Seeds of Destruction Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Seeds of Destruction Blu-ray Movie Review

Let this one take root somewhere else.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 26, 2013

Seeds of Destruction veers away from the usual Disaster movie fare. Rather than the same old meteorites, earthquakes, tidal waves, blizzards, solar flares, or flooding rains, this time it's plant doom. Namely, it's big old plants that grow quickly and, unless some random scientists, do-gooders, military folks, and other assorted people can stop it, the Earth will be overtaken by real green energy.

Weeds are killer this year.

A scientist by the name of Frame (James Morrison) has made a startling discovery: a plant that creates pure air and that shows startling human healing properties. Such a potent plant, of course, captures the attention of all sorts. When a shady deal for one of the seeds goes bad, a man is killed and the seed falls to the ground, instantly taking root, growing at a ridiculously accelerated rate, and spreading like wildfire, destroying everything in its path. The event is witnessed by a pair of environmental advocates (Jesse Moss and Luisa D'Oliveira) who eventually team up with a scientist (Stefanie von Pfetten) and a government agent (Adrian Pasdar) to help stop the plant's rapid and deadly spread across the Western United States.

Seen one, seen 'em all. Seeds of Destruction is typical of Disaster and SyFy movies. The picture yields the expectedly terrible special effects -- really, video games from half a dozen years ago look better than this film's incredible flying CGI helicopter -- and continues the tradition of "intelligent" nature doom chasing heroes along roadways. The picture focuses on the usual group of "heroes," including hapless military sorts, conflicting members of the scientific community, and regular people caught in the middle of disaster. It's a decent enough time-killer, something to play in the background while working a puzzle or doing the dishes, but this is the sort of movie that makes movie watching a chore if one were to sit down and actually give it a full attention span.

Seeds of Destruction Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Seeds of Destruction's high definition transfer is hardly spectacular, but neither is it in any way all that bad. Often, viewers will find a clear, robust image that's very nicely detailed, whether rusty old vehicles or complex facial features. The HD clarity also reveals the limitations of the film's CGI effects. Colors are quite warm -- flesh tones especially so -- and take on a decidedly orange push. Noise can be a bit on the heavy side, but banding, blocking, and other artifacts are minimal.

Seeds of Destruction Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Seeds of Destruction features an aggressive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Musical delivery is smooth, wide, clear, and with a balanced surround support element. The back channels often spring to life in support of both music and sound effects. Whether jet fighters screeching around the stage or the din of a scientific work site as heard in chapter two, the entire stage is consistently used to fine sonic effect. Bass is robust and very satisfying, particularly when the seed first takes root; the entire soundstage shakes deeply and powerfully. A few gunshots also hit hard. Dialogue is even and accurate, playing consistently from the center channel.

Seeds of Destruction Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Seeds of Destruction contains no supplemental features.

Seeds of Destruction Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Seeds of Destruction is a typical low-end SyFY Disaster movie. Love these sorts, check it out. Otherwise, skip it. For those who want to see it on Blu-ray, Anchor Bay's featureless release delivers adequate video and good audio.