Nemesis Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Nemesis Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 5, 2019

Part of the fun of Blade Runner was the whole “who’s a replicant and who isn’t” subtext, a subtext that was so subtly handled in the film that I still actually occasionally run into some people who haven’t even considered whether or not two main characters might not be entirely human (so to speak). There’s absolutely none of that ambiguity in Nemesis, a 1992 film that obviously wants to emulate some of Blade Runner’s plot dynamics, along with perhaps a soupcon of other offerings like RoboCop, but which can only intermittently come close to the dazzling style Ridley Scott brought to his enterprise. The connection to Blade Runner is evident not just in some of the general plot mechanics, but the arguably more than passing similarity between world weary Alex Raine (Olivier Gruner) in Nemesis and Deckard in Blade Runner, not to mention a bevy of other androids who are stylistically reminiscent of the earlier film. Add in the presence of Brion James in both films, and it’s almost inevitable that some kind of comparison will probably accrue perhaps almost unconsciously in many viewers’ minds.

There are some salient differences, however, and among them is the fact that Nemesis takes place in a kind of more arid landscape that is decidedly less high tech looking than the rain soaked urban environments of Blade Runner. Raine is a bounty hunter, tasked much like Deckard with bringing renegade androids in, though Raine is “outed” as a least partially mechanical fairly early in this film, a hybrid status that is only increased (in favor the machine, lest that not be clear) after some injuries accrue. A probably over convoluted series of interstitial events ultimately pits Alex against a woman named Jared (Marjorie Monaghan), with whom he of course has some “history”, but with the showdown also involving a countdown of sorts since Alex’s latest bionic “update” has been supplied with a self-detonating bomb that keeps Alex on a very tight schedule to get his assignment completed quickly.

That “new, improved” (?) bionic element comes courtesy of one of Alex’s superiors named Farnsworth (Tim Thomerson), but in another ostensible “twist” that seems awfully reminiscent of the conspiratorial air running rampant in Blade Runner, Farnsworth’s motivations may not be pure as the driven snow. Nemesis basically staggers from showdown to showdown, and there’s a lot of noise of fury, predictably signifying nothing, or next to nothing. The film actually finally gets into some kind of weirdly charming material toward the end, when some may feel it goes completely gonzo with an unexpected spaceship ride that includes some Ray Harryhausen-esque effects involving an android stripped of its “skin”.

Nemesis Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Nemesis is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual's MVD Rewind Collection imprint with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 2.35:1 and 1.78:1. Before I get into the appearances of these, I'll just say that the disc is authored a bit wonkily in my opinion: there is a boot up menu offering a choice of aspect ratios, but it only showed up for me on seemingly random occasions and I couldn't seem to get back to it via any of the usual suspect buttons on my remote or even when I utilized my PC drive (it would seem logical to have that screen appear every time you boot the disc, but that just didn't happen in my experience). Otherwise, the disc defaulted to the 2.35:1 aspect ratio and it took me a while to discover that the Setup Menu offers an option to switch, though it's phrased as going to that aspect ratio's menus (which are identical), rather than to that aspect ratio. All of this said, there are both similarities and differences between these two versions, aside and apart from the framings. I've tried to include a number of screenshots from both versions (along with some "bonus" shots which I'll describe in a moment) so that those interested can see those framing differences, as well as some rather significant differences in terms of grain. I found the overall palettes to be pretty identical between the two offerings, and the two are also similar if not absolutely identical in terms of other "identifiers" like damage, with a surprising lack of anything major to complain about in either aspect ratio. Where the two differ markedly is in terms of grain. There is definitely grain in both versions, as can pretty clearly be made out in the screenshots accompanying this review, but the 1.78:1 version looked more filtered to me, at least in certain sections, than the 2.35:1 version. You can still make out grain rolling through the backgrounds in the 1.78:1 version, especially in some of the darker scenes or what I'm assuming is stock establishing footage like the brief shot of Christ the Redeemer in Rio, but there are some curious lacks of spikes in things like optical dissolves, and some of the material looks almost video-like at times. That said, as can hopefully be gleaned in the screenshots, detail levels are remarkably good a lot of the time. The 2.35:1 version has a much more noticeable grain field, something that may appeal to some viewers since it gives the entire enterprise a much grittier appearance. That said, this has a somewhat fuzzier appearance apart from the grain issue, with a diminution in fine detail. The increase in grain in the 2.35:1 version can also lead to slight yellow splotchiness at times that is nowhere to be seen in the 1.78:1 version.

Note: Screenshots 21, 28, and 29 are from the SD "2.0" presentation included on the Blu-ray disc.

Nemesis Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While there is a surround track included on this disc, it's frankly not much of a surround track (it's pretty heavily weighted toward the front) and is presented in lossy Dolby Digital 5.1, so my advice is to stick with the LPCM 2.0 track, which is what the disc defaults to, anyway. Even the stereo separation isn't extremely wide, but both amplitude and overall sonic force are considerably more apparent on the LPCM track, as a simple toggling between the two English language tracks immediately makes clear. The film has a rather interesting score by Michel Rubini, which sounds fine throughout. Some of the effects can sound just a tad hollow, but resonate well enough. Gruner's accent can be a little thick at times, but there are optional subtitles that can help in that regard. Other dialogue is typically delivered very cleanly and clearly.

Nemesis Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Nemesis features one Blu-ray and one DVD, with each disc containing different content:

Disc One - Blu-ray

• Interview with Albert Pyun (1080p; 35:41) is a fun sit down (or in this case, lie down, since Pyun seems to be reclining on a bunch of pillows on a couch) with Pyun, and covers a fuller biography than simply his involvement with this particular film.


• Interview with Eric Karson (1080p; 32:41) is another far reaching interview with the producer.


• Nemesis 2.0 with Commentary by Albert Pyun (480i; 1:32:29) also has a several minute "audio only" prelude that plays to a still image of the key art (see screenshot 28).


• Trailers includes Nemesis (480i; 2:25) along with several other MVD releases, including some of the Nemesis sequels.

Disc Two - DVD

• Nemesis 2.0 Director's Cut (480i; 1:27:44) features Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.


• Japanese Cut (480i; 1:35:43) features Dolby Digital 2.0 sound with forced Japanese subtitles.


• Extras include:

  Introduction by Albert Pyun (480i; 2:19)

  
  

  Introduction by Olivier Gruner (480i; 3:13)

  
  

  Afterword by Albert Pyun (480i; 00:58)

  
  

  Interview with Olivier Gruner (480i; 2:18)

  
  

  Making of Nemesis (480i; 7:12) has a little typo in the menu for you proofreaders.

  
  

  Making Of - Stunts and Effects (480i; 2:43)

  
  

  Making Of - Visual Effects (480i; 1:41)

  
  

  Killcount (480i; 2:25) helps you keep track of the carnage on tap in the film.

  
  

  Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery (480i; 3:02)

  
  

  Key Art Photo Gallery (480i; 2:19)

  
  

  TV Spots (480i; 4:43)

Additionally, the keepcase includes a (folded) mini-poster.

Nemesis Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nemesis actually has a number of kind of interesting ideas, including a whole almost "illegal alien" element which would seem to make it unexpectedly relevant for a contemporary viewer. But the film just repeatedly stumbles in doling out coherent exposition, leaving the action elements to pick up the slack. MVD Rewind continues to fulfill its "mission" by bringing out cult items with some appealing supplements, and fans of Nemesis will most likely be very pleased with this overall package.