5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
The interwoven stories of three couples which are forced to make life altering decisions in the face of a disastrous war. Inspired and sometimes blinded by their love, Len, Mia, Andy, Esther, Anna and Erik are as flawed and beautiful as any of the billions who are facing this human-made biological disaster.
Starring: Frank Langella, Gena Rowlands, Rosario Dawson, Penn Badgley, Teresa PalmerSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
The end of the world isn't a fun time. Well, nobody can know that for sure since it's never really ended before (unless one counts an event from way back when) but it's fairly easy -- and sometimes even a fun thought exercise -- to explore all of the "what ifs" and "whys" and "hows" behind a "TEOTWAWKI" (The End Of The World As We Know It) cataclysm. Most genre movies explore the destructive nature of nature's end; 2012 is one such film and it does so with a lot of razzle-dazzle. Meanwhile, others like The Road take a grim, up-close look at the human toll in gritty, unsettling detail. Writer/Director Brian Horiuchi's Parts Per Billion attempts to take the a route closer to the latter, exploring the end times through the lives of three couples dealing with the lead-up to and aftermath of a deadly contagion spreading quickly around the globe, the result of chemical weapons usage in an unspecified Middle Eastern war. The result is a movie that feels a billion minutes long, unable to form much of a believable or coherent narrative and failing to present a character roster in which audiences will find sympathy and through which they will experience firsthand the trials of the end times.
Parts Per Billion features a very flat and glossy HD video-sourced 1080p transfer. It's shiny-clean and nary a bit of it feels out of place, but the inorganic smoothness may not be to everyone's liking. That said, it does reveal splendid detailing across the board; hairs, faces, and clothes are particularly well defined throughout the film, as are any number of well-lit background objects. Colors are nice, frequently favoring a slightly pale, almost artificial look about them. There's a good mix of pasty whites and sickly grays, but the occasional middle ground enjoys nice variety and stability. Black levels tend to look washed out, while flesh tones are often pale and sickly, though seemingly by design. The image seems accurate to filmmaker intent but it's also very inorganic in appearance.
Parts Per Billion features a healthy and fairly active Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Musical delivery is nicely organic and evenly spaced, enjoying wide immersion and quality surround support. The track features a good bit of environmental support pieces that enhance the story, place, and time frequently with more command than dialogue and photography. Blaring warning sirens, automobile horn honking, and background radio chatter frequently do a fine job of heightening the sense of urgency that the film otherwise lacks. Dialogue, the track's key ingredient, is delivered accurately and evenly from the center.
This Blu-ray release of Parts Per Billion contains no film related supplemental content; only a selection of previews for other Millennium Entertainment titles, presented in 480i standard definition, are available.
Parts Per Billion sells a bill of goods that it never delivers. A sound premise within the somewhat tiring end-of-the-world genre is negated by dull characters that cannot be saved by good actors working with a wayward script. Too much time jumping and too little structural coherence and continual purpose contribute to a film that's too scrambled and slow and uncertain of what it's doing, never mind the almost complete absence of world immersion and real sense of peril. Millennium Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Parts Per Billion features very good video and audio. No extras are included. Rent.
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