6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In the spring of 1935, Japan established a secret base, Unit 731 in Manchuria, where many innocent Chinese, Korean and Mongolian people were killed in grotesque experiments. An idealistic young doctor , Morishima, is horrified by the experiments being performed in the camp and when his fiancée arrives disguised as a Chinese prisoner he sets out to liberate the camp. A docudrama sequel to the notorious Men Behind the Sun, which pulls no punches when it comes to delivering the shocks!
Director: Godfrey HoHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 88% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Cantonese: LPCM 2.0
Mandarin: LPCM 2.0
English: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The first sequel to the notorious 'Men Behind the Sun', 'Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil' makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Massacre Video. It has received a 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative. Special features are light; just a collection of stills and trailers for other Massacre Video titles. A slipcase is also included, and once again there is interior art of one of the film's memorable torture scenes that is "hidden" by the black case. The Limited Edition Slipcased Blu-ray has a run of 5000 units.
Men Behind the Sun 2: The Devil's Laboratory was remastered in 2K from the original camera negatives and largely looks good on Blu- ray. Detail levels can be high allowing for the appreciation of costume elements and environmental particulars in the numerous laboratories, mustering halls, and dungeon-like rooms where the the notorious Unit 731 conducts its inhuman experiments. Crumbling concrete, chipped and peeling paint, and rusted metal all appear quite lifelike and have a tactile presence. Skin tones are generally healthy-looking much of the time, but in certain scenes can have a ruddier appearance. Colors are often nicely saturated, but due to the setting, there are few instances for colors to pop amidst the rather drab khaki and olive drab uniforms won by the soldiers and doctors. Reds are occasionally allowed to pop when large Japanese flags are used as the focal point in the assemblies but such instances are rare. The image is not perfect, and white specks, vertical lines, damage, and debris all invade from time to time, as does softness, but few of these issues ever rise to the point of being distracting. There are also some moments, during the autopsy of a woman around the 20-minute mark and during the assault on a geisha a short while later, to name a few, where the image quality dramatically dips due to the use of lower-quality SD video inserts for the missing material. "Safe" examples of this footage are seen in screenshots 12 and 13. Stock footage used in the film looks unsurprisingly haggard and rough as seen in screenshot number 6. Fans should, however, generally be pleased with the results here.
As I wasn't overly fond of the the brevity of the English subtitles, I watched the English dub, and did so for a time with the English subtitles on as well. It was interesting to note how much more verbose the English dub was versus the subs. Dialogue is crisp and cleanly rendered and is consistently properly prioritized and located front and center. Sound effects are appropriate for a film of the era, but explosions, punches and kicks, and gunshots lack the heft to be thoroughly convincing. Music also sounds fair enough, though again, the lack of bass leaves drums sounding thin.
Supplemental features are found under two menu options; "Gallery" and "Trailers".
Godfrey Ho's Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil is a bizarre mix of a gory torture film (some real, some practical effects) and a love story attempting to masquerade as a historical drama. But on the whole it seems less interested in providing a factual retelling of the actual events and activities of Unit 731 and more interested in generating shock and disgust. Fans of the franchise will no doubt be pleased with Massacre Video's efforts to create a very solid presentation of the film, but all others should proceed with extreme caution. Men Behind the Sun 2: Laboratory of the Devil is recommended only to those who enjoyed the first installment of Men Behind the Sun.
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