6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In the dark days of World War II, the Nazi High Command ordered its scientists to create a top secret race of indestructible zombie storm troopers - un-living, unfeeling, unstoppable monstrosities that killed with their bare hands. They were known as The Death Corps. No member of this horrific SS unit was ever captured by the allied forces - and, somewhere off the coast of Florida, they have survived...!
Starring: Peter Cushing, Brooke Adams, Fred Buch, Jack Davidson (III), Luke HalpinHorror | 100% |
Mystery | 3% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ken Wiederhorn's "Shock Waves" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; radio spots; video interviews with producer/cinematographer Reuben Trane, composer Richard Einhorn, and actors Brooke Adams and Luke Halpin; audio commentary with with co-writer/director Ken Wiederhorn, make-up designer Alan Ormsby, and filmmaker Fred Olen Ray; and large collection of original posters from around the world, advertising materials, lobby cards, original stills, behind-the-scenes photos original concept art by Alan Ormsby, and vintage VHS/DVD covers from around the world. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Nazi zombies
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ken Wiederhorn's Shock Waves arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground.
The high-definition transfer has not been struck from a new master prepared after an extensive restoration of the film and predictably there are some visible signs of aging and wear, but the end result is quite pleasing. (The original negative for the film no longer exists so the transfer was struck from the only known surviving materials). To be perfectly clear, there is clearly room for important improvements, but the basics we typically address in our reviews are quite good. For example, most close-ups convey satisfactory detail and clarity, though there are quite a few rough areas where fading and density fluctuations affect image depth. Generally speaking, colors also appear natural, but color stability could be improved (there are areas of the film where minor color pulsations are noticeable). General image stability can be improved as well. Early into the film and towards the end there are different sequences where some minor wobble is noticeable. It never becomes distracting, but it is quite easy to spot. The big and positive news here is that even though the film looks quite rough at times no attempts have been made to digitally repolish it. In other words, despite all of the different limitations mentioned above, it still has a fairly consistent organic appearance. Lastly, there are no serious encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, even though in an ideal word this low-budget film can look better, the current technical presentation is good enough to easily recommend the Blu-ray release to its fans. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). For the record, Blue Underground have provided optional yellow English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature.
The film is complimented by an incredibly atmospheric and unusually stylish soundtrack courtesy of Richard Einhorn which the lossless track handles really well. Obviously, dynamic intensity is quite limited, but when the synthesizer solos come up the sound is very clean and wonderfully rounded. (See the underwater footage in the very beginning of the film). There are some audio effects that enhance the odd atmosphere quite well. The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow. Finally, there is no distracting background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.
Ken Wiederhorn's low-budget directorial debut, Shock Waves, has to be seen in the early morning hours in order to be fully appreciated. Contrary to what even its creator claims in the audio commentary included on this release, the film works quite well as long as one approaches it with the right mindset. It has a fantastic, hugely atmospheric score as well, which benefits greatly from the inclusion of the excellent lossless track. Blue Underground's new Blu-ray release of Shock Waves uses a new high-definition transfer which was struck from the only known surviving elements. The American distributors have also produced exclusive new supplemental features for this release. Buy with confidence, folks. This is a very, very fine Blu-ray release of Shock Waves which will likely remain the film's definitive release on the home video market. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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