Rating summary
| Movie |  | 2.0 |
| Video |  | 3.0 |
| Audio |  | 4.0 |
| Extras |  | 1.0 |
| Overall |  | 2.5 |
Kull the Conqueror Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman March 22, 2024
Mill Creek has released, as part of its popular 'Retro VHS' line, the 1997 film 'Kull the Conqueror' starring Kevin Sorbo to Blu-ray. The film was previously released to Blu-ray in 2015 via Universal. This issue includes
essentially identical video and audio and it carries over the lone extra from the Universal disc as well. Buyers' choice will come down to packaging
preferences and price alone.
For a full film review, please click
here.
Kull the Conqueror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
This appears to be a fairly similar presentation next to the Universal disc, which was neither good nor bad, languishing in some middle ground that
offered a perfectly watchable image but one that never excited the senses or required the proverbial eye bleach application afterwards. Here is an
image in much the same style, very close overall and appearing to even be sourced from the same dated master. Certainly there has been no work here
to bring out the best of the film-based imagery, leaving the picture looking mildly processed but generally film-like if not a little flat (I would call it
"filmish rather than filmic). Detailing is
adequate to at times even good, especially in good outdoor lighting (look at the 19-minute mark for various armor, clothes, skin, and building
elements),
clearly a decent step up from standard definition but never fining a real sense of absolute clarity and razor sharpness that is unquestionably there,
somewhere,
just waiting for a remaster or restoration to uncover. The picture offers decent colors, lacking serious punch and vividness but finding suitable output for
general
fullness and accuracy. Skin tones are OK but hardly lifelike. Whites lack real crispness, and black levels fluctuate from mildly pale to mildly crushed. The
good news is that this is not a compression riddled mess as some Mill Creek transfers can be. It actually holds its own with only the most challenging
low light scenes really finding any serious problems with compression, and even then never all that serious. There are a few print blemishes, too, but
these are not problematic in sum. Overall, this is not a bad image at all, especially for a Mill Creek catalogue re-release.
Kull the Conqueror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack appears to be just about the same as the Universal issue. Some fluctuations in bitrate aside, they
offer essentially the same audio superstructure, featuring good, immersive sound elements that take full advantage of the 5.1 configuration, noted right
off the bat in the opening scenes and carrying through the picture. While clarity is never fantastic, overall definition and detail are fine, whether action
elements, score, or dialogue. Essentially, the review of the Universal disc's soundtrack suffices here, so
best to explore that review in order to gain the full audio picture of what to expect here. Again, not identical down to the bit, but certainly more
or less the same under the basic ear test.
Kull the Conqueror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Kull the Conqueror contains one extra: the film's Trailer (480i, 4x3, 1:13), the same which appeared on
the Universal disc. The top menu screen offers a
static image with no music. The menu options include "Play," an option to toggle subtitles on and off, and an option to select the trailer. No DVD or
digital copies are included, but this release does ship with Mill Creek's popular "Retro VHS" slipcover that mimics the look of a video cassette tape and
its corresponding rental box from the 1980s and 1990s (the latter being the case here, and for a film that released at the dawn of the DVD era and in
the twilight for VHS).
Kull the Conqueror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
It's a rarity that a Mill Creek re-issue and a Universal original release are pretty much on par, but here it is. This Kull is largely indistinguishable
from the other, featuring practically identical video and audio and the same supplement. To be sure, there are differences in bitrate and the like, but
when just looking and listening and not reading the bitrate monitors, the discs are essentially the same. Pick the cheaper one, or the packaging you like
better. That's
the only difference of real note.
