5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
At Lanier College, the semester is almost over. Exam week is coming to a close when some upper classmen play a prank by staging a phony terrorist attack. But the next excitement in the school won't be a prank. It's something a lot more final than an exam. Students are falling prey to the knife-wielding maniac hell bent on making sure that school is out....forever!
Starring: Cecile Bagdadi, Joel S. Rice, Ralph Brown (XI), DeAnna Robbins, Sherry Willis-BurchHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 15% |
Mystery | 10% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Your tolerance for exposition will probably be the single most important factor in whether or not you’ll enjoy Final Exam. After just having made the case in my Evilspeak Blu-ray review that audiences prefer to have some kind of connection to at least one major character in a satisfying horror film, I now find myself arguing a somewhat contrarian position that sometimes at least there can be too much backstory. Final Exam is both praised and derided in about equal measure for taking a lot of time in setting up various characters at a college in the midst of, yes, final exams, while a crazed maniac is on the loose on campus.
Final Exam is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory (an imprint of Shout! Factory) and Code Red with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This transfer is being touted as a "new high definition transfer from the original camera negative", and the results here are largely commendable. Don't be concerned by a few errant specs that show up during the very first moments of the credits; after those pass, this is a surprisingly pristine element and has no real damage to speak of. Colors are very pleasingly reproduced, including some bright primaries (including blood red, of course). Sharpness is aided by generally very strong contrast and good, deep black levels, something that also helps the film's final carnage, which plays out largely in the shadows of night.
Final Exam's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono mix provides stable support for this largely dialogue driven piece. Gary Scott's music, which has a certain Tubular Bells vibe, sound clear if a bit synth heavy at times. The few foley effects like knives slashing into skin or female screams are delivered with clarity and precision.
- Joel S. Rice (480i; 6:47)
- Cecile Bagdadi (480i; 3:43)
- Sherry Willis-Burch (480i; 4:58)
Final Exam simply spends too much time setting things up that even its okay payoff doesn't quite equal a large enough return on investment. This is yet another nice Shout! release that boasts excellent technical merits and at least a couple of decent supplements, so fans of the film should be well pleased.
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