Red Sonja Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.5

Red Sonja Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 19, 2010

Richard Fleischer's "Red Sonja" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include the documentary feature "Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Man Who Raised Hollywood" and an interview with assistant director Michel Ferry. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Kalidor

A young woman, Red Sonja (Brigitte Nielsen, Beverly Hills Cop II), becomes a fearless warrior after her family is brutally murdered by the army of the evil Queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman, Conan the Barbarian). She vows to avenge her family and embarks on a quest for justice. Meanwhile, Queen Gerden kills the keepers of a sacred talisman that can be used to create powerful storms and earthquakes.

Along the way, Red Sonja encounters the arrogant Prince Tarn (Ernie Reyes Jr.) and his protector Falkon (Paul L. Smith, Crossing the Line) and decides to join forces with them. At the same time, Queen Gerden’s men chase and seriously wound Red Sonja's sister, Varna (Janet Agren). She is saved by Kalidor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a mysterious warrior, who is on a mission to destroy the sacred talisman Queen Gerden has stolen.

Kalidor meets Red Sonja and immediately falls in love with her. When he attempts to kiss her, however, she announces that no man can have her -- unless he has defeated her with his sword. Kalidor instantly challenges Red Sonja but much to his surprise fails to defeat her.

Eventually, Red Sonja, Kalidor, Prince Tarn, and Falkon end up at Queen Gerden’s palace. With a bit of luck, they manage to destroy the sacred talisman, defeat Queen Gerden’s army, and save the world. Somewhere along the way, Prince Tarn also manages to lose his attitude.

Some bad adventure films are so ridiculous they can actually be quite entertaining. Roger Vadim’s Barbarella (1968) is one such film. Duccio Tessari’s Zorro (1975) is another. J. Lee Thompson’s King Solomon’s Mines (1985) works this way as well. These are films with many different flaws but with plenty of memorable atmosphere and heart.

Richard Fleischer’s Red Sonja is a bad film that just does not work. It was produced in 1985, only a year after its main star had appeared in James Cameron’s Terminator. It shocked a lot of people including, I believe, its producers, who could not figure out what to make of it and how to sell it to different distributors around the world.

Instead of trying to describe how terrible the acting in Red Sonja is, I would like to mention the names of a few people that worked on it. I have a feeling you would be quite surprised to read them:

Cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, for example, worked with Luchino Visconti (The Leopard), Vittorio De Sicca (Sunflower), and Federico Fellini (Fellini’s Roma, Amarcord) on many of their greatest films. He even earned an Oscar nomination for his contribution to Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz (1979).

Production and costume designer Danilo Donati worked together with Pierre Paolo Pasolini on the famous Trilogy of Life -- The Decameron (1971), The Canterbury Tales (1972), and Arabian Nights (1974) -- and more recently with Roberto Benigni on the award-winning Life is Beautiful (1979).

Film editor Frank J. Urioste worked with John McTiernan onDie Hard (1988) and Paul Verhoeven onBasic Instinct (1992).

Legendary composer Ennio Morricone (Once Upon A Time in America, Cinema Paradiso) also contributed to Red Sonja.

Red Sonja Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Richard Fleischer's Red Sonja arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

The high-definition transfer for the Blu-ray release of Red Sonja appears to have been struck from a dated source. As a result, there are contrast and clarity fluctuations, as well as sporadic color pulsations. Fine object detail is mostly adequate, especially during the daylight footage. During a few selected nighttime scenes, however, it is not. Occasionally, clarity also suffers. Additionally, traces of random mild noise corrections are also easy to see. Light film grain is still present, but some of it is also mixed with light noise. I also spotted mild edge-enhancement popping up here and there. On a positive side, there are no serious stability issues. I also did not see any large cuts, marks, stains, or debris to report in this review. All in all, at best this is an acceptable presentation of a film that is very unlikely to get a stronger treatment in the foreseeable future. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is not problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Red Sonja Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is fairly modest. Its dynamic amplitude is limited, and there are only a couple of scenes where it actually effectively enhances the action. The rear channels, in particular, are not overly impressive. The dialog, however, is clean, stable and easy to follow. There are no serious balance issues to report with Ennio Morricone's soundtrack either. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or strong hissings to report in this review. The lack of optional English subtitles, however, is very disappointing.

Red Sonja Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Some of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Man Who Raised Hollywood - this archival documentary feature focuses on Arnold Schwarzenegger's transformation from a famous bodybuilder into a movie star. Several different directors discuss his work ethic and the type of films he appeared in over the years. In English and French, with English subtitles where necessary. (17 min).

• Making of: Red Sonja vs. Kalidor - in this archival featurette, assistant director Michel Ferry discusses the controversial production history of Red Sonja. In French, with English subtitles. (13 min).

Red Sonja Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Richard Fleischer's Red Sonja is one of your guilty pleasures, then you should consider getting this Blu-ray disc for your library as I seriously doubt a better release would emerge any time soon. Optimum Home Entertainment's Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. If you have never before seen Red Sonja but desperately want to, then I suggest you find a way to rent it first. RENT IT.