Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Remains Blu-ray Movie Review

If zombie movies are a dime a dozen, this one's worth about 0.833 cents.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 9, 2012

So much for "peace" day.

Steve Niles' Remains might be better titled Casino of the Dead, but that would be a minor insult to George Romero's films, those Zombie films that actually did something with the plot and the characters, that trail-blazed what is today its own industry, that made a Pittsburgh, PA native into a god amongst zombie aficionados. Remains, a solid but forgettable little Zombie flick, settles to recycle genre elements and populate its world with stock characters. The film boasts ample gore and a few decent surprises, but is otherwise a watchable but redundant cash-in sort of movie, albeit one based on Niles' own original comic works set in a zombie-infested dystopian Reno, Nevada. But never mind the setting, the people, the action, the violence, and the zombies; Remains plays as straightforward as they come, a picture with minimal depth, a serviceable picture in a world of all-things-zombie where "new" is life and "novel" is pretty much dead.

Creative.

It's something of a crummy day in Reno, Nevada, and it's about to get a whole lot worse. Business is slow as the world waits on edge for the reveal of an incredible new power source that's said to be the end of the nuclear age and the dawn of peace on Earth (that or the budget couldn't muster up a more bustling scene of gambling chaos). But the day's news doesn't interest Tom (Grant Bowler, Killer Elite) or Tori (Evalena Marie, Exhumed); they're too busy snorting drugs and having sex in a casino back room. That's where they are when all hell breaks loose. An explosion rattles the building and knocks out power, leaving them stranded for hours until the juice is restored and they discover a horrific truth: Reno -- and the world, it seems -- has been overrun by the living dead. As they struggle to survive against the undead, tempers flair and new friends become potential enemies. With supplies dwindling and the chaos mounting, the survivors must choose to either stand their ground and fight or flee in search of safe haven elsewhere, and with whomever will go or comes their way.

The lack of originality and creativity be damned; how can one not enjoy a Zombie movie that features a zombie grandma taking the leg of her own walker through the mouth, and as the movie's leadoff kill at that? Truth be told that's about the high point for Remains, but even for as generic as it may be, it's just good enough to provide serviceable blood-and-guts Zombie movie fodder entertainment the whole mature family can love. There's gore aplenty -- blood-soaked skeletal remains, severed fingers, and general zombie carnage -- as well as some fine zombie makeup and prosthetics. But that's really all the movie has to offer. Remains epitomizes the superficial Zombie flick in nearly every way. It ignores character development and doesn't even make much use of its setting. There are a few admittedly cool scenes and scenarios, but they would have fit into most any Zombie flick; Remains merely houses them rather than defines them. It's a rather low-budget affair, failing to produce a truly terrorizing post-apocalyptic landscape. It's a step above the really low-rent end of the world fare, but Remains never once excels beyond "average."

Remains smartly jumps straight into the action, using only precious few opening minutes to briefly establish a pair of critical characters and set the stage for the catastrophe that leads to the zombie outbreak, here through snippets of a newscast promoting a new technology that was to usher in a new era of peace and harmony but that instead unleashes a TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It) scenario. The tradeoff is minimal character development, which can be a blessing or a curse, depending on audience wants and expectations. In the movie's favor, the lack of development means more action, but on the other hand it means a forgettable movie without the thematic bite of something like Dawn of the Dead. But as the film moves forward, it settles into generic character routines such as the questionable motives of an arrived military unit and the predictable "every living character at one another's throats" angle, where, shock, the humans are as much a danger to one another as are the zombies. Additionally, the cast does next to nothing to elevate the characters beyond stock, all of them reciting lines and performing physical duties with only enough dedication to earn their paycheck and ensure the movie isn't a total acting loss. Remains just doesn't have the narrative muscle to exist as much more than a modestly entertaining example of the recent wave of low-budget Zombie movies. It's adequate for general entertainment purposes, but the movie requires only a zombie's brain power to enjoy.

