México Bárbaro II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

México Bárbaro II Blu-ray Movie Review

Una colección dar-o-fallar luchas y finalmente decepciona...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 28, 2023

Horror anthologies are my jam, as last-generation kids would say. Oh sure, you're almost guaranteed to find more hits than misses. And no, you aren't likely to find an anthology release backed by a proper budget and manned by leading filmmakers. They're more often than not poorly funded, by-the-bootstraps vehicles for up-and-coming filmmakers, barring the rare standout like Cabinet of Curiosities (which still managed to prove fairly hit or miss, despite the talents of Guillermo del Toro and his genre cohorts). Which brings us to México Bárbaro II, a multi-entry horror anthology that wears its national pride, folk frights and beating corazón on its punctured, bleeding sleeve. There isn't a review for the original 2014 México Bárbaro (though one is now in the works), but small labels unfortunately tend to release interesting indie titles to the fanfare of no one, at minimal fault of their own. It's a sin but, alas, one México Bárbaro II isn't about to absolve. More unremarkable as a whole than the usual anthology, its shorts tend to range from decidedly average to cringeworthy (minus a select few) and its price point will prove challenging to those who might otherwise take a risk on a collection featuring fresh South-of-the-border filmmakers hoping to leave a lasting mark.

Official synopsis: Nine Mexican film directors come together to recreate the universe of brutal fantasy, and relentless horror of traditional Mexican folk stories. Nothing is sacred, nothing is as it seems, whilst the darkest vein of Mexican popular culture is revealed, ever compelling in its power to terrorize. From sweet stories told by our grandmothers to the tooth fairy, witchcraft, the story behind the weeping woman, sexy Satanic servants, a pagan hero, the "burnt woman", and bloody ancestral culinary rites, traditions and legends that continue to cause fear among Mexican people are unspooled on the screen. Among the horror anthology's short films are Paidós Phobos (in English, literally Paidos Phobos), Potzonalli (Potzonalli), Bolas de Fuego (Fireballs), Exodoncia (Exodontia), Vitriol (Vitriol), Dirección (Direction), La Leyenda de Juan Soldado (Juan the Soldier), No Te Duermas (Do Not Sleep) and Ya Es Hora (It’s About Time), directed by the likes of Carlos Meléndez, Diego Cohen, Lex Ortega, Fernando Urdapilleta, Christian Cueva, Michelle Garza Cervera, Abraham Sánchez, Ricardo Farias and Sergio Tello.

First, the good: La Leyenda de Juan Soldado (Juan the Soldier), a supernatural revenge tale with hints of The Crow, a western-genre To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Saint of Killers from Garth Ennis's "Preacher", and Potzonalli, the macabre details of which I won't spoil, so the disturbingly casual approach to its almost comical, deliciously morbid delights can be savored. And an honorable mention goes to No Te Duermas, a ritualistic twist on the child-in-peril trope that leans on a dash of The Shining's Danny Torrance (perhaps even some "Tony" for good measure). The trio is easily the highlight of the anthology, though the budgets remain tight, with La Leyenda de Juan Soldado being the only short film that reaches beyond its station and delivers a high-concept, high-execution standout complete with strong cinematography, performances, scoring and fx. Something that can't be said of many of the others.

The rough and not-so-ready? The overwhelming majority of the remaining shorts, sad to say. I couldn't get through Bolas de Fuego's cautionary porn-shoot-gone-wrong fast enough (its similarities to a vignette in Tales from the Hood II is unmistakable); Paidós Phobos is striking, compelling and enigmatic... until it goes nowhere, then sputters out; Vitriol is hollow and free of scares, not to mention the kind of good campfire-esque story you expect in a horror anthology; and Exodoncia is fifteen percent of Dead Ringers and Rabid, hacked off and separated from the rest, without any of the pulpy, unnerving bits (other than some splashy gore) that make Cronenberg's approach to addiction and identity crises as effective as they are. Oh, I skipped over two shorts? The fact that I'm leaving them out should tell you plenty.

If México Bárbaro II were on Netflix or another streaming service, it would be easy to recommend for its three stronger entries alone. But at the standard to premium Blu-ray cost of admission, it doesn't offer enough to justify its price. Horror junkies will find something to love. I would just suggest waiting for it to be a bit more affordable before making the plunge.

México Bárbaro II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unearthed Films' 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer is a story of multiple presentations, each one excelling or struggling along with its source photography. With a low budget horror anthology comes a variety of cameras and video traits; some good, some not so good. La Leyenda de Juan Soldado is easily the most attractive and cinematic of the bunch, with rich colors, deep black levels, naturally crisp detail and convincing fine textures, and little to nothing in the way of blocking or banding (other than in the bright blue sky at the very beginning of the short). Other films -- Paidós Phobos and Exodoncia in particular -- fare just as well, despite featuring much sharper, more digitized appearances, even with the latter's full-frontal assault of artificial grain. The rest of the shorts suffer from somewhat softer images, subpar supernatural CG elements plagued with artifacts and pixelation, occasionally weak or inconsistent contrast, and other slight eyesores. None of it ruins the anthology, nor does any of it suggest that Unearthed Films should have invested more in the collection's encoding. You will notice the changeover from one short to the next more than usual, though, making for a few too many distracting moments.

México Bárbaro II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The same is true of the films' DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless audio. You can hear the differences in budgets and filmmakers' experience as readily as you can see it all. That doesn't mean there's anything especially wrong. Shorts like La Leyenda de Juan Soldado, Exodontia and others rise above with more engaging, immersive soundfields, exacting directional effects, and more assertive LFE output. Thankfully dialogue is clear and well-prioritized on the whole, the films' sound designs never fall below competent, and the sonic variance from short to short is less distracting than the visual lifts and dips in perceived quality.

México Bárbaro II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Select Short Film Featurettes (HD, 28 minutes) - Five behind-the-scenes featurettes are included for Bolas de Fuego, La Leyenda de Juan Soldado, No Te Duermas, Exodontia and Vitriol.

• Still Gallery (HD)

• Theatrical Trailer (HD)

México Bárbaro II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

México Bárbaro II has at least three killer shorts in its anthological arsenal, which is arguably decent for a horror collection. But there are a few too many major swings and misses to warrant a throaty recommendation. Unearthed's Blu-ray release is at least a good one, with solid video and audio presentations. More special features would have been appreciated -- film by film interviews, commentaries, the works -- but foreign language releases aren't typically overflowing with extras. Neither are horror anthology Blu-rays. Two challenges in one package? We're lucky to get what we get. All told, México Bárbaro II would be much easier to recommend if it weren't being released at a price typical of the 2023-24 age of inflation. Here's hoping more independent labels are able to figure out how to contain costs so their films receive more attention.