Mondocane Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Mondocane Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 11, 2022

Alessandro Celli's "Mondocane" (2021) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include a short documentary on the making of the film and an original theatrical trailer. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Sometime after The Great Evacuation. Best friends Mondocane (Dennis Protopapa) and Pisciasotto (Giuliano Soprano) dream of joining a gang of misfits called The Ants. The only way to do it is to impress the leader of The Ants, Testacalda (Alessandro Borghi), who is wanted by the authorities for committing numerous crimes in the cleanest and wealthiest area of what used to be a giant metropolis by the chemical plants.

On a hot summer day, after diving in the contaminated ocean, Mondocane reveals to Pisciasotto that The Ants have offered him a job. If Mondocane agrees to do the job and does not disappoint, he will be introduced to Testacada and invited to become a full-time member of The Ants. Initially, the offer angers Pisciasotto, but when Mondocane explains to him that all he has to do is break into a popular store and set it on fire, the two agree that there is no way he can screw up. Mondocane then vows to do whatever it takes to help Pisciasotto join The Ants with him.

Even though Mondocane barely escapes the patrolling cops, the popular store is ruined and he is introduced to a jubilant Testacalda. However, Mondocane nearly wastes his opportunity to join The Ants when he declares before Testacalda that he is willing to join the gang only if Pisciasotto is admitted with him.

Eventually, the two friends see their dream come true, but the vicious Testacalda corrupts their friendship and turns them against each other.

Allesandro Celli’s directorial debut, Mondocane (Dogworld), is an ambitious project with an interesting personality that could have been a really good film. Instead, it is only a mildly entertaining post-apocalyptic fairy tale that will appeal primarily to folks who feel nostalgic about the ‘70s and ‘80s when these types of genre films were usually made with a great deal of imagination and enthusiasm.

Initially, one is left with the impression that the spiritual godfathers of Mondocane might have been classic cult films like Mad Max and The Last Battle, but Celli’s inability to infuse it with strong atmosphere quickly destroys this most desirable connection. Indeed, once the two friends are admitted as members of The Ants, Mondocane quickly begins evolving into a conventional crime thriller rehashing very familiar themes. (For example, many of the same themes are at the center of Claudio Giovannesi’s much better crime thriller Piranhas). It does not help that Mondocane also dispatches various veiled environmental messages that further erode its shaky atmosphere and hurt the integrity of its drama.

The decision to utilize numerous non-professional actors isn’t easy to defend either. In some parts for instance the two leads look very natural because they are not required to engage in lengthy exchanges or react under pressure. However, when they have to communicate particular feelings and emotions and especially when they have to initiate dramatic events some of the acting does not look convincing. Borghi, a very good and experienced actor does a lot of great things that help, but he isn’t always around the youngsters.

The post-apocalyptic visuals might be the greatest strength of Mondocane. However, they also tend to reveal Celli’s inexperience because their stylization is pretty inconsistent. Some of the minimalistic visuals remind of Luc Besson’s work in The Last Battle, but the beach footage from the safe area and the intense shootouts are at odds with them.

Federico Bisozzi and Davide Tomat’s electronic soundtrack has some very interesting themes that quite easily could have been conceived by the great maestro Angelo Badalamenti (Mulholland Drive).

Mondocane Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mondocane arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The entire film has a very solid clean and sharp appearance. I don't know how it was shot, but I would not be surprised to learn that Alessandro Celli worked with a very recent ARRI camera. (What is interesting is that despite the stylization some parts of the film have a 35mm vibe as well). Needless to say, delineation, depth, and fluidity are simply superb. Image stability is outstanding. Colors are lush and vibrant. Yellow, brown, black, and greenish/gray nuances are the most prominent colors. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Mondocane Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio is every bit as impressive as the video. The film's sound design blends plenty of organic sounds and beautiful electronic themes and then emphasizes short but very intense shootouts that can definitely test the muscles of one's audio system. I was quite impressed because the range of dynamics that exist on the 5.1 track is as wide as they come. The dialog is always clear and stable. The English translation is excellent.

Mondocane Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original theatrical trailer for Mondocane. In Italian, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• The Making of Mondocane - this program features footage from the shooting of Mondocane as well well as clips from interviews with director Alessandro Celli and cast and crew members. In Italian, with English subtitles. (7 min).

Mondocane Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the future, Alessandro Celli will direct some very interesting films because it is pretty clear that he has a great imagination. However, at the moment it feels like Celli's mind is way ahead and insisting that he rushes through material that is too challenging for him. At least this is the impression I was left with while viewing his directorial debut, Mondocane, which isn't a bad film but needs greater control and better polish work. Parts of it reminded me of Luc Besson's The Last Battle, but Celli's ability to craft a special post-apocalyptic atmosphere needs more fine-tuning. Still, Mondocane is a decent genre film to see in the wee hours of the night, and because it looks stunning in high-definition, I will recommend this Blu-ray release. RECOMMENDED.