5.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A scientist with the ability to enter the subconscious minds of the possessed must save a young boy from the grips of a demon with powers never seen before, while facing the horrors of his past.
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Mark Steger, David Mazouz, Catalina Sandino MorenoHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 40% |
Supernatural | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
BD-Live
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Incarnate, which comes from San Andreas Director Brad Peyton (here taking on a movie that's completely different in tone, structure, and demand...kudos to Peyton for branching out so far), offers a new spin on the "Exorcism" genre that took off with the classic The Exorcist and has since spawned countless retreads of varying degrees of success, particularly in recent years when, for whatever reason, exorcisms have even become fairly regular staples not only of cinema, but also of mainstream news. Rather than the usual flashes of crucifixes and splashes of holy water and readings from Scripture, Incarnate is sort of like The Matrix of the exorcism world, telling the story of a man who, with the help of science, travels into the minds of the possessed and forces the spirit out not through the compelling power of Christ but rather his own unique methods of battling demons on their own turf. The movie is hardly memorable, but it's more than capable and balances a blend of familiar genre flavors with a sprinkling of new and unique content that, along with Peyton's keen eye for the material, elevates it comfortably above so much of the similarly themed dreck flooding the marketplace.
Incarnate was shot digitally but, beyond some source noise -- light in most places, a bit more intense in lower-light conditions (much of the film, really) -- it enjoys a healthy film-like texture and, technically, is good-to-go. Detailing satisfies across the board. Even as the film is fairly dark and drab, facial textures are nicely revealing, particularly Ember's scruffy beard and shaggy hair. Clothing lines are adequately crisp and well defined, though the transfer never quite reaches the point where the Blu-ray approaches real life. Colors are kept in check, not by any contrast manipulation or desaturation but only because the movie is fairly dark. A carnival about an hour into the movie offers one of the more diverse and robust examples on offer, with brighter colors pushing hard enough to stand apart from the surrounding darkness and offer an insight into the transfer's ability to reproduce them with pleasing accuracy. Black levels, critical to the film, hold deep and true. Skin tones appear accurate. Beyond the noise, there's not much in the way of eyesores; there's hardly, if any, banding, macroblocking, aliasing, or other trouble areas. This is a solid all-around Blu-ray presentation from Universal.
If nothing else, movies like Incarnate can be counted on to deliver fairly dynamic listens, and this film's sound design is no exception. Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack begins with full, lifelike, and well-spaced city ambience. A haunting, foreboding sound of a heavy blind tassel knocking against the wooden frame plays with a positive low end thump, followed by a wrestling match and a neck snap. The track's low end depth is a prominent fixture throughout the film; bass is balanced and engaging, whether from heavyset thumps and crashes and musical strikes or throbbing club beats in chapter three. Music is crisp and well spaced, generous in surround usage and, again, making good use of the low end. Surrounds carry plenty of discrete and diffuse effects; the track is very well spaced and open throughout, evident even in hushed scenes. Dialogue is clear, well prioritized, and grounded in the front-center portion of the stage.
This Blu-ray release of Incarnate contains one supplement. The Making of 'Incarnate' (1080p, 7:11) explores basic story structure, actors and performances, characters, thoughts on real-world exorcisms, the quick shooting schedule, Brad Peyton's work, and more. This disc also includes two versions of the film: the Theatrical Version (1:26:36) and the Unrated Version (1:27:03; note that the DVS soundtrack is not available with this version). A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.
Incarnate is the sort of movie that could understandably see a wide spread of responses, ranging from "poor" to "pretty good," skimming above the bottom of the barrel but not reaching high enough to get to the top of the movie mountain. On the down side, it's fundamentally the same thing that's been released fifty different times, it seems, in the last two decades. On the plus side, it tries to bring something new to a stale genre. Performances are solid, Peyton's craftsmanship is strong, and even if the movie can become a little too reliant on visual and aural cliché, it ultimately proves more engaging than many others of its kind. Universal's Blu-ray is sadly devoid of much in the way of supplemental content, but video and audio both satisfy. Recommended.
Unrated
2017
Ring 0 / Ringu 0: Bâsudei
2000
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2016
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Extended Cut
2015
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Collector's Edition
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1987