6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A plane crashes in the Amazon jungle, and its passengers must battle their way through cannibals, slave traders, wild animals and murderous piranha fish to safety.
Starring: Michael Sopkiw, Jofre Soares, Suzane Carvalho, Milton Rodríguez, Marta AndersonHorror | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Michele Massimo Tarantini's "Massacre in Dinosaur Valley" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the disc include remastered vintage trailer for the film; new video interview with star Michael Sopkiw; new video interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti; deleted scenes; and more. In English or Italian, with English subtitles for the Italian track. Region-Free.
The American
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1,85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Massacre in Dinosaur Valley arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.
A couple of years ago, we reviewed this European release which was sourced from a restored 2K master prepared on behalf of 88 Films. This release is sourced from a different new 4K master, which also happens to be uncut.
Earlier today, I spent some time comparing the two releases and I can confirm now that they offer very different presentations of the film. First, the uncut version of the film that is on this release is approximately two minutes longer. I looked at some of the 'new' material and frankly I am quite perplexed why the British censors felt the need to remove it. There is a bit of animal 'cruelty' as well as some erotic content that actually isn't explicit. Screencapture #12 is from one such 'controversial' censored sequence. Furthermore, the 4K master is graded differently. It tones down some of the yellowish/greenish nuances that are prevalent on the 2K master and strengthens a similar range of reds and to a lesser extent whites. I am unsure which of the two grading jobs is the more correct one, but right or wrong the 2K master has better saturation levels, while on the 4K master it looks like certain parts are basically stuck in 'neutral mode'. However, on the 4K master there are also areas that look much more natural and pleasing. The 4K master has some rougher spots as well. During some of the 'new' footage for instance there are obvious density fluctuations that are not caused by specific stylistic choices. Elsewhere throughout the film there are dings, marks, and other surface imperfections that could have been removed with digital tools (see screencapture #10). There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. However, the encoding on this release isn't optimized and as a result the grain often becomes quite loose and in some darker areas even disappointingly noisy. On the European release the grain structure has a noticeably tighter appearance. Image stability is very good. All in all, the 4K master should have offered the strongest and most satisfying presentation of the film, but because of smaller issues it actually frequently looks inferior. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided.
I revisited the entire film with the English track again, which should be considered the 'original' audio track. The music again sounded really good on my system and during the action footage at the end where the helicopter emerges dynamic intensity is really nice. Unevenness is still noticeable, but as I previously explained this is unavoidable. I still feel that some rebalancing adjustments could have been made, but this is the type of work that would have been considered only during a very big and expensive restoration.
I discovered Massacre in Dinosaur Valley after I picked up this release from British label 88 Films a few years ago. I thought that it was an absolutely hilarious and at times deliciously unhinged film. Severin's release is sourced from a new 4K master and features a fully uncut version of the film, which has never been officially distributed in America. Also, the release has a very entertaining exclusive new interview with star Michael Sopkiw, plus an equally good new interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti. I like the types of films the folks at Severin add to their catalog and the quality bonus features they produce, but I wish they would do better encodes on their releases. If they do, they will be bringing to the market definitive editions of all kinds of different genre films, just like Blue Underground and Synapse Films do. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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