mind after getting the greenlight to proceed with the film. Plenty of ideas are tossed out with zero explanation and I can’t think of a single aspect of the story that felt compelling or creative. We simply have various warriors dragging a coffin around with a little girl in tow, and random opportunities for Grave to open a can on anyone or anything that crosses his path. In fact, that could be the single most disappointing aspect of the film, since Grave’s seeming invincibility doesn’t allow for any tension or sense of dread throughout the battles. Kicking and punching through hordes of zombies, spider-ninjas or mercenaries should be a lot of fun to watch, but when I realized there’s nothing innovative or “cool” about the stale fighting, I simply had to sit back and hope the film swiftly passed me by.

Unfortunately, I don’t have much positive to say about the technical aspects of the film either, though I should note the filmmakers attempted to generate lofty production values with the budget they were given. The fight sequences contain fleeting moments of innovative choreography (not enough to elevate my overall opinion of the action sequences), but the clumsy camera-work and cheap special effects significantly dampen the positive aspects of the onscreen chaos. Working within a small budget requires a realistic outlook on what can be incorporated without generating a cheesy vibe and that’s exactly where this film goes wrong. I’ve watched cable television productions with better special effects on display, so you’ll want to taper your expectations accordingly if you choose to give this film a shot.

Matters improve dramatically when focusing on the acting in Death Trance. Tak Sakaguchi gives a standout performance in the role of Grave, strutting around with a cocky, unpredictable nature that’s exemplified by the constant sarcastic smirk on his face. Takamasa Suga, Kentaro Seagal and Yuki Takahashi are excellent supporting players, bringing emotional elements to their respective roles that weren’t readily apparent in the sparse plot. It has to be tough stepping into a role that isn’t thoroughly examined throughout the course of the film, but each member of the cast seems to fill their character’s shoes with ease. Lastly, I can’t help but mention the captivating Honoka Asada as Grave’s mysterious companion. I’m not sure how young she was when the film was made, but her mannerisms and laugh are both enchanting and haunting at the same time (despite the fact that her character is never given even a shred of background history.)

Death Trance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate that hovers around a paltry 12Mbps), Death Trance offers a fairly disappointing visual experience. Given the stylistic visuals, and the creative use of coloring in the film, I'd hoped the transfer would offer a huge step up with the transition to Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the end result was anything but stellar, with detail that rarely surpasses the quality of an upconverted DVD. Making matters worse, there's a fine level of blocking in panning shots, which indicates the bitrate is insufficient to produce a smooth picture. Colors don't improve matters much, with drab, lifeless hues dominating the majority of scenes. Part of the problem rests in the heavily filtered source material that gives the film an intended monochromatic look, but even the bright crimson blood splatters rarely stand out against the blue backdrop. Adding insult to injury, contrast suffers in darker scenes, resulting in the appearance of black crush and an overall lack of visual pop. Lastly, those with an aversion to grain should be forewarned that the transfer takes on a noisy characteristic from time to time (especially in several action sequences), creating a loss of background detail and an overall picture quality that's best defined as a touch on the rough side.

Death Trance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unlike the subpar video transfer, the audio presentation is exactly what I'd hoped for. I briefly sampled the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 dub, but quickly learned the over-the-top voice acting leaves something to be desired. Settling in on the native language (Japanese) TrueHD track, I was pleasantly surprised with the crisp dialogue, creative audio effects and excellent spacial separation throughout the soundfield. Considering this isn't a big-budget release, I expected the battle effects to sound cheesy, with recycled noise conveying kicks and punches. Thankfully, my expectations were unwarranted, and I was able to easily differentiate between the various tones of each kick and punch. If your interested in the audio highlight of the film, watch for the fight sequence where Grave uses a unique gun to dispatch a mob of zombie-like creatures. Each shot zings through a different area of your home theater, creating an effect that clearly enhances the over-the-top nature of the visuals. This may not be the best Blu-ray has to offer, but the audio experience should surpass your expectations for a film in this genre.

Death Trance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Making of Death Trance (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 10:27 min): In order to sell the production studios on their idea for the film, the main crew completed a 5 minute conceptual film, which is the subject of this making-of featurette (though the title implies it covers the creation of the feature film).

Behind the Action Scenes (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 14:58 min): Multiple action segments from the film are discussed, along with video footage of the actors rehearsing the fight choreography in the gym prior to shooting the actual scenes.

Sakaguchi Goes Abroad (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 10:44 min): Lead actor Tak Sakaguchi visited Brussels, Berlin and San Diego (Comic-Con) for various screenings and PR opportunities.

Character Featurettes (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 13:07 min): Each of the main characters from the film are given a chance to discuss the intricacies of their role while we're shown behind-the-scenes footage from the set.

Rounding out the extras, we're given five trailers for other Tokyo Shock releases (presented in 480p with 2-channel audio) and a standard definition trailer for Death Trance.

Death Trance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Death Trance isn't a film I plan to revisit in the future and I can't say I enjoyed my first viewing enough to recommend it as a purchase. Even if you love Japanese cinema, I'd consider a rental instead of a purchase, since I doubt many of you will find enough entertainment value to warrant repeat viewings. The plot is sparse, the fight sequences are uninspired and special effects are just plain bad. Aside from the shortcomings in the film itself, I was equally disappointed in the visual quality of this Blu-ray release, which barely bests what we've grown to expect from DVD. The cover on the box implies this is a visual feast for the eyes, but that couldn't be further from the truth when you actually sit down to watch it. If you're new to the world of Blu-ray, please steer clear of this release until you've seen the best the format has to offer.