Remains Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Steve Niles' Remains chews into Blu-ray with a satisfying, usually crisp 1080p transfer. There are a handful of softer shots, but details often appear very well defined and film-natural, particularly in brighter scenes where facial lines and stubble, clothing, and odds and ends around the casino -- such as metallic appliances in the kitchen area -- appear with quality definition and natural accuracy. The sharp details allow audiences to get good looks at zombie makeup and gory shots as well, one area where films such as this really benefit from a proper Blu-ray release. Likewise, colors impress for the most part and under the better lighting conditions in particular. There's an ever-so-slight look of a washed-out palette, but a vaguely gritty, dangerous appearance is balanced with stable shades on clothes and surfaces, making for a rather nice Zombie movie image. Lower light and downright dark scenes, on the other hand, veer towards overwhelming blacks and crush. On the flip side, flesh tones appear accurate. A moderate grain field remains throughout, though a good deal of noise creeps into darker scenes. There's no overpowering banding, blockiness, or other trouble areas of which to speak. For a rather low budget film, Remains looks quite nice on Blu-ray.

Remains Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unfortunately, Steve Niles' Remains arrives on Blu-ray with no multi-channel lossless soundtrack, featuring only a DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless presentation. The good news is that track pulls its weight, the bad news is that audiences will never feel quite satisfied with the results or immersed into the chaotic world of an overrun and zombie-infested Reno. On the plus side, front-end spacing impresses. Music flows nicely across and plays with fair clarity, energy, and spatial precision. There's a fair low end sensation as well. Screams of dying or fighting humans and general zombie moans play with suitable crispness and sonic accuracy. Distant gunfire creates a cool-sounding atmosphere, while up-front, close-in shots play with average intensity and precision, whether rattling automatic weapons or booming shotguns. Dialogue is usually focused and clean, but at times sounds a little distressed and occasionally hovering above the material rather than sounding as if it's right there with the characters. Additionally, words occasionally seem to drift away from the center of the listening area rather than remain in the middle. On the whole, however, the track most certainly gets the job done, though a wider, more immersive presentation is always preferable, particularly for a movie of this variety.

Remains Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Steve Niles' Remains features a commentary track, a blooper reel, and some short advertisements and other previews for the film.

• Audio Commentary: Producer Andrew Gernhard, Director Colin Theys, Screenwriter John Doolan, and Makeup Supervisor Ben Chester record the commentary following the film's release. They speak on shooting locations, share specifics and anecdotes from the shoot, joke about various scenes, cover the process of the shoot, discuss the zombie phenomenon, comment on reviews, and much more. The commentators gel nicely, and fans will enjoy his track.
• Behind the Scenes TV Spots (1080p): A look at the show with cast and crew interviews, behind the scenes clips, and snippets from the film. Included are 60 Second Spot (1:02), Characters 30 Second Spot (0:32), and Zombies 30 Second Spot (0:32).
• Blooper Reel (1080p, 4:04).
• Chiller TV Spots (1080p): Comic Book 30 Second Spot (0:32), Premiere 30 Second Spots (1:03), and Teaser 30 Second Spots (1:02).
• Comicon Teaser (1080, 1:03).
• Prequel Short -- Road to Reno (1080p): Presented in three episodes (3:19, 4:14, and 3:32 in length).

Remains Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Steve Niles' Remains offers serviceable zombie-themed entertainment, no more and no less. It's competently assembled and acted to baseline proficiency. The story leaves much to be desired, and the gore and action scenes are unspectacularly fine. There are much, much better zombie movies out there, and there are much, much worse zombie movies out there. Yet in a genre becoming as cluttered as this, the middle ground isn't the worst place to be. Genre fans will likely eat this one up and even causal viewers might have some fun with it, but don't expect a genre-defining experience. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray release of Steve Niles' Remains features good video, alright audio, and some supplements. Worth a rental, and genre aficionados might want to consider a buy at the right price.