6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
When video-game enthusiast, Sarah, is transported into her favorite game, she finds herself on an intergalactic prison, home to the most dangerous villains in the galaxy. The only way to escape the game is to complete it. Teaming up with space hero, Max Cloud, Sarah battles the terrifying planet while her best friend, Cowboy, controls the game from her bedroom in Brooklyn. Sit down, plug in, and get ready for a sci-fi adventure like no other.
Starring: Scott Adkins, John Hannah, Lashana Lynch, Tommy Flanagan, Isabelle AllenForeign | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
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: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Films about people getting sucked into various games (or, alternatively, games exploding out into the real world) have provided some fun and maybe even notable efforts like Tron and Jumanji, but one thing both of those films (and, to an extent at least, their follow ups) had that Max Cloud doesn’t was a budget. Now, the fact that Max Cloud deals with a 1990s era 16 bit video game might provide a bit of cinematic “cover” for a film that resembles one aspect of the old Star Trek: The Complete Original Series in that what look to be the same spaceship corridors are slightly redressed and utilized repeatedly for different shots. There’s also another probably tangential and subliminal connection to the original Star Trek, in that this film’s captain, Max Cloud (Scott Adkins), “overacts” in a positively William Shatner-ian (I’m insisting that’s an adjective, sorry) way. Max Cloud doesn’t establish that the “adventures” that begin the film are actually taking place in an old style video game, and in fact one of the film’s detriments may be the disconnect between what is ultimately shown to be pixellated, old style video game graphics from the relatively early days of consoles like Atari and/or Nintendo and the supposedly “high tech” version of the game the film presents with live action and lots of green screen.
Max Cloud is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Well Go USA with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. I haven't been able to dredge up any authoritative technical data for what seems to be more or less a straight to video release. I'm assuming this was finished at a 2K DI from a digital capture source. It's often rather nicely detailed, especially in things like the kind of corduroy ribbed looking wall that's behind Max in some main deck scenes, or even some of the "natural" things like facial pores on close-ups, particularly in the outside "real" world. A lot of the "in game" activity is almost drowning in effulgent blues, and a lot of this material can look fairly soft, especially in midrange shots. The villains are mostly shot in sepia like tones and those sections probably have at least marginally better fine detail levels. Some of the CGI is pretty soft looking, though I'm assuming part of that may be an intentional decision to try to make the "game" seem a bit more, well, game like.
Max Cloud features an intermittently immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. I'm assuming some of what appear to be pretty curtailed budgeting affected the sound design as much as the special effects and overall presentational aspects, because this is certainly not the kind of over the top (no Atmos or DTS:X withstanding) sound design that many associate with sci-fi adjacent tales. There are good effects, including in the opening crash scene, and some of the later action elements, but this is a pretty front and center mix quite a bit of the time. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout, and optional English subtitles are available.
There's actually a fairly decent, if obviously derivative, premise at play in Max Cloud, but the film could have used better clarification and a more artful way to segue between the "real world" and the game environment. There are some passing laughs here, but nothing very substantial. Adkins acquits himself more than reasonably in both the (fitful) comedy and action elements. Technical merits are generally solid for those who are considering a purchase.
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