7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
When a renowned shaman and her protégé are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician and the country's most revered geomancer, they soon trace the affliction's origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground. Sensing an ominous aura surrounding the burial site, the team opts to exhume and relocate the ancestral remains immediately. But as something much darker emerges, they soon discover what befalls those who dare to mess with the wrong grave.
Starring: Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin, Park Jeong-ja, Baek Seung-chulForeign | 100% |
Horror | 71% |
Mystery | 29% |
Thriller | 27% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Korean: Dolby Atmos
Korean: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English, French
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 0.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Exhuma has one of "those" immediately striking titles, some unabashedly cool key art (as evidenced by this disc's cover), and a rather interesting if probably over convoluted premise, but for fans of so-called K Horror, there may not be enough actual scares to completely satisfy (and/or unsettle). Is the film moody? Undeniably. Are there some startle effects that will probably send a chill or two racing up the spine? Yep. But this is still a somewhat curiously listless enterprise, especially in a build up that takes a good, long while to unfold before any "weird" stuff really starts happening, with a somewhat disjunctive conceit that sees some of the focal characters pretty much introducing themselves (in first person) to the viewing audience, something that in and of itself seems to create a "distancing" effect (couldn't these "introductions" have been handled more artfully with something "innovative" like, you know, dialogue?). The film may simply be a bit too ambitious for its own good, as might be indicated by a plot that includes not just more than liberal dashes of folklore (or at least folkloristic material), but also by what turns out to be an allusive history lesson about the fractious relationships between Japan and Korea through the years. Exhuma offers a really interesting basic storyline that may get obstructed by unnecessary complications, and as just one example, I'll offer this simple (?) word: geomancer.
Note: While this is a standalone 4K release without a 1080 disc, I am offering screenshots from Well Go USA's Exhuma standalone 1080 release as I think it actually provides a better representation of the
look of the palette in particular, rather than offering screenshots from the 4K disc which are by necessity downscaled to 1080 and in SDR. Because this
release does not include a 1080 presentation, the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.
Exhuma is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Well Go USA with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Capture with Arri Alexa
Mini cameras and finished with a 2K DI (both data points courtesy of the IMDb), this is a nicely detailed and rather evocatively hued outing that attains
some marginal improvement in fine detail levels when compared to Well Go USA's 1080 presentation, but which probably finds more noticeable
differences in some of the palette highlights courtesy of Dolby Vision / HDR, additions which arguably include some at least passable upgrades in
shadow definition, especially in the film's more portentous second half. There's some really moody cinematography throughout this piece, including
scenes that look like they were actually lit (as opposed to graded) toward blue and/or red tones, all of which pops even more vibrantly in this
presentation than in the already quite robust 1080 version. Some of the gorgeous autumnal oranges and auburns in some forest scenes also have
some really striking highlights in this version. While as mentioned above shadow definition can show some improvement, some may find occasional
slight deficits, as in a somewhat late scene documenting a quasi-possession of sorts. The CGI looks generally decent, though a fireball effect (also
somewhat late in the film) may not completely pass muster with some.
Exhuma features a nicely immersive Dolby Atmos track in the original Korean. A decent English dub in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is also featured, but my advice is to stick with the original language. The Atmos speakers are typically utilized for some swirling "ghostly" effects, along with some scoring choices that almost blend into the overall soundscape at times. The fireball scene mentioned above also provides a good use of Atmos capabilities. A lot of the ritual content shown in the film takes place outside, and that provides ample opportunity for clear engagement of the surround channels for nicely done ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and French subtitles are available.
Perhaps surprisingly, Well Go USA's 4K UHD disc does not include even the minimal two supplements that the label offers on its 1080 release. Packaging features a slipcover.
Maybe because I had heard what a sensation Exhuma had been in South Korea, and also probably because I'm not immune to the "coolness" factor of the film's very title, I may have been expecting a more viscerally frightening experience. There's quite a bit of interesting content here, but I couldn't help but feel the film tended to fritter away momentum on both needless detours as well as a number of stylistic choices that added little to the proceedings. Lovers of ghost stories may find this a suitable if ultimately not all that scary Hallowe'en time viewing option, and mark my words, there are going to be follow ups to this outing, I am virtually certain. Technical merits are solid. With caveats noted, Recommended.
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