Pulse Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Pulse Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 6, 2021

Paul Golding's "Pulse" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer for the film; new video essay by critic Lee Gambin; and new audio commentary by critic Amanda Reyes. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Too many suspicious noises

Questioning the safety of 5G networks is fearmongering. Do a quick search on how 5G networks impact human health and you will be bombarded with many recent articles telling you that they couldn’t be safer and anyone that disagrees is most likely a conspiracy theorist. Right. Of course, the reality is very different. At this point the people writing these articles do not have sufficient data to guarantee with absolute certainty that the 5G networks would not be harmful to the general population. In fact, if you discard all of the Big Tech-sponsored articles that are supposed to make you feel good about the so-called 5G revolution, you will quickly realize that there are plenty of legit concerns pointing to an incoming scenario that is rather chilling. One more thing. No one actually knows how 5G will affect animal life. Think insects. It could very well be that in a few years the powerful 5G towers will alter dramatically the lifecycle of honeybee populations around the globe, which are crucial for all kinds of different processes in the ecosystem. There could be a domino effect of ecological disasters unleashing all kinds of new human diseases the likes of which no one can even imagine at the moment, and especially the paid writers that are labeling everyone that disagrees with their opinion a fearmonger. By the way, you don’t have to take my words for granted either. However, technological progress is already impacting the lifecycle of honeybee colonies, so it makes perfect sense that adding more to the existing problems will make things worse. Not convinced? If you don't like to research, spend an afternoon with Markus Imhoof’s documentary More Than Honey and then ponder what seems more credible -- the continuation of the current trend(s) and the troubling future scenario that are highlighted in it, or the rosy predictions from the pre-filtered articles your internet search engine will return to you.

Believe it or not, the catalyst of everything that happens in Paul Golding’s film Pulse is the exact same 'fearmongering' that is currently making a lot of people nervous. However, because the film comes from the 1980s, the logic behind it is somewhat dated.

In Los Angeles, Bill (Cliff De Young) and his wife Ellen (Roxanne Hart) welcome little David (Joey Lawrence) in their beautiful suburban house and immediately show him the colorful room they have prepared for him. David is visiting from Colorado, where his mother lives with his stepfather, and the first thing on his agenda is to see the Dodgers destroy whoever their next opponent is. He does not know yet that his father has already purchased tickets and in a couple of days they will be heading to Dodger Stadium.

But shortly after he unpacks his bags, David has a very strange experience with the TV set in the dining room, and then begins noticing all kinds of stranger things happening with the electrical outlets and wires around the house. At first, he hesitates to discuss them with his father and Ellen, but when something in the house tries to hurt him, he warns them that they could become targets as well. His father instantly concludes that David’s mind is playing tricks on him, but when Ellen has a very weird accident that nearly gets her killed and she is rushed to the local hospital, he becomes suspicious.

Golding’s tricks won’t impress viewers who have seen hundreds of different horror films, but the possibilities that are attached to them are actually quite intriguing, especially given the fact that they emerged a few decades ago. Consider the following possibility: a magnetic impulse goes rogue and then turns every single gadget that uses electricity into a weapon. Impossible, right? Well, if you think that it is, then you probably need to begin reading about EMP warfare and some of the advanced military systems that can use ‘smart’ electromagnetic pulses to either deactivate or completely destroy their targets. You will be surprised to learn how similar they are to the ‘intelligent’ impulse that wreaks havoc in Bill and Ellen’s house.

Pulse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pulse arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. It is a rather decent master, but it has a few limitations that are impossible to ignore. For example, most well-lit wider shots do not have convincing depth, plus some show very light edge-encampment (see screencaptures #14 and 15). Some ranges of highlights can be managed better as well. The color balance is good, but the primaries and some supporting nuances can be better saturated and perhaps even slightly expanded. On the other hand, close-ups usually looks very nice, even during the indoor footage where light is often restricted. Grain isn't manipulated either, though a brand new master should offer some meaningful improvements both in terms of exposure and strength/tightness. Image stability is very good. A few blemishes and specks are visible, but there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Pulse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

While viewing the film, I did not encounter any issues to report in our review. The dialog was very clear, clean, stable, and easy to follow. I thought that the dynamic amplitude of the lossless track was excellent as well. My guess is that when the current master was prepared at Sony Pictures, the audio was optimized as best as possible.

Pulse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage U.S. trailer for Pulse. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Tuning In to Tech-Horror - an exclusive new visual essay by critic Lee Gambin. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Commentary - new audio commentary by critic Amanda Reyes.

• Booklet - a limited edition collector's booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar and author Craig Ian Mann, and an article on the film by filmmaker Adrián García Bogliano (Dark Phases).

Pulse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is the scenario that is at the center of Pulse possible in real life? There are plenty of reports out there confirming that the military has modern weapons that use 'intelligent' EMP signals. Also, there are reports confirming the existence of satellite systems that can dispatch and control such EMP signals from outer space, with breathtaking precision too. Can one such 'intelligent' signal go rogue? Well, what do you think? This is the reason why I find Pulse quite intriguing -- it makes you seriously ponder some possibilities that back in the '80s your mind would have instantly rejected as utterly ridiculous. Eureka Entertainment's upcoming release is sourced from an older but mostly decent master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. RECOMMENDED.