5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
A couple facing marital problems after losing their child finds their life together further complicated by a mysterious visitor.
Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Sarah Shahi, William Mapother, Sara Paxton, Luke Barnett (I)Horror | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Note: This review discusses some plot elements from which discerning readers may be able to infer salient
information which might amount to a spoiler. For those who are good at reading between the lines and don't
want any supposed surprises spoiled, it might be best to only read the technical portions of this review.
Static is a study in “what were they thinking?” There’s the core of an interesting premise here—however
derivative
it might be—but it’s dealt a serious blow (actually, two serious blows) with a “reveal” in the film’s first few
moments
which will tip off any discerning armchair “twist detector” as to what’s really going on, and, perhaps even more
fatally, by a strange decision to have the bulk of the film play out in near darkness, to the point that not only are things
nearly impossible to see, after a while there’s little choice but to give up caring about what’s going on at all. The basic
setup of Static involves a couple (Milo Ventimiglia of Heroesand Sarah Shahi of Person of Interest) who are reeling from the death of their little
boy. Their marital dysfunction is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a frightened young woman (Sara Paxton, The Last House on the Left
), claiming
that gas mask wearing villains have chased her from her nearby car, which had gotten a flat tire. Of course, things are
not
exactly what they seem, and soon the couple and their panicked house guest are involved in a game of cat and mouse—
with the would be assailants, and, perhaps, with each other.
Static is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cinedigm with an MVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. (A separate AVC
encoded disc is included featuring the 2D version, though the 3D disc does allow the option of playing a 2D version as well).
Aside from the bookending segments which are vividly saturated and which offer a sharp and clear looking image (see the
second screenshot for
a good example), the bulk
of this film features a highly desaturated look which borders on black and
white most of the time. The film is also incredibly dark for at least the final two thirds, making shadow detail virtually
indecipherable and keeping fine detail to a minimum except in relatively better lit moments when there are close-ups. This
was no doubt an intentional gambit on the part of the filmmakers, but it's hard to care about what's going on when you
can't see what's going on.
The 3D presentation is actually surprisingly decent, given reasonable expectations (this is one of the very few times, if not
the only time, when I'd be prone to give the 3D presentation a slightly higher score than the actual video if I were
able to score in quarter
points). Some of the
establishing shots deliver quite good depth of
field and visual planes, with foreground objects like trees or bushes clearly delineated from the backgrounds. However,
once things get into the darker bulk of the film, dimensionality is simply swallowed up by the encroaching shadows.
Occasionally an object will poke through the murkiness for a moment, but large swaths of this film play like barely
differentiated planes of gray or black.
Static 3D's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is arguably the film's strongest element from a purely technical standpoint. Well balanced and full of creepy sound effects, which feature everything from mysterious footsteps to unexplained outdoor noises, to at least a couple of explosive gunshots, the track offers consistent surround activity. The film's hushed dialogue comes through as clearly as some of the more boisterous sound effects. The sound design here contributes mightily to whatever creepy claustrophobic atmosphere the film manages to muster, and it's presented here with excellent fidelity and very wide dynamic range.
I'd typically try to be a little more circumspect in revealing any potential spoilers about a film, but since Static is so cavalier about spilling the beans from virtually the first moment I'm not quite so concerned, so if you've seen anything from Jacob's Ladder to The Sixth Sense to The Others, you're going to feel like it's déjà vu all over again, especially since Static is much less discursive than those films were about hiding any supposed secrets. The film has a few effectively moody moments, but it's undercut by a muddled visual presentation that ultimately ends up shrouding any interest in what's going on. By the time the figurative lights come back on, few are going to care when the "big twist" is finally revealed.
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